Today we’d like to introduce you to Danny and Marta Walls.
Danny and Marta, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
After seeing Adult Big Wheels in online videos for a few years, I then decided to buy 2 of them in the summer of 2016. At first, I just thought it would be something different and fun to ride on the Beltline. On my first ride, I was stopped several times by people in cars, people walking, and people on bikes, asking,” is that a Big Wheel for adults? Can I check it out? “It was like Christmas as a kid and you have a new toy that all the other kids want to play with. Soon after this, Adult Big Wheel Club was born. Working in the corporate world for many years, I had experienced lots of team building events and felt there was an opportunity to improve on the experience. Sitting at the kitchen table with Marta, my girlfriend, and soon to be wife, I designed a one of a kind game and activity incorporating the Big Wheels that became the core of what ABWC is today. Looking to create the perfect team building event, we aimed to make an activity that was engaging, inclusive and solved all the issues we found with available team building options. Our activity can be hosted on our client’s location, or we can source a location for them, and we provide full event facilitation. Our challenge was designed around three core values: to build communication skills, memory, and consistent teamwork. The activity is made to look and feel like a race to get the competitive spirit up, but is not based on physical ability, or speed. Using the design from the kitchen table, I built all the game parts in the backyard. We invested in a giant inflatable start line, PA system for music and announcing, huge race flags, and cones. Next, we started to host demo/marketing events at Atlanta Streets Alive into 2017. We had some success booking a few custom races and festival events but did not have our first true team building event until December of 2017. The event was for a huge company Christmas party in a giant warehouse. We did not know what to expect; our activity was only on paper and had never been tested. The participants showed up, in full Christmas themed race outfits, they had catering, and other vendors and our event was the main attraction. With a bit of nervousness, Marta and I started the game, and within 5 minutes, we knew, this was it, the participants got it, they loved it, and they were having a blast. The event went perfectly. Building on this and while still both full working time, we built a website and tried to see where this idea could go. 2018 began our online marketing and while still working full time, we added events at festivals such as East Atlanta Strut, and Summerfest, and were now an annual part of the Little 5 Halloween, and Inman Park parades. We developed new activities, and were able to buy our truck, and completed 40 events by year end. As word of mouth, referrals and some SEO magic happened, we looked to 2019 as the test for where we can take this concept. While continuing to both work full time in our corporate jobs, we pushed on, expanded to offer out of state events, youth events, and fundraisers. We added a new site, DoTeamBuilding.com, which focuses on in-office team building, as well as a new side of the business that focuses on International Diversity & Inclusion workshops designed to help international and US-based teams work better together to create a more united workforce. Marta takes the lead in our workshops, as we built it based on her experience as an international coming to the US to work. By December 2019, we had done 70 events. With clients ranging from other small businesses and startups to some of the biggest companies in the world, we knew where to go from there. Entering 2020, we continued to see growth and bookings early on, which allowed us to leave our corporate jobs to focus full time on ABWC.
Has it been a smooth road?
Working full time while trying to build a business is not easy. Many days I would drive the van to work, work a half-day, then drive to set up and host an event. Our events are fun. However, the set up and breakdown involves a lot of physical work. We do not have employees, and it is either myself and Marta or me and an assistant setting everything up. As we grow, we still do not have the massive marketing budget of our competitors, and we rely on referrals to help support our growth. Once people know about us, they want to book an event, it is just getting the word out can be tough. The biggest struggle we face now is only a little over a month after leaving our corporate jobs. The corona-virus situation has greatly impacted our business. We had no way of knowing this was coming and had planned to exceed 100 events in 2020. We hope that it does not impact our full season and are looking at what we can do now to mitigate the lost income.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We host one of a kind team building, custom events, and fundraisers. We specialize in offering “true” team building that is based on communication skills, memory, and consistent teamwork. While many of our competitors are huge companies, we are proud to be a local family business ranked as one of the best team building activities in the area. Our offering is truly unique and can be done by adults and kids. Our activity is exclusive to us and is designed to address all aspects of team building. While many other companies offer team building, through our own experience, we found that most competitors are more designed around team bonding or team outings, but not true team building activities. Our company is also set apart because of our ability to bring our event to our clients or being able to source a location close to them. We bring the fun to them! In addition to team building, in 2019 we added our International Diversity & Inclusion Workshops headed up by my wife Marta. It is a creative, fun workshop and team building event designed to bring about a better understanding and cohesive working relationship between international and American groups. Through fun and unique immersive workshop, American, multicultural, and international groups learn how to better relate to each other, understand points of view, and ultimately how to make a more united, welcoming, and effective working environment. We offer this for employers, schools and universities.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Atlanta is a great place for us. With many diverse companies of all sizes, we found that the sky is the limit for our business. We would say to anyone that has a dream, Atlanta is a nearly perfect place to start.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My wife Marta. She has been there every step of the way, supporting, cheering, and putting in the time, labor, and advice to help us get to where we are. In addition, my best friend Pete Fineman has been there as my assistant and event referee for nearly 90 percent of the events we have done to date. While working to build his own company, Pete has been there whenever I needed him and I truly appreciate all that he has done to make ABWC what it is today. And our clients, much of our business is based on referrals, and we want to thank everyone that has passed on our name and told other about their experience with ABWC.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.adultbigwheelclub.com
- Phone: 7709409896
- Email: events@adultbigwheelclub.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adultbigwheelclub/
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/adultbigwheelclub
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/adult-big-wheel-club-atlanta-2
- Other: www.doteambuilding.com
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