Local Bike Repair Company Accelerates Growth with Local Assistance

E-Mobilize Bike Service, LLC of Pinellas County

What began as an idea to fill a service gap in the growing electric bike market has quickly evolved into a thriving mobile repair business for E-Mobilize Bike Service, LLC.

Founded by Jake McFadden and supported by operating officer and marketing director Russ Hilton, the company delivers on-demand repair services for bicycles and a range of electric mobility devices throughout the Tampa Bay region.

“We are a 100% mobile electric bike and regular bicycle repair service,” McFadden said. “We do more than just work on electric bikes and bicycles. We also work on e-scooters, electric motorcycles, light electric vehicles in general, um, and we do it where we come right to you. So we fix it fast, we fix it right, we fix it right in your driveway, and we have a good time doing it.”

The idea for E-Mobilize came from firsthand industry experience and a clear need in the market.

“We decided to start E-Mobilize because we saw a giant gap in service, basically. There was this big need for somebody to be able to come out to someone’s location to be able to work on their electric bike. Not only to work on it, but to have the expertise to be able to diagnose any type of not only bicycle issue, but electronic issue as well, and that’s really where we shine,” McFadden said.

To build and scale the business effectively, the team turned to the Florida Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Pinellas County Economic Development (PCED), where they began working with consultant Kurt Forster.

“So we’ve utilized Kurt as our consultant through the Florida SBDC at Pinellas County Economic Development, and it’s been fantastic for us,” McFadden explained. “We’ve used him for all sorts of different things, questions about how to move forward with marketing, how to move forward with growing the business. We’ve taken classes like a Profit Mastery class at St. Petersburg College, and it’s just been fantastic to have an extra resource there. I come from a bicycle repair background, so being a business owner is something that I’ve had to really learn, and it’s been great to have help when it comes to that.”

Hilton emphasized the value of having a trusted advisor as the business evaluated new opportunities and strategic decisions.

“With my background with being in marketing and business, I don’t know everything, and so reaching out to a resource like Kurt has been fantastic,” Hilton said. “He’s been kind of that right-hand person to consult us on different projects that we’ve had. I mean, we’ve had different projects from looking at bike shops, [to] looking at vehicles. No matter what it’s been, we’ve always had to be able to bounce it off of Kurt to get the best ideas and make the best decisions for our business.”

With guidance from the Florida SBDC at PCED, E-Mobilize has experienced strong and measurable growth.

“So our business has grown by utilizing the Florida SBDC by using a lot of techniques that they have given us,” Hilton added. “With the marketing stuff, we increased our email marketing alone, which every time we sent out an email blast, we’d get 10 reservations just from one email blast. We have grown our business from 3,000 customers to 4,000 customers in just about a year and a half. Our business has increased by 16% over a year.”

In addition to customer growth, the company has strengthened its reputation through improved online engagement and customer feedback, further positioning itself as a leader in mobile repair services.

The company’s expansion beyond its original service area stands out as one of its greatest accomplishments.

“I think our biggest success so far has been expanding our business out of just Pinellas County,” McFadden said. “We started in Pinellas County, but we now have a technician that lives in Pasco County and one that lives in Hillsborough County, so we cover the whole Tampa Bay area, and we do it really well. We are able to support our other employees and, and they really enjoy it.”

Looking ahead, the E-Mobilize team plans to continue leaning on the Florida SBDC at PCED as they scale operations and enter new phases of growth.

“As we grow this business, we know we’re gonna need help,” Hilton said. “I mean, ’cause we are entrepreneurs, we don’t know everything on it. So we will use the Florida SBDC and Kurt along this way. We’re gonna take this journey together.”

For other small business owners, McFadden encourages building relationships and taking advantage of available support systems.

“Really check it out and make a relationship with somebody there, whether it be a consultant or just getting in touch with the program in general in any way,” he said. “That may be through a class, maybe it’s through your chamber of commerce. That’s how we got introduced to it. You’ve really got to utilize the resources that are available to you to help you grow your business. You can’t do everything yourself when you’re a business owner. I’m sure you’ve tried if you own a business, and it’s just impossible. You gotta have help, and that’s where they come in.”

With continued momentum and a strong support network, E-Mobilize Bike Service is well-positioned to keep expanding its reach and redefining convenience in the bicycle and electric mobility repair industry.