5 ms·

How to make money: Offer this as a service to a business. The service (which I'm charging for, but don't yet have customers) is: 1. Paint some scooter parking

How to make money: Offer this as a service to a business. The service (which I'm charging for, but don't yet have customers) is: 1. Paint some scooter parking lines in a reasonable spot, and add a signage explaining why the org wants to incentivize scooter usage. 2. The scooter parking would make use of existing nooks and crannys in the parking lot, so it wouldn't take away existing car parking. 3. Work with the staff to find the staff that lives relatively close to the business, and is amenable to scooting. Teach and train and hand-hold through their scooter purchase, so when they're working, their scooter is parked outside. 4. Once there's staff using scooters regularly, there will nearly always be a scooter or two parked outside the building, which will start to normalize scooter usage for customers 5. Hand-hold early adapting customers through the same process. 6. Add signage and website and email campaigns to let interested customers learn more about the whole thing. Done. Every time there is a scooter parked in front of a business, that's a car parking spot freed up. Keep refining the process until during busy hours, there is a number of scooters in front of the business equal to ten percent of the number of parking spots. I won't be removing any parking. Only creating new parking, and helping more people start scooting. I ran for city council in golden, Colorado, a few years ago, and saw far too much of how the sausage is made. City councils have no power, by design. They exist to absorb the ire of angry citizens, and to insulate the city staff from the effects of their decisions. There is no world where city council is helpful. They're a lagging indicator of the social norms of middle and upper class white people. The legal changes will lag social changes, so it's not helpful to directly target legal changes.

