Veterans In Business: Aaron Todd, Downtown Bike

Welcome to a new feature here at NCW Veterans Info: Veterans In Business. It’s my honor to introduce you to local veterans who are starting or running businesses here in North Central Washington.

In this first edition, meet Aaron Todd, owner and operator of Downtown Bike in Cashmere.

I met Aaron during the Supernova Business Launch competition and was excited to learn more about how his military service contributed to his current business endeavors.

 

Please tell us a little about yourself and your military service.
I served in the US Air Force from 1992-2000. My primary role was as an Avionics Technician (2A471) where I worked on just about every heavy airframe that was in service at the time, wrapping up on the C-17. After basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, I completed my tech training at Keesler AFB and was stationed at Hurlburt Field FL, Lajes Field Azores and McChord AFB, WA. I also did multiple tours of duty around the world.

Why did you decide to go into business for yourself? And how did you decide what that business would be?
We originally opened Downtown Bike in Puyallup WA in October of 2015. The decision to open Downtown Bike was initially a stepping stone between jobs. It was my wife Katherine who encouraged me to do so. I remember her telling me, “Go open a bike repair shop. People have been saying you should for years. When a real job comes along, we will cross that bridge then.” Well, nearly 6 years later it looks like Downtown Bike IS my real job!

I was in High School when my interest in bikes started. While I was in the Air Force, I got really into Mountain Biking and spent hours riding and working on my bike. I competed in Mountain Biking and eventually Road Cycling both in the US and overseas. My bicycle passion led me to take professional courses in bicycle maintenance, professional coaching and bike fit analysis. I served as a team mechanic and analyst at one point during my racing days due to this. My racing days ended after a significant crash in the late 90’s.

I still remained passionate about bikes and I would often continue working on bikes and doing consulting work on the side all the way up to when we opened in 2015 before it became my full time gig.

How do you feel your military service helped you become a successful entrepreneur?
I was brought up valuing the importance of service. My days in the Air Force further ingrained that. The Air Force also helped me better develop the communication skills needed to explain technical concepts and to engage the community. It is through this community engagement that has deepened my passion as an entrepreneur. The bike shop is just the means that has helped me make this engagement possible. I love working with people and giving back to the community that has made Downtown Bike possible.

Who or What other resources helped you along the way?
Perseverance is the primary resource. But outside of that, we give credit to many people, organizations and businesses that have provided training, inspiration and encouragement along the way. Organizations like the Puyallup and Cashmere Chamber of Commerce and Local Rotaries and their members.

More recently, being able to participate in the Supernova Business Launch Competition managed by the North Central Washington Economic Develop District (NCWEDD) paved the way for helping us get over the unexpected impacts of recent events. Through the Supernova competition, we got a much needed refresher on how to write our business plan. We were able to partner with other participants to work together to strengthen our business ideas and strategies. For us, we feel we made some great new friends who helped us make our transition to Cashmere even more successful!

What does the future look like for you and this business?
We feel confident that Downtown Bike here in Cashmere WA will do well. We have already seen success in comparison to when we first opened in Puyallup back in 2015. We are doing better here in Cashmere than what we did in Puyallup in 2017 and almost as good as 2018! This is HUGE as before June of 2020, no one knew about us in Wenatchee Valley – to have this success in our first 3 months is awesome!

We know that there is a lot to learn and grow ahead of us. We have yet to experience a winter here and how that will affect our business and what we need to do to be viable through the seasons.

You can follow Downtown Bike on social media and their website:
https://www.downtownb.com
https://www.instagram.com/downtownbike/
https://www.facebook.com/downtownbike