Meet Nicole Coleman | N. Coleman | Womxn Motorcycle Rider & Throttle Company Co-Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicole Coleman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicole, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
We started Throttle Company as a direct result of our shared experiences with the motorcycle industry. Between trying to meet a stranger in a parking lot with a pocketful of cash to being ignored as a woman walking into a dealership wanting to test ride a bike, we wanted to create an inclusive environment that made it clear that everyone was welcome in motorcycling.

We wanted to take all of our joint experiences, good and difficult, into account when developing our business. It’s a bit harrowing to meet someone you met on Facebook Marketplace with a motorcycle of unknown service history with a bunch of cash in your pocket, so we wanted to provide a service of collecting vintage and used motorcycles and making sure they are up to a minimum standard as well as providing a neutral location for private sellers and buyers to meet in our parking lot for safety purposes.

Through our own experience and that of our motorcycle friends, we also knew that being a woman entering and existing in the, admittedly rapidly improving, motorcycle industry as both a professional and as a consumer is oftentimes a negative experience. We wanted to contribute to the improvement of the experience of womxn in the motorcycle experience by providing a welcoming and encouraging environment.

Our method of “selling bikes” is actually by making connections with the community. We gain a lot of our customers by hosting events and being a safe and welcoming place for new and returning riders to ask questions, find friends, and generally get an experience that is more about joining the community than “buying a bike.”

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The majority of what we do as Throttle Company sets us apart from other dealerships. We simply use selling motorcycles as a catalyst for building community. We’ve learned how to develop a motorcycling community that supports one another and genuinely builds each other up in an industry that can sometimes be exclusionary.

We are outwardly inclusive of all people and continously use our platform to reinforce that. It hasn’t been easy to provide the type of service, sales, and community that we do, how we do, while facing the inherent distrust a lot of people have for dealerships. And we understand that we have the responsibility to prove that we’re different. Thankfully, our community is ready to sing our praises!

We continue to provide our community with a friendly and understanding place to ask questions, we don’t work on commission and we welcome all bikes (regardless of brand) to our events. We specifically refuse to be “salesy” and we don’t assume anything about anyones skill level, bike of choice, or background. Everyone, from all walks of life and backgrounds are welcome at Throttle Company!

We want the world to know that Throttle Company is welcoming and affirming. Be it LGBTQIA, budget, experience, gender, etc, everyone is welcome at Throttle Company and we believe that our differences contribute to a positive development of the motorcycling community.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
A lot of people ask why Ohio is great. There are a lot of reasons, but interestingly, Ohio is the third largest motorcyling state by motorcycle registrations, after California and Florida.

This is because it is secretly a great place to ride! There are tons of small towns to take a 100 mile trip for coffee, twisty roads to ride to get hice cream, and beautiful riverfront routes to watch the sunset. You could ride your motorcycle along the Olentangy River up to Delaware or take a trip down to the Hocking Hills and ride through State Forests. You can park along the Scioto River Mile Metro Park and swing on the swings while you wait for your table to be called at Milestone 229 or wait for the concert to start nearby. COSI is open year round and is also along the Scioto Mile Metro Park. There are bike nights almost every night of the week and everyone, regardless of year/make or model are welcome to attend and get food at Ohio Brewing at the Ohio Brewing Bike Night, for example.
Ride over to Throttle Company on a Saturday morning for Kickstands & Coffee and see the myriad of interesting bikes that show up, or take a test ride on a new Royal Enfield or Moto Guzzi.
A sunday jaunt over to the Columbus Museum of Art and a visit to Tommy’s Diner is a whole Sunday on it’s own.
You can skip the crowds by going to the Columbus Zoo on a weekday.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I dedicate my shoutout to my fellow Throttle Company Co-Owners, Ken & Dylan Paul, who entrust me to provide the social aspect of our business. They allow me to set the tone for our inclusive community and back me when I need it.

Additionally, I want to give a shoutout to our community itself. We have a great group of regulars who have made us part of their love for the motorcycling sport. They welcomed US into what can sometimes be a tough crowd to join. Our motorcycling community is always ready to help out, support each other, and recommend Throttle Company (even if it’s just to stop by Kickstands & Coffee and “check out the shop”.)

Lastly, I want to shoutout to the Litas Columbus who support me as a womxn rider and embody the personal mission I have within motorcycling, getting more womxn into riding and stay in riding!

Website: https://throttlecompany.com/?

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/throttlecompany/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@throttlecompany

Image Credits
I took all of the photos I’ve included. -Nicole