Cycle business Scooter Mart celebrates its tenth anniversary this month with all the drama it has become known for — blowout sales, free locks and add-on credits.

Owner Nick Thomson started Scooter Mart while working as an auditor for KPMG.

“I was buying scooters second-hand from websites like eMoo,” Mr Thomson told The Royal Gazette. “I used my dad’s old van to pick them up.”

He would fix and clean the bikes, add a small warranty and then resell them. Eventually, his side gig turned into something bigger.

“There was just a big demand,” Mr Thomson said.

He left auditing. “I was always too loud to be an auditor anyway,” he laughed. “I love people and bikes and this seemed like fun.”

When Scooter Mart opened on Lover’s Lane in Paget in 2016, not everyone thought it was a great idea for him to ditch accounting in favour of selling scooters.

The naysayers were wrong.

After just a few months the business was successful enough to add new scooters to the product line.

In the early days, it was just him and one or two other staff members, which meant he was doing everything from unloading containers to physically cleaning and repairing the bikes.

“We would be open from 8am until 7pm Monday through Saturday,” he said. “I was working the front the whole time, so the only time I had to refurbish bikes was after 7pm.”

He would often work until midnight. “That was not sustainable,” Mr Thomson said.

When he first opened, he saw his only advantages as his youth and understanding of technology. He was 24 in 2016 and tech savvy, while many of his competitors were older and not tech native.

“You have to play your advantages,” Mr Thomson said.

He used his understanding of social media and technology to promote the business through social media platforms. Many of Scooter Mart’s commercials can be seen on YouTube.

Over time, the company shifted from a one-man hustle to a more structured operation.

It has grown to four locations with more than 30 employees including summer students.

Mr Thomson said the secret to his success has simply been working really hard.

“It is also about having the right mindset,” he said. “In Bermuda, the opportunity to start a small business and be successful is very possible. If you do a really good job, people will spread your name and promote your business for you.”

Mr Thomson no longer has to stay up late repairing bikes.

“What I really enjoy is working in the showrooms, selling bikes,” he said. “I do that whenever I am not too busy doing all this other stuff. It is just fun.”

He loves seeing customers ride away on the new scooters he helped them choose.