By Corrina Gordon-Barnes of http://youinspireme.co.uk
Have you ever wondered if cycling might be damaging your business cred?
I was at the first meeting with a new client, about to start helping her with marketing her business. We had just sat down with our drinks and were exchanging pleasantries before our session started, when she asked: “Where did you park?”
“My bike’s just out there”, I replied, gesturing towards the cycle park.
Her face fell. The spark went out of her eyes. She looked down at her cup awkwardly.
What should I make of that, I wondered? Was she feeling guilty that she’d travelled to our meeting by car? Did she worry I’d think less of her because of her carbon footprint?
Or... was she thinking to herself: “I can’t believe I’ve just hired a business coach who can’t even afford a car!?”
It got me questioning: does cycling make us look less successful? Does it cramp our style, with its associations with free-wheeling childhood? If we’re to be taken seriously as grown-up professionals, should we just use our bikes at the weekend?
A car is a status symbol, after all. Alan Sugar doesn’t whizz his wannabe apprentices around on bikes; they get chauffeured. A flash car is often touted as the ‘trophy’ you buy yourself to celebrate your achievements. (You’ve seen the sexy adverts).
Even if you don’t feel you need to prove your success or bank balance, there are still practical considerations which make a bike less than ideal for working life. Cycling can dictate your clothing choices; maybe you opt for trousers and flats instead of skirt and heels, or worry about arriving at a meeting with your smart suit smeared with oil. And where do you put your high-vis jacket and night lights?
The thing is, none of this can deter me from cycling. It keeps me fit, energized, alert and gets my skin glowing. The fresh air and endorphins clear my mind, and in pop new blog posts, programmes I can offer, solutions to dilemmas which have been bugging me. Being visible on a bike (rather than closed away behind metal doors and glass windows) means people spot me and say: “Oh, hey, come here... I was meaning to talk to you...”
It means I can nip from consultation to client to bank to friends to shops so easily and with no traffic jams, petrol stops or parking fees. This freedom is the piece of the self-employed dream which my clients so often come to me seeking. I’m walking (or rather, cycling) my talk: that healthy profits follow healthy living, that well-being is primary, that we can be nurtured by our success, not in spite of it, that we can choose health, happiness and wealth, not have to decide between them.
And travelling by bike is damn enterprising, in the truest sense of the word. It’s working smart, it’s being efficient, it’s using resources wisely and it’s saving me a whole ton of money. It fits with my message: that good people can earn good money doing good work – and they can do it on two wheels.
What do you think? Is biking bad for business? Does it make you look less professional? Do you worry about turning up to a meeting flushed and sweaty?
Or do you think cycling fits perfectly with being self-employed? Has being on a bike actually got you new clients?
Leave a comment, let us know...
Corrina Gordon-Barnes teaches marketing to women who’ve found their passion but haven’t yet found how to make that pay the bills. Her clients are mostly coaches and complementary therapists who want to have an impact and earn a good income. To find out more, visit: http://youinspireme.co.uk
Comments
Hey Corrina! What a great
Hey Corrina! What a great post - as someone who cycles loads too, I definitely get the feeling sometimes that I don't look quite as 'cool' or grown up as other business women/therapists, but at the same time, I have no intention of not cycling when I can! The very slightly strange thing I've noticed though is that for men it is less of an oddity to cycle, but as a woman, other women do find it very strange that I happily jump on a bike! Seeing as I am in the business of helping people become healthy, I think I am (and anyone else cycling is too) a good example of a way to fit fitness into a busy life, but I do often get the feeling that people think it is a tad childish, a poverty choice, or just a bit ridiculous! I haven't found any new clients as a result of cycling lots, but it does mean that when I talk to clients about getting outdoors and exercising, I am actually doing what I suggest! And that kind of honesty must surely be good for business!
Great post Corrina. I guess
Great post Corrina. I guess it comes down to what you term 'knowing your tribe' and specifically, their attitudes towards cycling. In part I think this is location dependent. In Cambridge, cycling is a part of the city's university heritage and resonates with distinct environmentally conscious elements within its contemporary culture. Here, if you travel by car to meet a client and you might risk being perceived as alien, inefficient and/or unethical.
So true - I've had business
So true - I've had business meetings with non Cambridge residents who have actually laughed at my bicycle when they saw it. They couldn't believe that I cycled everywhere and it was so common. It didn't really help that in true Cambridge style, having had so many bikes stolen - I'd given up using nice, slick bikes, and said bike in question was a tad tatty. I tried explaining how normal this was for Cambridge, but it made no difference: they stared at my sorry steed, avoiding eye contact. I sank into my formerly glamorous shoes, feeling like a total eccentric.
It's bad for business if the
It's bad for business if the person you are dealing with is an idiot. If you go to Silicon Valley, Berlin, Portland or a host of other places it's fine. In the UK success seems to be measured by many on how expensive your car is. In reality expensive vehicles, usually leased or on tick, are a great indicator of how bad a person is at dealing with money and how good they are at showing off. Cities where people cycle are always better and more interesting places to live and work.