On a warm July day in 2004, in the conference room at Seven Cycles, I sweated through my first real job interview. I met with Jenna in sales, Zac in design, and Rob the owner, for a total of about two hours. They sifted through my babbling, disregarded my nervousness, and offered me a gig as a Customer Service Representative. I started in August.
The learning curve at Seven is pretty steep. There is a lot to know. My primary responsibility, out of the gates, was to help answer phone calls which is a good way to learn things quickly. Each question and each caller were as unique as the bikes we make. I tried to learn as much as I could so I could be prepared to answer every question that anyone had and so I could finally stop pestering my colleagues with pleas of “Can we do this?” and, “Can we do that?” All my pestering revealed a pattern, the answers for all but the most outlandish requests were, “yup,” or “of course,” or “why not?” Once I understood our philosophy, phone calls became fun, and equally important, I understood what made Seven great, for the first time I knew our tagline, “One bike. Yours.” wasn’t a marketing ploy, it was simply how the business ran, from the top, down.
Ten years later, that motto hasn’t changed, and I will bring that singular focus with me throughout each of the adventurous endeavors that lie ahead. This Friday, October 10th is my last day at Seven Cycles. The decision was my own and though I will miss my colleagues and their fun-loving spirit immensely, I am excited for my next steps. I am also excited for Seven and know that the best has yet to come, a sentiment that everyone here has relayed to me as well. Seven is a special place, full of incredible and talented people, and I am proud to have been a part of the fun. Thanks is also due to the wonderful people that make up our retailer network, and to the many thousands of cyclists who have called, emailed, or stopped by for a factory tour.
Looking forward to seeing you all down the line.
Karl