Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Stacy Gery. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Stacy, appreciate you joining us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard

I believe in the power of social impact. It’s good for the community AND helps to grow a successful business! I learned so much by taking classes at the Colorado (now National) Institute for Social Impact in Colorado Springs. I get many referrals to both my businesses based on the fact that I try hard to do good things for my community.

For my mountain biking business, the social impact components include:

1. A few years ago a local mountain bike skills park with wooden obstacles was overgrown, in disrepair, not safe for users, covered in yellow police tape. It’s a fabulous resource that wasn’t being used. I contacted the city and a local non-profit and asked how to get the park up and running again. They said “adopt and maintain it.” I agreed and planned various workdays to clean and improve the park. 4 years later and the park has been open and safe for users since then. The city posted a sign with my business name in the park, so everyone who walks by or uses the park has knowledge of my business.

2. I have been a ride guide and ambassador for various female mountain biking organizations, both locally and internationally to empower, train, and support women in the sport. For the Women’s Mountain Biking Association of Colorado Springs and its 300 members, I guide weekly rides in the summer. For World Ride, I fundraise and spread awareness of their programs to support female mountain bike guides in third world countries. I started a local Facebook group for females to share resources and ideas to support each other, gaining over 700 members in the past year. In the works is a one-day ladies mountain biking festival I am planning for this summer.

3. Each fall, I help the city to plan an annual “Take a Kid Mountain Biking” day. I recruit and coordinate all the volunteers and plan stations for working on skills. Then the kids get a mini ride with their volunteer coaches, plus a raffle with prizes at the end. It’s a great way to get youngsters involved in the sport in a safe and FUN way.

For my piano business, the social impact components include:

1. I know from personal experiences of childhood trauma and a brain injury as an adult that music has the power to heal. Pre-COVID, alas how things have changed, I volunteered weekly at the hospital playing music for healing in the lobby and at a local senior center during lunchtime. After recording 2 albums with music describing my recovery from a brain injury, I performed numerous free concerts for the community. Some of my most impactful were a fundraiser for the local veteran’s center, a concert series via the Pikes Peak Library District, and a presentation/performance at a conference for stroke survivors. My all-time favorite though was when the city sponsored a concert on the sidewalk in front of a local soup kitchen. One man, with tears in his eyes, said he could hear my keyboard while riding his bicycle to lunch, proclaiming “music is medicine.” I couldn’t agree more.

2. I plan my semi-annual piano recitals with the goal of social impact in mind. The recitals are open to the public in places where disadvantaged or forgotten populations may congregate. Pre-COVID, the students performed for the elderly at local senior centers, with an ice cream social to follow. The past 2 years, we performed in a local city park where the homeless and passersby were all invited to attend. And most recently last Christmas, we were once again able to perform Christmas songs at a local senior center.

3. Saving discarded piano books from the dump is another way I try to make the world a better place, but it means I have WAY too many piano books in my home. I can’t resist buying barely used piano books from the thrift store and therefore now have a gigantic piano book library for my students to use. The benefits are I have a variety of books for students to choose tailored to their individual abilities and preferences while parents save a ton of $$ on piano books. Now I need a bigger house…

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I started both of my businesses from absolute zero when I lost my high school teaching job due to a brain injury sustained in a car accident about 6 years ago. I worked just as hard on my businesses as I did to recover from a brain injury. I have always been a teacher at heart, so it made sense to continuing teaching what I was passionate about. Lucky for me, there was also a need for good piano teachers and mountain bike coaches in Colorado Springs at the time. Also lucky for me, I received so much support from my community, for which I will forever be grateful.

With my piano business, “Stacy Plays Piano,” I offer the following: (see http://www.stacyplayspiano.com for more info)

1. Piano lessons for all ages and ability levels. My background in teaching comes in handy here! But so does my focus on good technique, reading notations on paper, turning notes into music by adding expressions and dynamics. Some of my students are unique – with autism, tremors in their hands, even one with the use of only one arm!

2. Background music for weddings and special events. Could be holiday parties, art gallery openings, up-scale happy hours, outdoor festivals, military promotion ceremonies, or even date nights. My movie and Broadway music trivia is a hit at local senior centers. With a professional portable keyboard, any location with a power source is possible.

3. Music for healing albums and concerts. This is probably what I am most passionate about, what I would do more if the reality of paying bills didn’t get in the way. I have a CD series with music that chronicles my recovery from a brain injury, which I present during a schedule of free community concerts. I also have volunteered to play weekly at a local hospital and senior center. I know that music is a powerful force for healing!

