THE CHALLENGE
Tucked away in the Florida panhandle, on coastal highway 30a, Peddlers 30a had carved out an enormous opportunity. The once small bike rental business had scaled rapidly, positioning themselves well for growth in a market which, for six months out of the year, was guaranteed to push their operational capacities to the limit.
With so much opportunity on the table, Peddlers 30a needed to restructure their operations to support a high-volume workflow while optimizing their brand experience so to solidify their place in a rapid growing and increasingly competitive market.
The complexity of the project was furthered by the fact that Peddlers was much more than just a bike rental shop. Rather, it is the primary entity overseeing a business community including multiple vendor spaces, nightly live music, two off-site storage facilities, and a craft micro-pub; with operating hours spanning 7am-10pm, 7 days a week.
All of these elements needed to operate in symbiotically in order to deliver a unique experience for vacationers and maximize their growth potential.
“Justin overhauled our operations and company culture, resulting in massive improvements to our customer service, employee performance, and bottom line. We saw a 37% revenue jump in our first two months working together and continue to see substantial growth today. I now keep Justin on retainer as we continue to optimize our brand experience.”
THE SOLUTION
After analyzing Peddler's position, operations, and brand standing, I worked with Peddlers 30a manager, Ryan Kirk, to establish a strategy for optimizing the end user experience of their brand. This plan would call for an array of improvements and changes but would start with a major overhaul of the businesses operations based on three major pain-points.
- The company had a unique storefront layout and had yet to establish a high-volume workflow to fit but the abrupt transition between seasons meant the entire workflow needed to be positioned to change overnight.
- The seasonal high-volume switch meant the business needed a crew of employees trained and at the ready, but the area provided poor candidates for employment and the combination of a chaotic workflow, long hours, and extreme Florida heat made for low reliability and high turnover.
- Customer service and experience were lacking, and the company was unable to reach its revenue potential as a result.
WORKFLOW, TRAINING, & ORGANIZATION
Working together, we began to break apart the major workflow issues and rebuild them from the ground up. This included:
- Reorganizing the sales floor and fully rewriting the workflow
- Full revamp of floor systems and organization
- All new tools and asset repair protocols
- Inventory reorganization and naming
- Better on-site communication via hands free radios
- New POS and asset management systems
- Improved uniforms
- Off-site warehouse reorganization and planning
While the majority were small issues, the payoff was huge, and the increased structure allowed us to turn our attention to training.
While the current staff was happy to work, their training was lacking and expectations had not been made clear. Additionally, communication throughout the growing organization was poor and this made for serious issues.
After developing a plan for creating an optimal company culture which best aligned with Peddlers mission, we set out to make significant changes, starting with:
- Strategic new hires and current employee reviews
- Individual employee training sessions to ensure alignment and quality
- Implementation of scheduling software throughout organization
- Installation of on-site communication workflows
- Properly managing individual expectations
RESULTS
As a result of strategic planning and incredible team effort we were able to make major improvements in a tight time window. The improvements to the overall brand experience are undeniable and can be seen in every facet of the business, from customer service and satisfaction to employee experience and retention. And best of all, better workflows, systems, and service allowed Peddlers to capture more of their market resulting in a revenue increase of 37% in the first two months.
- Better customer service and satisfaction
- Better work culture, better tips, and happier employees
- Reduced employee turnover by 64%
- Faster throughput meant less time in the sun and more product pushed
- 37% revenue increase in the first two months with continued growth today
- Dramatically improved overall brand experience
All photography property of Ryan Kirk and Justin Brodin