From Bikes to Books: our business journey

It's hard to believe how much this little idea has not only bloomed, but grown over the past five years.

I've talked a lot over the years about why we started Books for Less - namely, a lack of access to books (it seems wild to think that five years ago, there were no online secondhand bookstores in NZ!), losing my ability to work after disability/illness, and finding a way to cope with increased costs of living with said disability - but our business journey began well before 2021.

In 2014, while studying at the University of Waikato, Moses and I took part in the 'Student Business Experiment' programme and created 'Bikes on Campus'; a small bike shop and workshop to support students to choose a more sustainable mode of transport to university. 

This morphed into workshops to teach staff and students how to repair their own bikes, launching a used bike scheme where we bought and sold secondhand bikes, and most notably, the opportunity to repair and donate dozens of bikes to new refugees in Hamilton through the Red Cross.

This business experiment was invaluable in teaching us the basics of running a business, in an environment where there wasn’t much to lose if we failed. But we didn’t, as what was meant to be one semester turned into three years!

After graduation, we launched 'Bikes on Taupo' (can you sense a theme here?), where we spent three incredible summers on the Taupo lakefront renting out bikes to families and tourists, all while reigniting our love for reading in the downtime. 

And as it turns out, these summers were one of the biggest catalysts in leading us to what would one day become Books for Less.

I’ve learnt through talking with customers that I’m not the only one who ‘found their way back to reading’ as an adult, despite loving books as a child. During one of these summers in Taupo, I set myself the goal to read all the books on the Whitcoulls Top 100 book list over the next year. I can’t say I achieved the goal - although I got more than halfway through the list! - but doing so introduced me to new books and authors (many of which we now sell), and helped me learn what books I do and don’t like. 

Without these days of reading in the sun in between bike rentals, I don’t think books would have become such a big part of my adult life as they have been. 

Once my health took a downturn in 2019, and I lost my ability to work a regular job, it felt like these business dreams were on hold indefinitely. But struggle often leads to innovation, so maybe we should have realised we'd come up with something new before long.

It’s interesting to look back and see the threads between these three businesses, and the similarities they all hold. Sustainability has been a driving force behind all three business, from encouraging a love of cycling as a form of transportation, to repairing used bikes, and now selling secondhand books. Getting people back into something they once loved, or discovering a new passion is has been one of the biggest joys. Likewise, giving back has always been one of our significant motivators, through bike donations to refugees, supporting our local bike repair co-op with free bike parts, and now our monthly fundraisers for local charities. 

The lessons, like the journey, have been ongoing. But if I had to summarise what these three businesses have taught me, is that there’s no 'one' look to success. Success can look many different ways, and failure isn’t a bad word.

We’ve learnt it’s ok to try something new and get it wrong, and more often than not, the original failure led to an even better opportunity. It’s not a failure to try something new, or adapt something that isn’t working. Similarly, it’s not a failure to stick with what’s working well, and not constantly change for the sake of change. 

And at the end of the day, the most important part is showing up - imperfectly, in pyjamas, from bed, it doesn’t matter.