Thank goodness I didn't listen to the 'nay-sayers'

Preparing your back garden on a dreary Monday morning for a bike maintenance session is not how everyone wants to start their working week. For Start-Up Entrepreneur of the Year, Leanne Farmer, it screams 'PERFECT'!

I have a woman in her sixties arriving on her recently converted E-bike. She wants to learn how to deal with punctures and other bits of maintenance. This lady epitomises everything that I love about what I do. A few basic maintenance skills will give her independence and empowerment.  Two hours later she leaves with a smile on her face, telling me with such sincerity that she's going to tell all her friends that they should do this too.

Sharing a 'can - do' approach to life is infectious. It's never too late to do what you love.

Launching 'A Wee Pedal' and running cycle tours, at age 46, after 23 years teaching felt mad! What do I know about business? Nothing, it transpires, but thank goodness I didn't listen to the 'nay-sayers'.

'Running a business is nothing like teaching' they said… 'You'll be spending all your free time on the laptop' they said… 'you never switch off' they said.  They were right.

So why do I find this venture exhilarating? What drives me to continue through a pandemic with no tourists? It's simple -  I love being on a bicycle, turning the pedals, feeling the sun, rain and wind on my face and arriving at my destination under my own power. No fancy tracking apps, no lycra, no bike worth thousands and no 'them and us' car vs bike agenda. Just the simple act of riding a bike.

Building a business requires me to do everything I was warned of, but it's never a chore. These tasks let me do what I love: run bike maintenance classes, teach kids and adults to ride, run historical cycle tours, plan routes for families and run corporate wellbeing days out. Yes, laptop-time and out-of-office time are essential, but I don't mind, because I accept that it goes hand in hand with making 'A Wee Pedal' a success.

I love making my tours fun so that my clients finish their rides with huge grins - just like my Monday morning pensioner. My product stands or falls on the quality of the clients' experience. A fun experience leads to a good review. Striving for excellent reviews could be seen by some as narcissistic or approval-seeking, but this isn't true.

I have been a PE teacher for most of my adult life, and every teacher understands the value of passion. If you're passionate about your subject and you care about your students, you create an energy in the group. This energy is infectious and inspires students to learn and to believe in themselves to do better. This is the kind of energy and enjoyment that I aim to create for every client.

I have always been very keen to improve. It's my competitive nature. I used to train hard as a youngster, and I was curious to understand how I could gain the edge on my opponents on the sports field and athletic track. However, I don't see other cycle tour businesses as my competitors. My instinct is to work with people and not against them, but of course, I do think of ways to 'stand -out' from other tour groups.

Winning two national business awards has helped cement my belief that I am doing the right thing and gives me fuel to drive 'A Wee Pedal' forward.