Life and Work with Whitney Allison

Today we’d like to introduce you to Whitney Allison.

Whitney, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I graduated from the University of Texas at Austin McCombs Business School in 2010 lost. I knew I didn’t want to work for a big corporation or do something I wasn’t passionate about but wasn’t sure what to do about it. I also raced road bikes all over the U.S. and abroad during college. Over the next four years, I would work a crappy marketing job for a software company I wasn’t interested in but at the same time paid off my student loans, bought a house, became a professional cyclist and started the Fort Follies, a women’s cycling group. I also put on the Fort Follies Gran Prix in 2013, a professional women’s race held in conjunction with the Pro Cycling Challenge when it was men’s only. They added a full women’s event the next year.

In 2014, I started Peritus Coffee Roasters with my dad, and helped my husband, Zack Allison, with his own start-up, a training studio for cyclists in Fort Collins called Source Endurance Training Center of the Rockies. I also had a part-time marketing job for a start-up and still raced all over the U.S. as a professional cyclist from March-September. In 2015, FoCo Fondofest was also added to the mix with a minor role from me to start.

The world is always changing and you have to make decisions on how to adapt and evolve. I took on larger and larger roles with the Source Endurance Training Center of the Rockies as it grew. I was laid off from the start-up which opened the door to start handling the marketing for Source Endurance the cycling coaching company, where I still work closely with them.

In 2019, I saw my 7th year as a professional cyclist, had over 500 attendees at the FoCo Fondo, and had the most profitable years for both Peritus Coffee and Source Endurance Training Center of the Rockies. This fall we decided to close both Peritus Coffee Roasters and the Source Endurance Training Center of the Rockies. The former let my dad do something different and the latter let us adapt to new market trends better. Recently, Zack and I formed a brand Bike Sports, that will largely be focused on us as professional athletes. We’ll also use the company to run professional bike fits (adjusting the bike so it is comfortable and efficient), and cycling camps and adventures. I get to create and innovate every day.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I’ve always been an endurance athlete. A beautiful part of that is learning how to persevere. Starting something is HARD…it is mentally hard, it is time-consuming, and you make yourself vulnerable putting your idea out there and asking for money in exchange. If it’s something you really want to do, make a plan and start. Starting is the hardest part and at some point, the rest will snowball. The last thing you want to do is be on your deathbed wishing you would have given it a go.

There is also the concept of a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) that has been really helpful as we’ve adapted event and product ideas through the years. Throw things out there and see what sticks, adapt and evolve them moving forward. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought we were putting out the perfect product or event only to find out it didn’t resonate like I imagined. It doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea- maybe just for the time or your audience.

Asking questions your customers and friends for feedback without emotion is so important! For the FoCo Fondofest, we put out a survey to all our riders for feedback on this year and ideas for next. We read the answers together because of course there are those that love to hide behind an anonymous form and be a troll and all you can do is laugh, but most of them have really relevant feedback and some new actionable ideas we can try to make things even better.

For women wanting to start their entrepreneurship journey, know there will never be a perfect time and all your ducks may never quite line up how you imagined them to. So much of success is through perseverance, collaboration, adaptability, and a bit of luck. Surround yourself with people who aren’t afraid to think outside the box and have something that they are truly passionate about.

Finding strategic partners is also extremely helpful- being a woman in a male-dominated sport and industry means seeking and relishing female friendships in the industry that much more and working to raise each other up. And a final note, if your friendship/support circle is very heavy in your industry, consider ways to expand outside of that niche… you’ll find a better balance.

Please tell us about FoCo Fondofest, Bike Sports.
Although I wear many hats, I mostly do marketing work and some sponsor relationship management for events I’m associated with. I am still racing professionally, although I am transitioning from road racing as I’ve done for the last seven years to a mix of criterium racing and gravel racing, which is a new growing area. I love that I get to bring so many brands I love and align with value-wise together to create an experience. It’s something that is sort of intangible but really gives you the warm fuzzies. If you want to see what that’s like, put the FoCo Fondofest on your calendar next year.

Often it feels as if the media, by and large, is only focused on the obstacles faced by women, but we feel it’s important to also look for the opportunities. In your view, are there opportunities that you see that women are particularly well-positioned for?
I went through my childhood not knowing that there was inequality for women in sport. It wasn’t until I got to college that I found that out. Of course, I fell in love with one of the most unequal sports, road cycling. You have choices on how to address this. I’ve typically voted with my dollar, careful to spend with brands and at events that support women in a manner, I deem equitable. In 2013, I put on a women’s professional criterium race at the finish line of the Men’s US Pro Challenge in Fort Collins as a way to protest. I co-founded the Fort Follies, a now nearly 100-woman cycling group in Fort Collins with the goal of bringing more women into the sport.

Women have always been behind the scenes to an extent but that doesn’t mean we haven’t been major decision-makers (or THE decision-makers in many cases) all along. Sharing your ideas and products and services with confidence, asking for that sponsorship dollar or investment with confidence, and not giving up with confidence is something we should all be doing. We see the world with a different lens. Don’t be afraid to see that hole in the market and go for it.

Contact Info:

• Website: focofondo.com
• Email: bikesportsco@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whit.allison/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whitney.allison.cycling/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/WhitSchultz
• Other: bikesportsco.com (coming soon!)

Image Credit:
Front Range Media (Top, Left)
Jered and Ashely Gruber (Top, Right)
SnowyMountain Photography (Bottom, Left)
Front Range Media (Bottom, right)

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