The idea for Wayward Dog Cycles grew out of the desire to push my personal boundaries, o take a leap into the unknown and put forward a small humble business imbued with my beliefs on how the cycling business and all business should be conducted. Honestly and with kindness. Also I love dogs, a lot, and my late Great Dane, Truman, was the perfect mascot.
Wayward Dog Cycles doesn't need to become an all consuming mega-store for me to consider it a success. The process of starting the business myself and believing it is possible, is potentially the biggest yardstick against which I measure the success of this venture. I have been told countless times of the talent I have and how I should try something like this but I always shied away from it due to a lack of self-belief and outright fear.
Although starting from an extremely humble/small base I hope to see this brand grow into something more than I could have imagined. I would like to see the social and philanthropic face of the company grow to be something that is good at its core and doesn't lose the element of fun that is missing from so many things in life.
Yes, it is still a business and there will be a lot of blood, sweat and tears on the journey to wherever this may go but I am looking forward to taking it on with alacrity and a sense of purpose greater than myself. I was recently fortunate enough to father the sweetest little boy and it has given me a perspective that I had been missing before. How would I tell my son to do what I'm doing? What would I hope for him to achieve through this? Would these actions make him proud? Are these actions good at their core?
These questions, as "Hallmark" as they may seem, really bring a sense of purpose. The truth is that I ultimately do not know the trajectory that this venture will take but I hope that together with all those involved we make a success of it and have a lot of fun along the way.