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Work space: The perfect circle |
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Written by Erin Frustaci
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Thursday, 03 May 2007 |
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 Tom Jensen has never been a great employee.
“I always think I can do things better when I do them my way,” he said. “I hate working for other people.”
That realization got the wheels turning. What if he was his own boss?
So, in November 2005, Jensen left his profession as a science/math teacher to start Perfect Circle Cyclery.
“It probably wasn’t the most responsible decision I’ve made,” Jensen said.
But the truth is, his passion lies with the spokes and chains.
“Being a bike mechanic or bike-shop owner has always been at the top of my list of things to do,” Jensen said.
In fact, when he was 11 years old, he and some friends ran a bike shop out of one of his friend’s basement. The boys would bring their BMX bikes down to work on them.
“I’ve always ridden, but the mechanics side of things is almost more interesting to me,” Jensen said. “I’d rather be working on bikes than riding them, in a way.”
The idea of having a shop on wheels came to him when he did tech support for Pedal the Peaks Bicycle Challenge. It occurred to him if he had a big enough truck, he could do all his bike repairs right there.
He started shopping around on eBay and found a lot of inexpensive step vans. As luck would have it, a friend of a friend had one he was trying to to sell. The neon green van is hard to miss and will pick up and drop off bikes at customers’ homes.
“I kind of take the hassle out of it, and you know I am the only one who is going to work on it,” he said.
Jensen is a USA Cycling Licensed Mechanic and takes pride in the quality of his work. “There’s a lot of people out there whose bikes are their babies,” he said. “They hate leaving them at the shop and not knowing which mechanic will work on it.”
His next step is to find another mechanic to run a second truck. In his first year, he serviced about 500 bikes. He also attends many races and bike events throughout the year.
“The whole reason I did this was so I wasn’t stuck in the shop on weekends,” he said. “It offers freedom, and I can still call it work.”
———————————————————— VITAL STATSName: Tom Jensen, Fort Collins, 41 Company: Perfect Circle CycleryTitle: Owner How long have you worked there? 1 year 4 months For more information on Perfect Circle Cyclery visit www.perfectcirclecyclery.com or call 988.1206.
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IN HIS WORDS
What makes the job challenging?
There is always something to do. Every bike needs to be done just right or it means an extra trip back to the customer’s house/ work, so tune-ups take a long time!
Makes you get out of bed in the morning?
I just totally love being in charge of my own destiny. If I work hard I benefit. If I don’t, there’s no one to blame but me. And really psyched customers (make me get out of bed.)
How do young/new employees get ahead?
Be ambitious, ready to learn, take direction without getting defensive — all the things I wasn’t good at when I was an employee!
Did you ever think in a million years you’d work here?
I have been dreaming about an operation like this for 12 years. The fact that it is really happening is hard to believe, for sure! I have to remind myself that I’m following my bliss when I get discouraged.
If you weren’t doing this, what would you do?
Probably work for a bike shop somewhere.
What’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever done while at work?
I forgot to tighten a crank properly and it fell off when the rider was at Horsetooth... Oops. It’s never happened again!
Smartest?
I modify tools to make them more effective.
Name one thing you wish you could do on the job that you can’t now?
Climb rocks more often and ride more often!
What do you do during your breaks?
Play with my new baby girl.
What’s one thing about your job you would do, even if you weren’t paid to do it?
Test ride customer’s cool bikes!
Name one thing in your life that really prepared you for your job.
Sucking at every other job I’ve ever had. I always think I can do things better when I do them my way. That isn’t always popular with administration.
What’s the biggest job payoff?
Making all my own decisions, schedules and guidelines and no one looking over my shoulder.
Are you the boss? Do you think you should be?
Yes, except my wife thinks she is because she manages the books!
What do you do when you’re not at work?
I love to climb and ride and hang out with my family— not necessarily in that order.
Pets?
Three cats.
Family?
My wife Dana and my new 3-month-old baby girl Skyler Lynn.
Favorite TV shows.
Cycling videos. I love all the old races!
Movies.
“Quadrophenia”
Books.
Historical Fiction.
What Web sites do you have bookmarked?
www.Velonews.com and www.mountainproject.com.
Where do you play?
Vedauwoo, Lumpy Ridge/Roucky Mountain National Park, Horsetooth Mountain Park and Lory State Park.
Go out to eat?
We go to Qdoba way too much!
Favorite spot?
Vedauwoo.
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