dharmab 4y ago
I bet Revzilla's magazine would love to write about this if its successful.
- readonthegoapp 4y ago
  revzilla, like revzilla.com, the motorcycle store, or magazine, as you say? saw a dude yest cruising around on some type of etrike - i liked it, and i think the main reason was because it didn't seem as ugly and wide and low-quality as a typical non-e-trike. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ prob one of these types, i would guess: https://www.google.com/search?q=GRANDTAN+M-340+Etrike+2023&newwindow=1&rlz=1C1GEWG_enUS1045US1045&sxsrf=APwXEdfV_AfKUKVFs7k2hje4G5tPBiTMSg:1680308574972&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiqh-WdtYf-AhUMMVkFHVIqCy8Q0pQJegQIBRAE&biw=1120&bih=596&dpr=2 https://www.google.com/search?q=GRANDTAN+M-340+Etrike+2023&n... i could see etrikes becoming a thing for older americans, and that matters because they have a ton of political power, relatively speaking. i figure, all the hype around ebikes is great, but largely useless. all that really matters is infrastructure/policy -- i.e. bike tracks, bike sidewalks, cycletracks, protected bike lanes, whatever you want to call them. i feel like the golf cart-oriented communities are a perfect example of re/designed infrastructure allowing people to get around by something other than cars. same might happen if a bunch of older, upper-income white people with tons of political power decide etriking might be something they might like to do occasionally. they wouldn't have to be older or white - it just so happens that's the demographic that is currently in charge and has been forever and prob will be for the foreseeable future, and so many of our policies are based on identity politics.
  - wonder_er 4y ago
    I think scooters could be great for older folks, too. Help them retain balance and stuff. Scooters are way more stable than bicycles, but can go fast and can ride as fast as a car, if needed. Totally agree with old white people representing political power, so whatever they want is what happens.
  - dharmab 4y ago
    Revzilla has a blog and paper magazine (yes, real high quality paper) and it's the some of the best writing on motorcycle culture anywhere right now. (Along with Zach Bowman at The Drive and Fortnine's YouTube.)
- wonder_er 4y ago
  Great idea. I've thought about 'content marketing', and only have planned on local podcasts, but RevZilla is a great idea.
Adraghast 4y ago
The pitch is that businesses can reduce parking congestion (is there a dollar value you can pin to this?) by paying you to act as a personal scooter consultant for their employees? During research did you come across any mass-market applications of this sort of concierge service? It sounds very niche/upscale. I can’t think of any purchase I’ve made where I could have even found someone to hold my hand through it that wasn’t the person making the sale. The closest analogue I can think of is a travel agency.
- wonder_er 4y ago
  There is indeed a dollar value one can pin to the extra parking availability. It's business dependent, but absolutely it can be tied to additional revenue. And yeah, 'personal scooter consultant' is the pitch. It's concierge and not traditional, but so am I. As far as mass market application of this concierge service, I don't think there needs to be a mass market adaptation. Once there's some minimum buy-in, scooters will be normalized and more and more people will default into using them. Its way more likely you would buy a scooter once you'd ridden on a friend's scooter from the gym to a local park for throwing a Frisbee. If, however, you didn't know anyone who owned a scooter, maybe you'd never own your own. So... I'll hand-hold and concierge whatever is required to get critical mass. I've already got two friends that have bought scooters, and they love it. I have four more friends now about to take the plunge. Scooters spread through friend groups, it seems. Once you see how many problems they solve, and how much more fun and convenient they are, it's hard to unsee. But it's damned hard to be the first person to make that choice. I, too, don't know that I have seen this exact model before, but each scooter purchase saves a parking spot for another customer, so the businesses I work with will be invested in the results. It's fun to work on, and everyone I've talked to has been super interested. Parking issues dominate the lives of general managers/directors/owners of Denver area businesses. They'll try nearly anything to make those problems be less of an issue.
- wonder_er 4y ago
  Oh, and: > I can’t think of any purchase I’ve made where I could have even found someone to hold my hand through it that wasn’t the person making the sale. May I interest you in adding 'scooter' to your toolbox of personal mobility options??? I've coached friends through the process remotely. Now that I'm trying to turn this into a business, I'd gladly pilot the process remotely. Scooters are SUPER convenient. Imagine how this parking job would be if these two people were driving cars: https://www.tiktok.com/@josh_exists/video/7188619321193549099 https://www.tiktok.com/@josh_exists/video/718861932119354909... And here's normalized scooting is in other parts of the world: https://www.tiktok.com/@josh_exists/video/7212478007787769134 https://www.tiktok.com/@josh_exists/video/721247800778776913... As far as 'how capable is this vehicle?', I rode my scooter from Denver to BC then to Seattle then back to Denver: https://josh-strava-heatmap.herokuapp.com/ https://josh-strava-heatmap.herokuapp.com/ (load the map, zoom out. Way out.) Lastly, photo album of that trip: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipN8q_LjvazfURfQUjnI21GQz23_PqlznCQ2fYC6OYCy15AIypU47XTi5S_mPdtaMw?key=N29iaXpDYXI5X2pFVjBUTGpQQmE5TmZTSnYyci1R https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipN8q_LjvazfURfQUjnI21GQ... And a photo album of my trip to bali, featuring not JUST scooters, but plenty of scooters: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOcwRbTo0dbz6IajQmXP6XK2qpZZYs6us0Yv1HM7W-TcDB0UFWLR0nOA9KKmGh-4A?key=TndRSEJxQjd1Ml8zRnNYczl5WWxtMVBhU2tYcmJR https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOcwRbTo0dbz6IajQmXP6XK... A good (new) scooter costs $4500 out the door, and plan on another $600 for a jacket, gloves, a Snell-certified helmet, cell phone mount, and bluetooth headset so you can hear directions from your phone. Take a motorcycle rider training course, and get the motorcycle endorsement on your drivers license. Next would be skills-building around slow-speed turns on the scooter. It'll be pretty easy, but you'll have to practice it at least a little. Boom, done. Welcome to the future.
lazyasciiart 4y ago
Why scooters? Why not also aim for electric bikes, for instance?
- wonder_er 4y ago
  I've got a bunch of reasons. No single one is the end all 'super conclusive', but in aggregate it makes a good case for scooters. Tldr the capacity, speed, range, and ease of adding gas (vs charging at a station) of a scooter is an order of magnitude better than an ebike. Easier to park, too. You don't have to lock them up like you do a bike. Have you ever ridden a scooter? It's much closer to a motorcycle than a bike.
  - grogenaut 4y ago
    Do they make good E-scooters yet?
    - wonder_er 4y ago
      'good' really means 'good enough', and that's situation and context dependent. I demand a lot from my 170cc scooter, so it couldn't be replaced with an electric one, but some of my trips could be done on an electric scooter. I have a friend who really likes her electric scooter, but she uses it less and for shorter trips than I use mine for.
  - lazyasciiart 4y ago
    No, because I've never had a license.
grogenaut 4y ago
Okay, I commented below but you mean a MOPED type scooter not a lime / bird type e-push scooter.... I literally was imagining you out in the street marking lines on the pavement for lime scooters that are the size of... well the lines in the first place and was like "this dude is off his rocker"
- wonder_er 4y ago
  Hahahaha. I may indeed be off my rocker, but at least it's for slightly more sophisticated reasons than what would be implied by my choice to be hustling lime scooters! 'i went to Canada on a scooter' has such a a different implication...

