It’s good business to do good

Mount Tamalpais

I used to bike up Mount Tamalpais, called The Sleeping Lady, or Mount Tam, and over to Stinson Beach, armed only with water and a patch kit in case of a flat tire when I was younger. It didn’t matter that “real” road cyclists would often pass me by, seemingly enjoying their ride despite the steep climbs and turns. It didn’t make a difference. The reward was simply being out on a bike.

Mike’s Bikes

Bicycling has never been more popular. During the epidemic, many of us who were bored out of our minds took up bicycling as a hobby, resulting in a veritable cycling boom. Mike’s Bikes of San Rafael, a Cisco customer, was no exception, finding it easier than ever to live up to its slogan of “getting more butts on bikes.”

Mike’s Bikes’ expansion necessitated a digital infrastructure upgrade to support its network of 12 Bay Area shops. When I found out that Mike’s Bikes had chosen Stratus Information Systems, one of our Cisco Select partners, to set up and roll out networking and security, I was ecstatic. Jason Lacey, Stratus’ Regional Sales Director, and I have collaborated on several fascinating customer use cases.

Our Matternet + Stratus Information Systems Partner Success Video, for example, features a fascinating drone delivery startup in Mountain View, California, that incorporated Cisco Meraki and Cisco Secure technology into their drone station network to enable the transport of life-critical medical supplies between hospitals.

Mike’s had a winning combination of an eager and talented partner that was committed to assisting them in selecting the correct digital infrastructure solution from Cisco’s Small and Medium Size product line. Despite its quick expansion, the outcome has been seamless operations that allow them to focus on retaining the little bike store atmosphere that began so many years ago in that one shop on Fourth Street in San Rafael.

The Act of Doing Good is an Important Part of Good Business

Mike’s also undertaken an amazing assortment of giving back events, from local fundraisers and rides to make a large effect, which is part and parcel of their company objective and philosophy of ‘putting more butts on bikes.’ Mike’s Bikes has taken the phrase “think globally, act locally” to its logical conclusion by establishing the Mike’s Bikes Foundation, which has acquired and sent about 36,000 donated bikes to seven African locales.

The foundation’s main purpose is to encourage entrepreneurship in those countries by establishing local bike repair and sales shops that will provide a long-term source of income for communities across the continent. You may watch CEO Ken Martin discuss Mike’s Bikes’ local success and global impact in this video:

Mike’s Bikes CTO Chris O’Dell will also be speaking about his company’s digital strategy at the upcoming #CiscoChat on Thursday, June 24. As Mike’s Bikes is illustrating, Chris is joined by other Cisco customers and partners to explore the outsized — even global — influence that SMB enterprises may have.