Heroic Stories: Resurrection Cyclery of Minneapolis
Heroic Stories highlight the creative experts, craftsmen, and artisans who are the soul of our community’s economy. They’re the laborers of love. From bike repair specialists to custom furniture builders to chalkboard artists, they express themselves through their work and dedication comes naturally. They measure success in the personal relationships with their customers built with a focus on service and quality.
n 2004, Sam Reinert started Resurrection Cyclery and turned a passion for bicycles into a career. Nine years later, Resurrection is still a one-man operation dedicated to servicing, repairing, and customizing all types of bicycles. Neighborly service “at neighborly prices,” says Sam. While he is certainly not the only person with a bike repair specialty in Minneapolis, Sam has differentiated himself in a crowded market. He uses re-used, recycled, and restored parts that “have stood the test of time,” Sam says as he lifts a Specialized road bike to the repair stand.
Sam moved into the Seward neighborhood in the mid 1990′s and started going on evening walks. This part of town, close to the university where many students ride bikes, is known as being especially bike friendly. Sam noticed his neighbors leaving unwanted bike parts waiting to be collected with the trash. Sam started gathering the best parts that could be restored and using them for repairs on his own fleet of bikes. He never stopped.
Today Sam still lives in the Seward neighborhood and operates Resurrection Cyclery out of his basement. Local artwork adorn the walls of his compact work space, competing for attention with cranks, pedals, and brake wire.
Considered one of the best bicycling cities in the country, Minneapolis is teeming with cycling enthusiasts. The Twin Cities area is also home to a vibrant community committed […]
Get Hired: 3 Tips For A Better Profile Photo
Photos are an essential part of building your online business identity. With Heroic, not unlike your social media profiles, the most important photo is your profile photo. Research from the popular job site LinkedIn shows that a page with a profile photo is seven times more likely to be viewed as a page without one. The same is true with Heroic. Having a picture is the bare minimum but there are a few things you can do to improve your photo that will help you get hired for the job.
1. Use a photo of you or your team. A picture of your logo, work truck, or job site does not tell the viewer anything about your character or personality. Save those for your portfolio. Customers want to hire friendly, happy people and these qualities can be conveyed in a photo. This is especially true when customers are hiring professionals to come into their home, like plumbers, carpenters, and electricians. By not having a photo of you or your team you are missing out on an important opportunity to introduce yourself to prospective customers and build your service identity.
2. Make sure your photo is up-to-date. A photo that misrepresents your appearance will surprise your customers, which is a terrible way to start a relationship that operates on trust. Building trust from the first interaction is a critical part of earning a referral in the service industry. Expecting you to look differently will leave customers feeling deceived. Remember, you are not being hired for a modeling gig. Choose a photo that is current and shows energy.
3. Show life in your profile photo. Customers are looking for energy, which you can communicate through open eyes, a big smile, and […]
Heroic Story: Shannon Jarvi, House Cleaner and Jill-of-All-Trades
hannon Jarvi is a drafter for her day job, meticulously preparing drawings of structures and equipment systems for engineers or designers. That will soon change. Her employers are relocating their company to North Carolina and she “will not be moving with it,” she says with a calm smile. While most of us would panic after suffering the news of a job loss, Shannon is welcoming the opportunity with plans to create a second career for herself. A flexible schedule, frequent interaction with new people, and being her own boss are top priorities in her search for what comes next.
“I did some soul searching…to decide what I like to do,” she says, recalling her reaction to the news. “I like to help people.”
Shannon also likes to keep moving and describes herself as “extremely organized.” She made a list of things she could do on her own that would match her priorities. Among them were house cleaning, yard work, painting and small repairs.
Shannon was recommended on Heroic and quickly landed a few regular house cleaning clients. The attention to detail she learned as a drafter has transferred well into house cleaning and organization. Her clients are thrilled with the results.
“Shannon does a fantastic job cleaning my apartment,” says Mallary Barr, one of Shannon’s first clients. “I definitely plan to keep working with her.”
Shannon’s commitment to outstanding service has been rewarded with more business. Satisfied customers have referred Shannon to their friends, family, and neighbors. The transition into full-time self-employment is not far off.
“My customers are the greatest,” Shannon says with pride. She has truly embraced her unexpected opportunity.
Shannon primarily does house cleaning and organization but describes herself as a “Jill-of-all-trades.” That title does not do her talents justice.
Shannon also has a passion […]
And the winner is…
Over a two week period, Heroic watched the local community step up to share recommendations of the best service providers from around the Twin Cities in hopes of winning our Who Do You Love contest. Over that time we read all kinds of recommendations and one thing was clear…there are a lot of trustworthy service professionals in the Twin Cities with happy, loyal customers.
It was a close competition, but one recommendation in particular embodied the spirit of the Heroic movement. Sara Bible and her recommendation of plumber extraordinaire, Ron the Sewer Rat, take home the grand prize!
Sara is the recipient of one year of free professional house cleaning. Ron and his team will also come away victorious with a free premium profile on Heroic, professional photos and a video of he and his business.
Ron’s honest approach to customer service, his obvious sense of humor, and 37 years serving the Twin Cities Metro Area deserve to be recognized. We tip our caps to you today, Ron. Thanks for adding value to our community.
From Ron the Sewer Rat’s website…
RON the SEWER RAT’s BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY
We find that the creation of our business philosophy provides a clear vision for Ron the Sewer Rat and an ethical path on every home that opens their doors for us, and for every client we serve. These are the statements that guide every member of the Ron the Sewer Rat professional team member:
* We are FAIR with our pricing, and try to give you the best value we can.
* We take great pride in our work, and go out of our way to correctly do your job.
* We are a family-owned company that is well-acquainted with our local conditions in the Twin […]
Celebrating the Service Economy in Minneapolis: An unlikely partnership launches a community into action
Minneapolis, Minn., March 27, 2013 – Local startup Heroic teams up with CRAVE Restaurants to celebrate the hardworking service economy in Minneapolis through a campaign called “Who Do You Love?”. They are seeking recommendations from the public to discover little-known experts, artisans, and local craftsmen. The first 100 participants win a $20 gift card to CRAVE restaurants, and one will win one-year of free house cleaning.
Heroic is a newly formed community in the Twin Cities and is a free place for friends and neighbors to share recommendations of local service providers, like painters, carpenters, and mechanics. Who Do You Love is inspired by co-founders Dan Linstroth and Reed Robinson’s discovery of a little-known bike mechanic working out of his basement in Minneapolis named Sam Reinert.
“I discovered Sam through a recommendation from Reed and he blew me away with his service,” says Linstroth. “He’s an absolute expert, provides incredible customer service, and charges a neighborly price.”
By making this connection, the two friends began wondering how many people like Sam exist in the Twin Cities of other crafts. Who Do You Love was born, and they’re seeking word-of-mouth recommendations from the community to uncover more experts, just like Sam.
“These are the hardworking, honest people that make our neighborhoods run,” adds Linstroth. “They are the soul of our local economy and deserve to be recognized.”
Heroic is encouraging people to share by offering a limited number of Gift Cards to CRAVE restaurants and the chance to win one-year of free house cleaning.
“CRAVE was very generous in showing their support for this idea and Happy Earth Cleaning Company, another fantastic service provider, chipped in the incredible cleaning offer,” says Linstroth with excitement. “We’re very grateful for their participation.”
The Who Do […]