dharmab 4y ago

I bet Revzilla's magazine would love to write about this if its successful.

readonthegoapp 4y ago
revzilla, like revzilla.com, the motorcycle store, or magazine, as you say? saw a dude yest cruising around on some type of etrike - i liked it, and i think the main reason was because it didn't seem as ugly and wide and low-quality as a typical non-e-trike. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ prob one of these types, i would guess: https://www.google.com/search?q=GRANDTAN+M-340+Etrike+2023&newwindow=1&rlz=1C1GEWG_enUS1045US1045&sxsrf=APwXEdfV_AfKUKVFs7k2hje4G5tPBiTMSg:1680308574972&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiqh-WdtYf-AhUMMVkFHVIqCy8Q0pQJegQIBRAE&biw=1120&bih=596&dpr=2 https://www.google.com/search?q=GRANDTAN+M-340+Etrike+2023&n... i could see etrikes becoming a thing for older americans, and that matters because they have a ton of political power, relatively speaking. i figure, all the hype around ebikes is great, but largely useless. all that really matters is infrastructure/policy -- i.e. bike tracks, bike sidewalks, cycletracks, protected bike lanes, whatever you want to call them. i feel like the golf cart-oriented communities are a perfect example of re/designed infrastructure allowing people to get around by something other than cars. same might happen if a bunch of older, upper-income white people with tons of political power decide etriking might be something they might like to do occasionally. they wouldn't have to be older or white - it just so happens that's the demographic that is currently in charge and has been forever and prob will be for the foreseeable future, and so many of our policies are based on identity politics.
- wonder_er 4y ago
  I think scooters could be great for older folks, too. Help them retain balance and stuff. Scooters are way more stable than bicycles, but can go fast and can ride as fast as a car, if needed. Totally agree with old white people representing political power, so whatever they want is what happens.
- dharmab 4y ago
  Revzilla has a blog and paper magazine (yes, real high quality paper) and it's the some of the best writing on motorcycle culture anywhere right now. (Along with Zach Bowman at The Drive and Fortnine's YouTube.)
wonder_er 4y ago
Great idea. I've thought about 'content marketing', and only have planned on local podcasts, but RevZilla is a great idea.

Adraghast 4y ago

The pitch is that businesses can reduce parking congestion (is there a dollar value you can pin to this?) by paying you to act as a personal scooter consultant for their employees? During research did you come across any mass-market applications of this sort of concierge service? It sounds very niche/upscale. I can’t think of any purchase I’ve made where I could have even found someone to hold my hand through it that wasn’t the person making the sale. The closest analogue I can think of is a travel agency.

