Bounce is a network of over 1000 retailers that accept parcels and store baggage, founded by Cody. It helps tourists find venues to store their baggage and accept mail, while providing an extra revenue stream for neighborhood businesses. Cody’s background has made him frugal and he learned from his trips that people schedule their days around their possessions. The founder of Bounce, a new startup in travel industry, had the idea to create a centrally located app or website to help individuals find baggage storage quickly and easily. They created software for small businesses at Intuit before starting Bounce, which is similar to what they do now. After publishing a landing page to test the waters, they got their first “Bounce” request five minutes later.
Bounce, a network of more than 1000 retailers that accept parcels and store baggage, was co-founded by Cody. Although the travel sector has subsequently recovered and started a boom phase, the global pandemic presented a challenge to the sector.
What are you currently working on and who are you?
Bounce, a network of over 1000 baggage storage and package reception stations, was founded by myself. In hundreds of cities throughout the world, we help tourists find venues to store their baggage and accept mail. We offer a valued, in-demand service to our clients while providing an extra revenue stream for neighborhood businesses like hotels, laundromats, and transportation providers.
What is your background, and how did you come up with this idea?
I’ve lived and worked all around the world. I’ve lived in over a dozen different nations throughout the world, and all that travel has made me rather frugal. I used to pack all of my possessions into only three bags when I traveled.
I’ve learned from all my trips that individuals schedule their days around their stuff rather than relishing the opportunity to see new places. People are compelled to haul about heavy luggage and occasionally even change plans because they have nowhere to store their possessions. I had the thought that it would be great to have a centrally located app or website that could assist individuals in finding baggage storage quickly and simply, no matter where they were. This was the start of Bounce.
This network of cargo storage facilities was initially intended to be built in the world’s most populous cities. As the idea developed, I noticed a chance for parcel receiving and reception services.
I created software for small businesses at Intuit before starting Bounce, which is comparable to what we do now.
I’ve had my own business since I was little. I was always trying with fresh ideas and strategies to build intriguing things. I’ve learned more and more about what it takes to run a business and bring a fresh idea to the public as a result of several failures and sporadic triumphs.
How did you turn a concept into a finished product?
Bounce at first crossed my mind as an Uber for your personal property. The idea was that you could leave your purchases at a neighborhood shop and have them transported to a more practical place. However, unless a product is offered to clients to see if it fits their demands, a concept is virtually useless. After publishing a landing page to test the waters, we got our first “Bounce” request five minutes later.
Initially, my co-founder and I delivered people’s bags by bicycle across New York City. After creating the initial version of Bounce, we began developing code. Our attention was absorbed with trying to keep up with the growing customer base, and scaling it seemed to be impossible. It was hard to imagine paying someone enough to perform what we were doing and organize customer meetings. As a result, we changed to a business model where customers dropped off their possessions at one Bounce site, and we drove them to another. When we put this into practice, we found that many people were ready to pick up their baggage from the same place where they had dropped it off, which greatly simplified logistics.
What marketing techniques did you use to grow your startup?
We gave it our best shot! We handed out fliers. We tried natural search methods. We conducted paid research. We’ve done just about anything. We did everything we could to get the news out.
We started to gather traction as we added more customers and the city became used to hearing the word Bounce. We started getting referrals from people working in tourism-related fields. A hotel concierge or museum attendant would be asked where visitors might store their bags, and they would always suggest Bounce. Word of mouth was really helpful to a fledgling firm.
What are you doing right now? What are your long-term goals?
The company is now performing fairly well. The 2020 worldwide pandemic was challenging for the travel sector, but we have come out of it stronger and leaner, prepared to move toward new services like package acceptance. We are actively hiring for a number of roles as we go through a large expansion period. In the near future, we want to provide Bounce a lot more features.
What have you learned most importantly while starting Bounce?
When starting off, entrepreneurs prioritize the product. Owners of second-time businesses think about distribution.
I’ve gained a lot of knowledge about the value of distribution and how it contributes to business growth. And even though I previously understood how incredibly important a company’s staff is, I’ve learnt a lot about how to build that team. If you surround yourself with people who will take an idea and run with it, you cannot go wrong. You must set aside time to put together a team of people you can trust to carry out your vision. Everything else will fall into place if you follow that advice.
What were the toughest obstacles you overcame? What were your biggest mistakes?
When we originally started, we did not take into account the seasonality of the tourism sector. Our revenue stopped growing at one point, and we were worried that it would never increase again. Although revenue finally increased, this experience showed us that we must plan ahead because the travel sector is heavily influenced by seasonality.
What equipment and sources would you recommend?
I like utilizing LinkedIn. I only utilized it to fill a vacancy. LinkedIn is a fantastic networking, recruitment, and message-spreading tool. It may be used for much more than just hiring new personnel. I advise it to all prospective entrepreneurs.
For further information
You may visit our website at usebounce.com or you can find me on Linkedin
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