Safer Cycling Calgary In The Future
Future planning is a huge part of being a business owner. It started before I even launched my business. (Did you read the story of how SCC came to be? You can here.) I knew immediately that I would need staff in order to reach my business goals, and also to ensure the safety of participants in certain courses.
As a spreadsheet addict, I use spreadsheets for numerous things, including future planning for staff.
Things have not gone to plan.
As a spreadsheet addict, I use spreadsheets for numerous things, including future planning for staff.
Things have not gone to plan.
The Plan
I'm a born and raised Calgarian and completely understand that bicycling is a seasonal activity for almost all people in Calgary. I knew long before I decided to start this business that it would not be a year-round, full time kind of thing. That was ok, but makes many things, like staffing, more challenging.
Staff is obviously necessary, both to keep participants safe in certain courses but also so I could grow, and offer more courses to more people in more parts of the city. I also knew that operating seasonally means I need to rely primarily on high school students, post-secondary students, possibly stay-at-home parents, semi-retired people and those looking to pick up extra work, as the few months of employment I offer are not enough to sustain a year's worth of bills.
Since I'm a spreadsheet addict, I put together a spreadsheet plan. If things had gone according to plan, this year I would have 7 Certified Instructors (including myself) and at least 2 Assistants (on their way to being Certified). The plan was simple:
Staff is obviously necessary, both to keep participants safe in certain courses but also so I could grow, and offer more courses to more people in more parts of the city. I also knew that operating seasonally means I need to rely primarily on high school students, post-secondary students, possibly stay-at-home parents, semi-retired people and those looking to pick up extra work, as the few months of employment I offer are not enough to sustain a year's worth of bills.
Since I'm a spreadsheet addict, I put together a spreadsheet plan. If things had gone according to plan, this year I would have 7 Certified Instructors (including myself) and at least 2 Assistants (on their way to being Certified). The plan was simple:
- 1st year, 2 post-secondary students work as Assistants while pursuing certification.
- 2nd year, 2 fully Certified Instructors can take their own groups, while 2 new post-secondary students join and pursue certification.
- Year 3: a comfortable complement of 4 Certified Instructors with their own groups, 2 new students join as well.
- Year 4: a full staff load of 6 Certified Instructors (plus me) with an additional 2 in training.
- 5th year: first year students are moving on to full-time weekday careers, but it's all good as there's 2 new ones coming on board. Full staff load remains.
- Repeat.
Challenging Cycle
I truly believe in the importance of planning: if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. However, life doesn't always go according to plan, and there are challenges that I didn't anticipate.
The biggest challenges are in finding interested people, both for participating in course and to become staff. I'm caught in a cycle of not being able to offer many courses because I don't have enough staff, not doing advertising because I don't have much to offer, not getting participants to fill the courses and thus not being able to get staff because there's not enough work.
The biggest challenges are in finding interested people, both for participating in course and to become staff. I'm caught in a cycle of not being able to offer many courses because I don't have enough staff, not doing advertising because I don't have much to offer, not getting participants to fill the courses and thus not being able to get staff because there's not enough work.
Breaking The Cycle
If I said I understood why I've had such a difficulty with finding staff or getting participants, I'd be lying. I genuinely don't understand either thing.
On the participant side, I've heard the same thing time and time again from course participants or people outside of courses: "I didn't know that!" I've heard the same thing from teachers, parents, city planners, health experts: "cycling education is so important" and "prevention is key." Everyone who comes to a First Time course spends 3 hours with me (or my staff), learning so many things they didn't know, yet very few people take progressive courses. Parents complain that they're afraid to let their kids ride their bikes around the community, but aren't interested in having their children educated in order to do so safely. The City said they would encourage cycling and cycling education, but won't subsidize the cost for those who can't afford my costs. Organizations that are going into schools to teach kids how to fix a bike and encourage cycling to school aren't willing to partner with me to teach them how to safely do so. I truly don't understand.
Is it a lack of advertising? I've paid for ads on social media, posted on free for-sale sites, put up a sandwich board beside busy roads, hung banners on the fence near the community centre, sent information cards out with hundreds of people, run a number of free information presentations, and paid to be included in a directory for summer camps... there has been lots of eyes that have seen what I offer and the only thing I can conclude is that education is a difficult thing to sell.
On the staff side, I know that one of the biggest challenges I have is that I only offer seasonal work. However, so do places like the zoo, sports programs, and art studios which may offer year-round employment for a small number, but offer more work for summer camps that only take place in July and August. Unlike many of these organizations which only offer summer camps, I also offer weekend work starting in May, and eventually - once I get out of this cycle - will be able to offer weekday work in May and June as well. I've posted job listings on post-secondary job boards, on for-sale sites, on independent job boards, and this year also got involved with the Calgary Youth Employment Centre. I hear the same thing from many applicants - they're not interested in obtaining the necessary qualifications and/or they want more hours.
