I Want To Start A "Trial" & Maybe Tour Center

[Segway City]

I've been lurking here for several days as I researched my hope for a new career: Segway Experience Center Owner/Operator. (With any luck, it'll take off and I will be able to open more than one, allowing me to claim I operate SECs parlors! LOL)

In any case, I've not even operated an HT yet, but I've got the bug. How did I get the fever? My wife has a heart defect that limits her walking to about 100 feet before she's winded. Really puts a limiting kink in our lifestyle. I'm convinced a Segway will allow her to rejoin normal activities without feeling like she's an anchor. She's a bit of a shrinking violet, so that means a pair of i's so I can ride shotgun to fend off the curious. The curiosity factor made me consider the marketability of a rental business, so now we're looking at starting with 10 i's to build a business off of.

All the discussions in these forums have provided me with a definite set of standards to operate by. I thank each of you for that. I started out with a "quick buck" attitude, but changed it quickly when I saw how little it took to do it well from the start.

That said, I was motivated and ambitious enough to wade through several hundred posts to glean the information I needed. If there existed a written community accepted standard of conduct, as proposed elsewhere, it would definitely act as a lightning rod to attract folks like me who are genuinely interested in starting off right, but have little to reference as a standard. Given no guidance, people will do pretty much any darn thing and everything. I don't claim to have all the answers by any means, but a rental business model found here would have been an excellent compass.

Keep up the good work, folks. The information found here is unique, priceless and ground breaking for an industry. Glad I found y'all!

[Florida Ever-Glides]

Before you run out and purchase 10 I's, study your market very carefully. From location (year round viability) to customer affluence, and focus on what you really want to offer. Also, you must have the blessing of your city early on or you could find a new ordinance 'road block'. If you make it good for your community first and put any earnings as an after thought (certainly the numbers should pan out), you have a greater chance for success in this business. Never forget that the riders safety must come first. Don't just say it, go out of your way to do it!

Good Luck...

Tom Jacobson

[Segway City]

I originally thought about renting them and turning them loose, but I changed my mind quickly about that. My thought is to open a "trial" or "experience" center in a high profile local mall, where all glider operation is done under my roof in a controlled environment. Later, tours of specific places under guidance and convention rentals would be offered. The only Segs on the city streets would be my personal rides. That way, the general populace could become accustomed to them without dodging them on the sidewalks and highways. Our local laws treat EPAMDs as bicycles and bar them only from urban business districts, and I want to keep knee-jerk restrictions to a minimum.

No doubt, after many years as a service manager I have no thought other than to please those I come in contact with; it's become second nature. That's the way I want to proceed, as a service, not an annoyance. Helmets and training being key players.

[W9GFO]

You may want to locate an insurance company first...

[Florida Ever-Glides]

Mall rent can be very expensive. And, insurance can throught the whole business plan into a tizzy. You need to have a whole lot of traffic at the mall who want to 'demo' the Segway. My research showed that people want to ride them and go somewhere, not just a 'quicky' in the arena. This concept can work in a 'huge' traffic place like Las Vegas where dropping a few bucks for a novelty ride is nothing. Do your homework first; it may save you thousands of dollars.

Tom Jacobson

[SegwayUtah]

Tom,

Two quick questions that have been really bothering me lately about insurance and rental companies:

1. Where does one go to get good insurance as an HT tour/guided rental business? I only ask because . . .

2. How do you feel about (existing and future) Segway rental places that have $1m of "really cheap" insurance? I kind of have the feeling that it is a really, really bad thing in that the same rental places tend to maximize profit and minimize training (people running into things, falling off, etc. just because no one bothered to give them good instructions). If something really bad happened, I don't even want to imagine what the news and legal repurcussions would be. Of course, this would be because the Segway HT is a big target in the public eye and not because of any inherent safety issues, but you know what I mean.

Just curious. This bugs me all the time, especially when people take time out of their day to tell me how they rented one once (in a "controlled" area) and ran into something/fell off/etc. etc.

Also, I absolutely love the guided tour idea. I contacted Segway LLC back in 2002 about doing something like this and it was unthinkable back then. It would be really, really cool to have more good companies doing what you're doing out there, in a safe and responsible way.

Chris

[Florida Ever-Glides]

SegwayUtah,

I appreciate both your concern for 'doing it right' and your genuine enthusiasm for using the Segway as a responsible mode of transportation in a guided tour.

I see that there are too many companies quickly saturating the market for the quick buck, while placing the fine reputatin of Segway at risk. I've also heard that at least a few don't carry any liability insurance. This behavior is very dangerous to Segway.

We have been told that our safety training (which is really the most important part of our tour)is being done responsibly and at a careful pace. We don't leave on the tour until everyone feels comfortable leaving the training area. We are in no rush. Every day our goal is 1) Rider Safety 2) Pedestrian Respect 3) Sightseeing Fun. It's not enough to just say it every day, we have to practice it. And this is why we have not hired anyone to work at our business yet. My wife and I take the safety responsibility very seriously.

I also feel a responsibility to Segway to project their wonderful machines in a positive and safe light. If I were to operate for the quick buck I would be putting Segway's reputation, which is extremely important to all of us right now, in jeprody. That certainly is not my goal.

Insurance was almost impossible to get. I was turned down a hundred times before I found a A+ rated company willing to give me an opportunity to operate safely.

They are reluctant to accept any other business at this time because they are sitting back and watching me. If we can get a 'certification process' in place, something that I'm working on now, more insurance companies would be willing to insure rental/tour businesses at reasonable rates. But we have to show them that this is not a 'bungey-jumping' risk. And too many rental companies today don't even care about the big picture. It's a shame for all of us.



Tom Jacobson

[JLW]

quote:Originally posted by W9GFO

You may want to locate an insurance company first...

[fathertime]

For anyone interested in starting a Segway Touring business we can set you up with insurance, maintenance, and training, without a huge cash outlay. We can teach you how to conduct your tours and turn a profit very quickly. This is all accomplished safely and effectively with our tried and true business model. All that is required is a dedication to doing it right and a willingness to learn. Feel free to contact us offline for details.[^]



JR