Embarking on a Digital Adventure with Flow State Bike Co.
Nate Lessnick is the proud owner of Flow State Bike Co., a licensed coffee bar and bike shop operating in the quaint village of Arkell near Guelph, Ontario. Before his journey as a business owner, Nate worked for a mountain bike touring company and travelled all over the world biking. During his travels, Nate realized that the bike shops he visited played a key role in the experience. “They were the central hub — the gathering place — from which the group's adventures would start and end,” says Nate.
When the pandemic hit and he could no longer travel, Nate was inspired to create a bike shop with a community atmosphere at home. So, he set out on a new adventure; opening Flow State Bike Co.
“Flow State Bike Co. started out of a passion for mountain biking and wanting to create an inclusive space for all cyclists to feel welcomed and celebrated”, shares Nate.
Although Flow State Bike Co. already had a site, Nate wanted to improve its presence and user experience and implement e-commerce. Nate was exploring his options for support when he found the ShopHERE powered by Google program. The ShopHERE program offers free one-to-one support for business owners looking to create or enhance an existing online store. The program connects each entrepreneur with a dedicated E-Commerce Coordinator who provides training on managing their online store moving forward and suggests e-commerce solutions for his business.
With help and support from the E-Commerce coordinator, the Flow State Bike Co. online store was refreshed with a more modern look, and upgraded with 2 new e-commerce features, the ability to pre-book a bike tune-up and make a group reservation.
“(Both) have been very helpful for our business (and) has resulted in more visitors and increased revenue for our business.,” says Nate. “(The E-Commerce Coordinator) was very dedicated to finding the right solutions for our business and thorough in his work with us. He was able to execute exactly what we were looking for…”
Nate expressed gratitude for the E-Commerce coordinator and the ShopHERE program and shared:
“As a new business, ShopHERE was a fantastic program to help kick us off in the right direction .ShopHERE allowed us to elevate our online presence and step up our game…”
When asked what advice he would share with business owners looking to navigate e-commerce upgrades Nate says,
“You're not alone and help is out there! ShopHERE is a great way to relieve some of the pressure of running your business and get help from experts.”
To learn more and check out the Flow State Bike Co. community, click sur ce site.
If you’re interested in learning more about the SHopHERE powered by Google program, visit sur ce site.
Digital Main Street a été créé par la Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA) avec le soutien direct de la Ville de Toronto. DMS est également soutenu par un groupe de partenaires commerciaux stratégiques, dont Google, Mastercard, Shopify, Meta, Intuit QuickBooks, Square, Lightspeed, Ebay et Postes Canada.
L'investissement continu de la province de l'Ontario, par l'intermédiaire du Ministère du Développement économique, de la Création d’emplois et du Commerce (MEDJCT), a permis l'expansion continue de la plateforme numérique de la rue principale afin de soutenir davantage d'entreprises qui passent au numérique dans tout l'Ontario.