Would anyone expect to take a driving job without a valid driver's license? Would anyone expect that employer to pay for their driver's license test? Requiring people to have sufficient knowledge and skill before I accept them as an employee isn't wrong. Yes, it's a bit unusual that I offer the "driver's license test" but if you applied to be a tow truck driver at AMA, they would charge you if you took your driver's test through them, too. Taking a chance on someone by giving them 50% off the course could be a bad business decision if it turns out that they aren't suitable for the job, or if they don't actually want to work for me.
More hours? Yeah, I'd love to offer more hours. I can't control the number of people who register for a course, and running a course with no participants, or not enough to make a profit, doesn't make sense.
How do I break out of this cycle?
On the participant side, I've heard the same thing time and time again from course participants or people outside of courses: "I didn't know that!" I've heard the same thing from teachers, parents, city planners, health experts: "cycling education is so important" and "prevention is key." Everyone who comes to a First Time course spends 3 hours with me (or my staff), learning so many things they didn't know, yet very few people take progressive courses. Parents complain that they're afraid to let their kids ride their bikes around the community, but aren't interested in having their children educated in order to do so safely. The City said they would encourage cycling and cycling education, but won't subsidize the cost for those who can't afford my costs. Organizations that are going into schools to teach kids how to fix a bike and encourage cycling to school aren't willing to partner with me to teach them how to safely do so. I truly don't understand.
Is it a lack of advertising? I've paid for ads on social media, posted on free for-sale sites, put up a sandwich board beside busy roads, hung banners on the fence near the community centre, sent information cards out with hundreds of people, run a number of free information presentations, and paid to be included in a directory for summer camps... there has been lots of eyes that have seen what I offer and the only thing I can conclude is that education is a difficult thing to sell.
On the staff side, I know that one of the biggest challenges I have is that I only offer seasonal work. However, so do places like the zoo, sports programs, and art studios which may offer year-round employment for a small number, but offer more work for summer camps that only take place in July and August. Unlike many of these organizations which only offer summer camps, I also offer weekend work starting in May, and eventually - once I get out of this cycle - will be able to offer weekday work in May and June as well. I've posted job listings on post-secondary job boards, on for-sale sites, on independent job boards, and this year also got involved with the Calgary Youth Employment Centre. I hear the same thing from many applicants - they're not interested in obtaining the necessary qualifications and/or they want more hours.
Would anyone expect to take a driving job without a valid driver's license? Would anyone expect that employer to pay for their driver's license test? Requiring people to have sufficient knowledge and skill before I accept them as an employee isn't wrong. Yes, it's a bit unusual that I offer the "driver's license test" but if you applied to be a tow truck driver at AMA, they would charge you if you took your driver's test through them, too. Taking a chance on someone by giving them 50% off the course could be a bad business decision if it turns out that they aren't suitable for the job, or if they don't actually want to work for me.
More hours? Yeah, I'd love to offer more hours. I can't control the number of people who register for a course, and running a course with no participants, or not enough to make a profit, doesn't make sense.
How do I break out of this cycle?
The Future
My goals for the future seem so reasonable, and so simple:
I would love any insight on how I should break this cycle: if you have any advice, please email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Obviously it would be great if you could also help me spread the word about what I do, what I need and convince everyone you know to request courses, register for courses and help me teach the courses. :)
I apologize for what may sound like a digital rant. My intention wasn't to dump my problems on anyone, but rather to explain some of my business challenges so you can better understand where I'm coming from, where I want to go and how you can help Safer Cycling Calgary get to the future. Thank you for reading, for sticking with me, for believing in what I do and mostly, for wanting to be a safer cyclist.
- Melissa Malejko, Owner of Safer Cycling Calgary
- be able to offer Intermediate day camps every week in July and August, eventually in different parts of the city;
- offer the Intermediate course directly in schools in May & June, similar to swim lessons, ski/snowboard lessons, inline skating lessons, theatre residencies, etc., at schools around the city;
- offer First Time courses in numerous locations around the city.
I would love any insight on how I should break this cycle: if you have any advice, please email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Obviously it would be great if you could also help me spread the word about what I do, what I need and convince everyone you know to request courses, register for courses and help me teach the courses. :)
I apologize for what may sound like a digital rant. My intention wasn't to dump my problems on anyone, but rather to explain some of my business challenges so you can better understand where I'm coming from, where I want to go and how you can help Safer Cycling Calgary get to the future. Thank you for reading, for sticking with me, for believing in what I do and mostly, for wanting to be a safer cyclist.
- Melissa Malejko, Owner of Safer Cycling Calgary