wonder_er 4y ago
There is indeed a dollar value one can pin to the extra parking availability. It's business dependent, but absolutely it can be tied to additional revenue. And yeah, 'personal scooter consultant' is the pitch. It's concierge and not traditional, but so am I. As far as mass market application of this concierge service, I don't think there needs to be a mass market adaptation. Once there's some minimum buy-in, scooters will be normalized and more and more people will default into using them. Its way more likely you would buy a scooter once you'd ridden on a friend's scooter from the gym to a local park for throwing a Frisbee. If, however, you didn't know anyone who owned a scooter, maybe you'd never own your own. So... I'll hand-hold and concierge whatever is required to get critical mass. I've already got two friends that have bought scooters, and they love it. I have four more friends now about to take the plunge. Scooters spread through friend groups, it seems. Once you see how many problems they solve, and how much more fun and convenient they are, it's hard to unsee. But it's damned hard to be the first person to make that choice. I, too, don't know that I have seen this exact model before, but each scooter purchase saves a parking spot for another customer, so the businesses I work with will be invested in the results. It's fun to work on, and everyone I've talked to has been super interested. Parking issues dominate the lives of general managers/directors/owners of Denver area businesses. They'll try nearly anything to make those problems be less of an issue.
wonder_er 4y ago
Oh, and: > I can’t think of any purchase I’ve made where I could have even found someone to hold my hand through it that wasn’t the person making the sale. May I interest you in adding 'scooter' to your toolbox of personal mobility options??? I've coached friends through the process remotely. Now that I'm trying to turn this into a business, I'd gladly pilot the process remotely. Scooters are SUPER convenient. Imagine how this parking job would be if these two people were driving cars: https://www.tiktok.com/@josh_exists/video/7188619321193549099 https://www.tiktok.com/@josh_exists/video/718861932119354909... And here's normalized scooting is in other parts of the world: https://www.tiktok.com/@josh_exists/video/7212478007787769134 https://www.tiktok.com/@josh_exists/video/721247800778776913... As far as 'how capable is this vehicle?', I rode my scooter from Denver to BC then to Seattle then back to Denver: https://josh-strava-heatmap.herokuapp.com/ https://josh-strava-heatmap.herokuapp.com/ (load the map, zoom out. Way out.) Lastly, photo album of that trip: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipN8q_LjvazfURfQUjnI21GQz23_PqlznCQ2fYC6OYCy15AIypU47XTi5S_mPdtaMw?key=N29iaXpDYXI5X2pFVjBUTGpQQmE5TmZTSnYyci1R https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipN8q_LjvazfURfQUjnI21GQ... And a photo album of my trip to bali, featuring not JUST scooters, but plenty of scooters: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOcwRbTo0dbz6IajQmXP6XK2qpZZYs6us0Yv1HM7W-TcDB0UFWLR0nOA9KKmGh-4A?key=TndRSEJxQjd1Ml8zRnNYczl5WWxtMVBhU2tYcmJR https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOcwRbTo0dbz6IajQmXP6XK... A good (new) scooter costs $4500 out the door, and plan on another $600 for a jacket, gloves, a Snell-certified helmet, cell phone mount, and bluetooth headset so you can hear directions from your phone. Take a motorcycle rider training course, and get the motorcycle endorsement on your drivers license. Next would be skills-building around slow-speed turns on the scooter. It'll be pretty easy, but you'll have to practice it at least a little. Boom, done. Welcome to the future.

lazyasciiart 4y ago

Why scooters? Why not also aim for electric bikes, for instance?

wonder_er 4y ago
I've got a bunch of reasons. No single one is the end all 'super conclusive', but in aggregate it makes a good case for scooters. Tldr the capacity, speed, range, and ease of adding gas (vs charging at a station) of a scooter is an order of magnitude better than an ebike. Easier to park, too. You don't have to lock them up like you do a bike. Have you ever ridden a scooter? It's much closer to a motorcycle than a bike.
- grogenaut 4y ago
  Do they make good E-scooters yet?
  - wonder_er 4y ago
    'good' really means 'good enough', and that's situation and context dependent. I demand a lot from my 170cc scooter, so it couldn't be replaced with an electric one, but some of my trips could be done on an electric scooter. I have a friend who really likes her electric scooter, but she uses it less and for shorter trips than I use mine for.
- lazyasciiart 4y ago
  No, because I've never had a license.

grogenaut 4y ago

Okay, I commented below but you mean a MOPED type scooter not a lime / bird type e-push scooter.... I literally was imagining you out in the street marking lines on the pavement for lime scooters that are the size of... well the lines in the first place and was like "this dude is off his rocker"

wonder_er 4y ago
Hahahaha. I may indeed be off my rocker, but at least it's for slightly more sophisticated reasons than what would be implied by my choice to be hustling lime scooters! 'i went to Canada on a scooter' has such a a different implication...