#10 How a former Peace Corps volunteer shipped 147,000+ used bicycles around the world--with CNN Hero David Schweidenback

The Shin Fujiyama Podcast | Social Entrepreneurship | Nonprofit Organizations | International Development Aid | NGOs

Social entrepreneur David Schweidenback is the founder of Pedals for Progress, an NGO that collects used bicycles in the US, shipping them out to 38 developing countries including war-torn Nicaragua, Honduras, Africa, and Eastern Europe.

In 25 years, this nonprofit organization has delivered 147,830 bicycles around the world. David Schweidenback is a CNN Hero, and his NGO has been recognized by Forbes Magazine and the Skoll Foundation, among many others.

Learn how bicycles can help spin forward a city's economy.

Check out the show notes and links at www.shinfujiyama.com

Show Notes & Summary

• Why so many bicycles get throw into the landfills
• David's first bicycle as a child
• David's experience with the Peace Corps in Ecuador
• The most productive man David met in the Ecuadorian town
• In the 1970s, very few people owned bicycles in Ecuador
• Without wheels, a society cannot succeed in its modern sense
• David's life after the Peace Corps
• David's vision to ship 12 bicycles to Ecuador turned into 147,000+ bicycles
• Speeding up the movement of goods and services is the key to economic growth
• What David's first collection drive looked like
• Why the Ecuadorian consulate did not allow David to ship bicycles to Ecuador
• One-country-itis
• The first shipment of biycles was through a church group that was helping war-torn Nicaragua
• Each container shipment can fit 500 bicycles
• 25,000+ bicycles have been shipped to Rivas, Nicaragua
• "I thought everything was going to be so simple."
• Some countries make it very difficult for bicycles to be imported, so David focuses his work where bicycles are welcomed
• Very few countries manufacture bicycles, so importing used bicycles does not disrupt internal market
• Imported bicycles are heavily taxed in certain countries
• In many parts of eastern Europe, bicycles do not exist
• David focuses on equity when it comes to distribution
• Some institutions wanted to discriminate when it came to distribution
• Pedals for Progress sells each bike for around $50-$60
• Deciding prices is a complicated task based on the local market
• David's goal is to create a more vibrant economy. Giving goods out for free does not do that.
• A documentary is coming out about Rivas, Nicaragua, now known as Bicycle City.
• How the local shops that sell the bicycles break even and/or make a profit
• What Pedals for Progress does with the super expensive racing bicycles
• Payments in installments
• The shops also repair the bicycles
• They spend $7,000 to ship 500 bicycles, which usually results in $15,000-$20,000 in revenue at the shops
• More than 70 organizations have used David's business plan to ship used bicycles overseas
• What makes the bicycle shop in Rivas more successful than the other shops
• Many shops use their profit to benefit the community
• What happened to the five containers of bicycles David shipped to Haiti
• Why David was ashamed when he shipped a container to Ecuador
• How Pedals for Progress shipped bicycles to El Progreso, Honduras
• Pedals for Progress's lean staff of three people
• What the Pedals for Progress warehouse looks like
• Why David collects $10 with each bicycle donated
• Why the logistics of moving things overseas is incredibly frustrating
• How Pedals for Progress gets testimonial stories from his partner shops overseas
• Why Pedals for Progress is now shipping sewing machines
• How David gets funding from the Clif Bar Foundation
• How Pedals for Progress is building their mailing list
• David needs to raise $250,000 each year
• The part of the job that David enjoys most
• Why Eastern Europe is so poor and without infrastructure
• What life is like in Albania
• A bike collection takes up about 3 hours
• Why sewing machines are so useful in developing countries