Meet Nic Ponsor | Bike Shop Owner

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

Hi Nic, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The most important factor for our success has been our people. My staff is a bunch of incredible people who work hard and invest of themselves in the success of the store. They are self-motivated and come up with amazing ideas and innovative solutions to problems we encounter. As a business owner, your biggest asset is always your people. Finding and keeping great people is the key to success and one of the biggest challenges in business. I’ve tried to follow the advice I was once given that as an owner I should find people smarter than me and get out of their way. I try and make the work environment enjoyable and take care of everyone and reward them for success. Because of this we have very low turnover, which makes my job easier.

What should our readers know about your business?
My business is Criterium Bike Shop in Colorado Springs. It turns 50 next year, which is an incredible milestone. I am the second owner of the business which I purchased from the founders in 2013 after working there for 9 years. I got to this position through hard work and constant learning. I never had a business class or accounting class in college, so I have had to learn business on the job. It has never been easy, but I enjoy a challenge, so I embrace every challenge as an opportunity to learn and/or grow. I have definitely had to learn how to delegate and let go of many of the jobs within the business and empower others to take on those responsibilities. That has really helped with my work/life balance. Our business is all about taking care of people and trying to do some good. I love taking care of my employees and we love taking care of our community and our customers.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We would definitely have to enjoy some of the epic mountain biking in Colorado Springs. Whether it is Jones Park, Palmer Park, Ute Valley, Falcon Trail, or all of the above, we would definitely ride. We would also have to enjoy some of the fantastic micro brews from Goat Patch, Red Leg, FH, Cerberus, or Metric brewing (or all the above of course). We would definitely enjoy some food at Jake &Tellys, Edelweiss, Odyssey Gastropub, and also probably take in a soccer game at Weidner Field. At some point we would have to go get tattooed at Tattoo Demon also just to have a memento from the week.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have to give a shoutout to my wife and her support and perseverance throughout this journey as a business owner. The first couple years I was working so many hours that I was not the husband she deserved. She saw us through that time and continues to support me as I attempt to move this business forward each year.

Website: www.criterium.com

Instagram: @criteriumbikeshop