http://www.spyns.com/
http://www.tdf-tours.com/
Sales for Spyns' 2010 Tour de France trips have been brisk despite the US downturn. In fact, sales have been stronger than during the boom years begging the question, "What crisis?" Spyns has a better reputation, better web rankings, or much better tours than when I started the company so I decided to post about our humble beginnings. As you'll ready shortly, nothing in my past meant Spyns was pre-destined to become the largest tour operator for Pamplona's running of the bulls.
My (brief) Resumé
From 1998 to 2003, I worked in finance in my native Canada and truly loved every minute of it. A graduate of Queen's Law (Class of '98), I moved west and worked in mergers & acquisitions. Law firms weren't really hiring at the time and my laclustre grades made me look elsewhere so I found a position in finance. My first transaction was a shareholder dispute with a large number of Swiss shareholders so I traveled there quite frequently. I never ended up practicing law and don't really regret it when I hear my former classmates describe the tedious life in a lawfirm. Anyhow, I eventually worked for a Swiss-backed fund, started my own fund, sold out in 2003 and moved to France 'to retire'. The next phase will explain how Spyns came to life.
Early Guiding Days
Retirement lasted exactly 3 days. Bored and restless, I took a position as a guide with a tiny bike tour company with just myself and another guide (a great Swiss woman named 'Fanny') leading all the trips. At that time, they only really offered Burgundy tours. Fanny and I shared a small company apartment in Beaune (Burgundy) where we would stay during the Burgundy trips. Any time off I would spend with my French family. From my first tour, I was hooked. I had always loved cycling, wine, people, and travel but really just fell into the job. Spyns wasn't even an idea at that point.
Spyns the Start-Up
I have always described myself as a reluctant entrepreneur because I don't just rush from idea to idea or business to business. I had some business experience, albeit in finance, but worked much better as part of team rather than as a groundbreaker. As such, I stayed with the small but growing cycling tour company first as a guide and then, briefly, as manager. I would have stayed but it was obvious the job would always be seasonal and the salary was ridiculously low (paid in dollars but my expenses were in euros). There were quite a number of bike guides working in Beaune at the time, many of whom had been with their respective companies for 10 years or more. I feared becoming one of them: 40-something; little money; no job security; bizarre mid-Atlantic accent (sort of like Katherine Hepburn); and waiting all winter for the spring tour season to start to fund "that travel book." After a ridiculously lowball offer from my former employer to work as manager, I thought, "This can't be too difficult." and Spyns was born. Little did I know what was to come.
Waitin' By the Phone
For anyone who has started their own business and succeeded, I applaud you. Working in finance spoiled me because I could work within a structure. Even when working for my former employer's puny company, at least he had letterhead. As someone who previously evaluated large corporations based on their financial statements and perhaps a quick visit to the plant, I was removed from the incredible people who take an idea, buck the naysayers, and build a business. Going from fiancier, to employee, to entrepreneur wasn't easy. With Spyns, I was about to get a rude awakening.
Spyns Humble Beginnings
As a virtual business, Spyns needed a good website. "No problem." I thought it would take a few weeks to throw something together. I somehow forgot that I'd have to write every line on the Spyns website. The launch was months behind and I still didn't have any clients. I also had a dot.com like naïveté thinking you'd just throw out a website and people would rush to travel with you. What folly! I didn't get my first phone enquiry for almost 3 months. I also took for granted that I only had to lead the trips with my former employers, not do all the marketing, reservations, billings etc. And when I did finally have reservations, Spyns had no way to accept credit cards. That led to a merchant account, billing system, etc. Nuts and bolts things for sure but starting a company is like building a car from scratch. You have no idea how much time and effort it takes.
Years later I'm not at all nostalgic about Spyns 1.0, however I now have a greater understanding of how much it takes to go from concept, to creation, to success. As I've written before, I truly wouldn't change it for anything. With Spyns, there have certainly been ups (running with the bulls) and downs (the lesbian triathlon group that wanted my blood) but I was struck by how far we'd come when potential clients asked if they could be placed on a waiting list for our 2010 Tour de France trips. Sometimes I still feel like the young guy working out of a bedroom office (with my "desk" crushed between my bed and the wall) praying someone, anyone, would call and take a trip with us.
And now we're offering Tour de France trips staying at the 5-star Crillon and seeing the Col du Tourmalet finish (Stage 17) with helicopters! Thanks to Spyns, I've also biked through Ireland, France, Italy and Spain and seen some incredible festivals and sporting events. This post is dedicated to my family to thank them for their unwavering support. I'd also like to thank all former Spyns clients. You've been incredibly supportive over the years. For this, I extend my heartfelt thanks.
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For more information about our 2010 Tour de France trips to see Lance in France, please visit our website: http://www.tdf-tours.com/ or http://www.spyns.com/. You can also call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720 or via email at info@tdf-tours.com or info@spyns.com.