With my mountain biking business, “MTB with Stacy,” I offer the following: (see http://www.mtbwithstacy.com for more info)

1. Skills instruction to help riders improve their confidence and control on a mountain bike. My price point and structure of group lessons enable all levels of riders/income to participate in my classes. I offer internships for younger riders interested in working in the industry. I come to this sport as a teacher first and mountain biker second, which is distinct in the industry and I believe helps me to reach even more riders.

2. Guided rides on our awesome trails for visitors to Colorado Springs. Many come from out-of-state and want to learn some skills while experiencing great views. I absolutely love sharing our trails with visitors! I can create custom trips all over Colorado, depending on the group’s ability level and desired type of riding.

3. Create and share resources in the community for mountain bikers of all levels. I am a volunteer coach and ride leader for a women’s mountain biking group with nearly 300 members and administrator for a ladies mountain biking facebook page with over 700 members. I am also guardian of a local bike skills park to keep it clean, maintained, and safe for the public. I have helped to plan community-wide initiatives to promote safe and sustainable outdoor recreation in Colorado Springs via “Bike Your Park” and “Take A Kid Mountain Biking” initiatives, volunteer events with Medicine Wheel Trail Advocates, and trail workdays.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I have mentioned numerous times the car accident of 2016 that changed my life. I hate to dwell on it, but it truly was one of the most defining experiences of my life. I was fired from my high school teaching job soon after, I believe due to a brain injury, but the school administrators will tell a different story. Being fired from a teaching job blacklisted me from the profession, because who wants to hire an alleged trouble maker? I decided then that I needed to be my own boss, and proceeded to start two businesses with absolutely zero knowledge of how a business works! I took every free class offered by the Small Business Development Center and Colorado Institute for Social Impact, spent hours each day at the Pikes Peak Workforce Center and Pikes Peak Library District, started making connections with local chambers and business networks. All while recovering from a brain injury. It was so hard! My first three years in business my adjusted gross income was 8K, 11K, and 13K, all while paying numerous medical bills. Looking at the numbers, I still can’t believe I survived those lean years without experiencing financial ruin. While it took some time to gain a footing in my community, I am now a much sought-after piano teacher and mountain bike coach in Colorado Springs. I’m glad I didn’t give up.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Two things helped me build a reputation within my market, and they are the same for both the piano and mountain biking businesses. Both have also helped me to build, keep, and expand my clientele.

1. Social impact as part of my business model – I started both businesses with the idea that I wanted to have a positive influence in my community. I described how in a more verbose response above. People know me and what I do partly because of what I have done for the community. People I don’t even know recommend me to others because of my values and what I stand for. When out on the local trails, someone always asks me, “oh, you’re THE Stacy?!” It makes me laugh every time because I never thought I would become sort of famous in the mountain biking world (only on the local scene though lol).

Here’s another funny example of my reputation in a male-dominated industry. There is a Facebook page with about 6K members for mountain biking in Colorado Springs. Someone was giving me a hard time, actually called me a Nazi because I was offering a free mini skills clinic for women. Random strangers in essence said, “dude, you obviously are new in town. Stacy does many good things for our community so leave her alone.” Oh the joys of Facebook.

2. Maintaining quality of services – I continue to hold high standards for the services I offer. When a business starts to grow, there is always the question of how to maintain quality over quantity, how to continue growth without sacrificing the product, where to go next. One way I strive to be the best in both fields is through continuing personal education. For mountain biking, I have earned an additional level of coaching certification approximately every 2 years. Last year, I traveled to Arkansas and North Carolina to work with some of the best coaches in the country. I also hired a personal trainer this year to learn more about how the body, especially mine, functions at its optimal. For piano, I actually started taking lessons again to learn more about theory and improvisation, skills I can then turn around and share with my students to keep them engaged and interested. Instead of seeing them as the competition, other experts I have hired in my same fields have become my colleagues, mentors, and friends. When clients hire me, they know they will get the highest quality of services.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.stacyplayspiano.com/ and http://www.mtbwithstacy.com/
• Instagram: @mtbwithstacy
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stacyplayspiano/ and https://www.facebook.com/mtbwithstacy/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM6tFyZRORw and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsDYpn7HoRc and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGbGy5smSKI and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jNW3Y1V9k8
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/stacy-plays-piano-colorado-springs and https://www.yelp.com/biz/mtb-with-stacy-colorado-springs