Monday, February 19, 2007

Segway Your Way To Success


With two friends from college visiting Austin this weekend, I was perplexed to find a unique activity. A three hour guided tour of downtown on Segways was suggested, and turned out to be an amazing experience.

Unless you have lived under a rock for the past five years I am certain you have seen the Segway. It is the funny looking two wheel contraption that uses computer technology and gyroscopes to balance, while moving humans from place to place.

A company called Gliding Revolution provides the machines, the training and a guide for the three hour tour. The company is a perfect example of a niche business and they rely heavily on "word-of-mouth" advertising. I work in downtown Austin, and have seen these tours rolling along the sidewalks, but never imagined it would be so much fun.

They do a great job. Our guide, Janice Walker (ironic since she rides a Segway!) was great, and knew how to keep the day entertaining.

But it is more than just a joy ride, you can learn a lot about business from riding a Segway:

It is best to practice before you go into traffic.

It is important to be in balance.

You must watch out for the curbs.

Parked cars are the enemy.

Your direction is effected by how you lean and where you focus.

Spinning in circles is fun, but gets you nowhere.

Success is fun.

Being different makes you stand out in the crowd (yes, everyone stopped to watch the tour go past).

There are no brakes or safety nets, you just have to figure out how to make it all work.


If you are interested in taking a Segway tour, call the good folks at Gliding Revolution at 512-296-2666.

Have A Great Day.

thom
thom@thomsinger.com

1 comment:

Josh said...

Having seen someone fall off a Segway in a bad way, I've got one more: "The person giving directions had better be clear on the capabilities of the person receiving them".