A Bike That Sparked a Vision

In 2013, something small and unexpected arrived at my home in Austin, Texas—a balance bike, one of the very first that Marcus and Christian built in their garage in Vienna, Austria. It was the first bike for children to learn to balance and start their journey on wheels. Marcus, my brother, had sent it over for my son Luca’s first birthday.

As soon as my dad quickly assembled it and I saw it, I knew it was going to be something SPECIAL. The design, the quality, the feel—everything stood out. Since I was a bicycle guy, I knew right away: this was the real deal.

At the time, Luca was still too young to ride it. My dad had flown it over from Germany as a gift, and I admired its sleek design and thoughtful engineering. Even then, I could tell this bike was something different—lighter, better built, and more intuitive than anything I’d seen on the market.

The Lightbulb Moment

Soon after, Luca was finally riding it—coasting down the street on his little balance bike while I jogged beside him through the neighborhood. And that’s when everything shifted.

One day, a neighbor saw Luca smiling, rolling up and down the street, completely in love with the bike. He stopped in his tracks. "Wow," he said, "this is a really cool bike. My daughter also needs to have one of these." No questions about price. No need for persuasion. Just immediate, instinctive demand.

He asked where I got it, and I told him I could get him one—I just had to call my brother in Vienna, have him build and ship one over. That was my first bike sold—and it lit something up inside me. Lauren didn’t even ask how much it cost; he just loved it so much, he had to have one.

That immediate, instinctive demand told me everything I needed to know. That was my lightbulb moment. I had found something truly special. That neighbor—Lauren J.—became my first customer. Over the next eight years, Lauren would go on to buy six woom bikes for his two kids. It was the beginning of something much bigger than I realized at the time.

From Vision to Venture

Partnering with Family

Back in Vienna, my brother Marcus had just co-founded woom with Christian Bezdeka, the designer behind the bikes. Since Marcus and I had already worked together in the past, collaborating on woom in the U.S. felt intuitive—especially with the brand still in its infancy. It had only just launched in Austria a year earlier.

The Start of Something New

And I wanted in. I was ready for a new adventure—having successfully run my consulting practice and feeling the pull of a fresh challenge. Something new, different, and exciting.

In April 2014, I officially registered woom bikes USA LLC and started my new venture. It was the start of an adventure filled with skepticism, hurdles, and a whole lot of grit.

Betting Big: The First Container

Making the First Move

I knew if I was serious about launching this business, I’d need bikes—lots of them. So I made the decision to order an entire container of woom bikes in 2014. I financed the first container myself—400 bikes that cost around $100,000. My goal was to duplicate the early success seen in Europe, so I knew I needed help financing future orders.

The Cash Crunch

There was just one problem: I needed money.

Based on my business plan, I knew I would need financing to cover future orders. The real challenge was that I had to make a 50% down payment six months ahead of shipment, and the remaining 50% at the time of shipment—before the bikes had even arrived. It was a complete cash conversion cycle nightmare.

So I set up a meeting with my bank’s commercial loan office. I showed up with a woom bike in one hand and a helmet in the other. I told them the story, why I believed in the product, and how parents were reacting. They were intrigued. (By the way: the bank officer ended up buying a bike for her granddaughter!)

“Do you have a business plan?” they asked.

I didn’t—yet. But they said if I brought them a solid plan, they’d review my request.

The Doubters

Three for Three

The bank referred me to the Small Business Development Center, where I met a seasoned businessman named Dick Johnson. After I pitched my idea, he didn’t sugarcoat it:

“This isn’t going to work. First, this bike is too expensive—no one’s going to spend $350 on a kid’s bike. Second, if you’re selling online, parents and kids can’t touch it, feel it, or try it before buying. Third, kids grow out of bikes too fast. Why would anyone make that kind of investment?”

He sent me home with one assignment: write a comprehensive business plan.

At the same time, I reached out to my alma mater—the University of Alabama Manderson Graduate School of Business—to meet with a few trusted former professors. One of them was David Lacek. I presented him with the concept and he too expressed serious doubts: it was too expensive, the upcycling model wouldn't work, and people wouldn’t buy a kids’ bike online. Hearing that from someone I respected and admired took the wind out of my sails.

