We had the good fortune of connecting with Bryan Wachs and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bryan, can you share the most important lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career?
Follow your curiosity to find purpose. Keep your passions safe and sound by employing them outside of work. Curiosity makes us yearn for more, to keep us engaged and feel worthy of our pursuits and goals. You never know how that curiosity with take you on a road you never meant to turn down. (said the Pre-med Chemistry major :).

Passion is best explored from a personal perspective to feed us and nurture us. Let it be your escape to recharge your batteries so when it is time to dive into curiosity, you have the range to explore long and wide.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
QuikrStuff was born out of a desire to walk my talk, and build rural manufacturing jobs in Colorado. It began as a marketing customer, and turned into a partnership with a manufacturer, JT Westcott.

We formed the company in January 2020, and almost shut it down in the midst of Covid in April 2020. We decided to do some pre-sales experiments to our prospects, and they were willing to wait six months for product. We sold approximately $1.2 million and determined we would take the risk and move forward. Customers were willing to wait for a high-quality, USA manufactured bike rack. We focused on quality, the demand for heavy eBikes, and a rack that could handle them. Using my team’s my Internet marketing background, we leveraged “targeting” to find these consumers and sell them on our rugged feature set.

In the midst of the pandemic, we grew the company while navigating supply chain headaches up to 45 week lead times. We are still growing and the feedback from customers has been fantastic. To hear the words, “worth the wait” is music to our ears and psyche.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Grand Junction (GJ) and the surrounding region have a plethora of riches. Agriculture, the wine, the peaches, the corn… you name it. It’s all the things you wanted in your garden and more. Restaurants and food trucks catering to the palates of people who passionately seek out these experiences are abundant here, and the community is taking advantage of this diversity. Places like Colorado National Monument, riding bikes on the Riverside Parkway, going to the Grand Mesa for a hike or to paddle or just go camping are very accessible activities for all.

Skiing at Powderhorn is fantastic any day of the week, plus nearby are great cross country trail networks to explore. The Palisade Plunge is for extreme mountain biking, adding to the miles and miles of trails in the Grand Valley, Additionally the 18 Road trail system out of Fruita and the Kokopelli Trail out of Loma that are world renowned.

Taco Party and Bin 707 are must visits in Grand Junction, with the Hot Tomato in Fruita and Peche in Palisade necessary stops.

The microbreweries just keep popping up, adding to the culinary scene in the Grand Valley. It gets better and better as the years roll on, and whether we here in GJ want to admit it or not, GJ has been discovered. 🙂

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
If I had to look back at what motivated and empowered me to take risks in life, I have to credit my first real mentors in NYC, Len Lipson, and Ed Vorkapich. They saw something in me as a young filmmaker trying to beg, borrow and steal to make films on zero budgets. They supported me, allowed me to use their studio, cameras and lighting, and also taught me life and business lessons.

They also saw that I had a business mind, and nurtured that within me. Encouraged me to experiment and try new things. Risk is always part of the equation, but they allowed that risk to be mitigated by their tutelage.

Website: QuikrStuff.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quikrstuff/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quikrstuff

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqzQEjhvJAzRYBTLz391TuA

Image Credits
Devon Balet Media on some and Big Ship Media House on others

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.