Bringing Back Toronto's Travel & Tourism One Pedal at a Time

Timothy Watts has taken his passion for cycling and his love for the city of Toronto and turned it into his own business called Cadence & Volta. Located in Toronto, Ontario, Cadence & Volta welcomes locals and tourists visiting Toronto to take part in an E-Bike tour. Led by Timothy, guests have the opportunity to bike around the city and the waterfront, as well as view historic locations all around Toronto. In addition to a scenic bike ride, guests will also have the opportunity to enjoy a picnic meal by the beach and take a break to enjoy the city whenever they would like during the tour. 

Since his E-Bike tours are only available during the Summer and Fall seasons, Timothy is constantly biking on his own to look for different areas of the city to show his guest riders on future tours, and he is always looking for different ways to further improve his business. Timothy joined the ShopHERE powered by Google program with hopes to take his business online, and with the help of his eCommerce Coordinator, Timothy was able to launch a new website for his business. Initially, Timothy was very new to eCommerce, but he was very impressed with the results and the process of getting his business online. 

“ShopHERE is going to help bring Toronto's travel and tourism industry back. Many of us who lost our jobs in hospitality are not going back. Better to start our own business and make our own destiny.” 

Having a strong eCommerce presence is crucial for small businesses, and with the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been more important than ever. Timothy worked alongside his eCommerce Coordinator to create his website and was able to approve every aspect of his newly built site before it was launched. 

“Everything I hoped for was ticked off. Great looking site, lots of pictures, links to YouTube videos. I also have room to grow the site as I grow the business.” 

Building and launching an eCommerce website helped Timothy reach a larger audience and grow his business tremendously. Although Timothy was not experienced in eCommerce before participating in the ShopHERE program, he now feels that he has the skill set to move forward and grow his business on his own. Since completing the ShopHERE program, Timothy has added a new logo to his website. He has also created merchandise, including polo shirts and water bottles with his logo, having learned through the program the importance of professionalism on his eCommerce site. 

“It helped a lot that my Coordinator was the patient type.” 

Timothy appreciated the support he received during his experience with the ShopHERE program, and shares his advice to fellow small business owners, 

“ShopHERE will help small business operators recover from the pandemic. Do not be afraid of the technology or software. Just ask for help.” 

If you are interested in seeing Timothy’s website or participating in a tour, click here. If you enjoyed learning about Timothy’s experience with the ShopHERE powered by Google program, you can learn more about the program and sign up here.