As if that wasn’t enough, I also heard doubt from someone I admired in the cycling world. I was riding and racing at the time and spoke to a fellow racer named Robin T.—an entrepreneur I looked up to who had founded a fitness online app. On a ride through east Austin, I described woom and our upcycling model. He told me flat-out that it wouldn’t work. It was too complex. Customers wouldn’t get it. The model wouldn’t scale. His words rattled me so much I almost crashed.

What Their Doubt Taught Me

Three different people—each an expert in their field—told me woom wouldn’t work.

It rattled me. But it didn’t stop me.

For any entrepreneur, hearing “no” from people you respect can shake your confidence. But it also becomes a test of how much you believe in your vision. I didn’t push forward to prove them wrong—I pushed forward because I knew I was right.

I had seen the product light up a child’s face. I had seen the immediate demand. I knew this mattered.

Their doubts made me better. They forced me to refine the model, build a stronger case, and double down on clarity.

The lesson? Doubt doesn’t mean failure. It means you’re onto something new—and that’s always going to make people uncomfortable.

Lessons, Impact, and What’s Next

What I Learned Along the Way

1. Believe in Your Vision. If you’ve seen the spark—felt the magic—don’t let anyone talk you out of it. Belief is the fuel that gets you through the fog. When you know deep down that what you’re building matters, you hold the line—no matter who doubts it.
2. Show Up with Relentless Commitment. There will be roadblocks, rejections, and moments that test everything. That’s when resilience matters most. Success isn’t about perfection—it’s about showing up, again and again, with a can-do mindset and a heart that won’t quit.
3. Be All-In—and Always Learning. Go all in. But stay open. The best builders are both bold and adaptable. Mistakes will happen—that’s part of it. What matters is how you respond. Stay curious, flexible, and growth-minded. Every setback holds a lesson. Every ‘no’ sharpens the ‘yes’ you’re after.
4. Let Doubt Make You Stronger. Early doubters often reflect the limits of their own vision, not yours. Let their skepticism push you to clarify, refine, and recommit. Use it as fuel—not friction.
5. Trust Yourself and Walk Your Own Path. Advice is valuable, but it’s still just that—advice. You’re the one building. You’re the one dreaming. At the end of the day, it’s your journey. Own it. Learn fast. Adjust often. And keep moving forward.

These lessons aren’t just for me—they’re for any founder navigating uncertainty, risk, and the fire of building something meaningful. They’re woven into every chapter of my woom story, and now I share them with others on their own founder journey.

And Then—Traction

In 2019, woom became the fastest-growing cycling brand in North America. woom was named to the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S.—ranked No. 259 overall and 20th in Texas—thanks to a 1,666% three-year growth rate.

That same year, I was honored by the Association for Corporate Growth and kicked off a three-year run on the Inc. 5000. I earned recognition again in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, I received the Vistage Impact Leadership Award. And in 2023, I was named a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year.

But this journey was never about the titles or the trophies. It wasn’t about proving the doubters wrong—it was about proving to myself that I could build something real. Something that truly mattered.

At woom, our mission was clear from day one: to inspire millions of children to fall in love with cycling—and with it, movement, freedom, and joy. That mission carried me through every challenge and every late-night decision. It’s what kept me going when doubt whispered in my ear.

I’m deeply grateful—for my parents, who taught me to believe in myself. For the friends and mentors who supported me. And for the early customers who saw what I saw.

My dad used to say, “An Ihlenfeld can do anything.” I still carry that belief with me today.

And now, I pay it forward—mentoring and coaching founders, sharing what I’ve learned, and helping others find clarity in the chaos.

Yes, I got that first $100K loan. Yes, I bootstrapped my way to over $20 million in annual revenue.

But that’s just one part of the story.

The real story? It’s about vision, belief, and staying the course when no one else sees what you see.

Stay tuned for the next chapter—where I’ll share the raw truth about bootstrapping, building a team from scratch, and leading with heart.

Because if I’ve learned anything, it’s this: The best ideas are often the ones only you can see—at least at first.

And that’s more than enough to start.