The problem
Independent bike shops, kayak liveries, and paddleboard rental outfits run on a mess of paper waivers, phone bookings, and spreadsheets. The software that exists for them is either enterprise-priced, built for a different industry (party rentals, equipment leasing), or abandoned. Meanwhile their customers expect to book online like they book everything else.
Who it’s for
The shop with 40–400 rental units and 1–10 staff. Big enough that double-bookings and lost waivers cost real money; small enough that nobody is going to run an IT project.
How it could work
- Inventory as the core object — every bike/board/boat has an ID, a status, and a maintenance history. Bookings attach to inventory, not the other way around.
- Online booking that respects reality — buffer times for cleaning and repair, tide/season calendars, half-day vs full-day pricing.
- Waivers built in — signed on the customer’s phone, attached to the reservation.
- Maintenance loop — usage-based service reminders; a bike that’s been out 40 times flags itself.
Why me
I’ve spent years inside the economics of outdoor rental and guided businesses through TripOutside. I know their margins, their seasons, and how allergic they are to software that creates work.
Open questions
- Vertical-specific (paddle first?) or horizontal from day one?
- SaaS pricing vs per-booking fee — which do shops actually tolerate?
- Integration play with existing booking platforms, or standalone?
Interested in this one? If you're living this problem, want to build it, or just want to compare notes — message me on LinkedIn or book a day and let's scope it.