By: Allison Albery
Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your entrepreneurial journey?
A: I am a freshman here at Grand Valley State University. I did not know what to expect when I first came here, but it has been amazing. I am from a small town next to Kalamazoo and when I was growing up I found myself gravitating towards a very entrepreneurial mindset. As I started high school, I found my passion for entrepreneurship starting to grow. I was always eager to keep learning in business-based subjects. I found more enjoyment in these types of classes rather than my science and social studies so I decided I wanted to keep pursuing them. I wanted to learn all the sides of business, whether that be marketing, finance, or entrepreneurship, I wanted to continuously grow in my knowledge. I joined the club DECA and through that club, I was introduced to creating my own start-up business and business plan. This club is what showed me the true passion and drive I have for business and what made me want to pursue a degree in it.
Q: Tell us about your business idea Cosmic Motors
A: Cosmic Motors is a business idea where the main problem trying to be solved is that there are not enough chargers to supply the amount of demand electric cars have been receiving. Today there are less than 150,000 chargers across the United States, and that leaves us with less than 3000 per state. California is where most chargers are held and even then, California struggles to support all the electric cars with chargers. On top of the lack of numbers in chargers, they have also been found to be not reliable, which was another big reason Cosmic Motors was created. When it comes to chargers individuals can run into scenarios where the power grid might go off, possibly leaving you stranded or late when arriving somewhere. While I learned more about this industry it was very prevalent that there were still decades of research, design, and construction behind electric cars to truly make them fully trustworthy and reliable. I thought to myself, why waste decades when we can start to work on solar-powered cars now. In some countries, fully solar-powered cars are strongly obtainable, essentially those on the southern or western coast, because they never receive snow. Then for Michigan or other northern states, take a hybrid version and have it be solar powered so it’s functional when sunny in the summer months, and then a hybrid so you don’t need a fully developed electric infrastructure.
Q: What made you want to turn your idea into reality?
A: During DECA was where the business idea, Cosmic Motors, was formed and gave me the foundation and passion to keep growing this business idea. Then, in the program (DECA) I started to grow the idea into more of a reality. As the year progressed so did the business idea, I began to take my idea to competitions and compete with it. Being able to express and showcase my ideas to others truly is when it started to first feel obtainable.
Q: What have you learned throughout the entrepreneurial process?
A: Something that I learned while I was growing my product was how passionate I am about the environment, especially solar power, and how it can be invested in our society. Since I grew up in a small town it was apparent that the idea of owning a car such as a Tesla was not feasible, because to own electric cars they need to have a set place to charge. Being surrounded by corn fields and dirt roads it was apparent that owning a Tesla was out of reach, simply because finding a place to charge it would be nowhere close to where I lived. I thought to myself, what would be the next big thing? What about solar energy? This thought sparked the business idea of “Cosmic Motors.” Seeing my neighbors all have solar roofs being their main source of energy made me think, if solar power is being used to efficiently power a house why not a car? This thought inspired and intrigued me, and during my senior year, I created an international business plan.
Q: What steps were taken to get Cosmic Motors where it is today?
A: I got to hypothetically start up a company in a different country, I picked India and I decided I would combine two commonly used vehicles in India, motorcycles and scooters. These two are India’s primary modes of transportation which made them the best fit for the idea. To start the business idea I answered my question of, what if we did solar-powered scooters and motorcycles in India? When this idea became a bit more developed I realized I needed diversity in skills to continue it into reality, so I worked with others, one was an engineering major, which helped on the technical side. The other helped on more of the financial side so I could work on the operational and design management of the business. We did market research and figured out as a team how the logistics of this business plan would work. As of now, I’m expanding more on the American side. In my current entrepreneurship class, I’m doing solar-powered cars and basing that on American demographics.
Q: What makes Cosmic Motors Unquie?
A: There are three things that make Cosmic Motors a unique business idea,
- Its reliability, warranty is such a big concern when it comes to cars and motorized vehicles, especially in Tesla’s now that they are growing rapidly and changing constantly. With Cosmic Motors, having that reliable aspect is something customers would gravitate towards the uniqueness of.
- Self driving cars is a growing phenomenon as of right now, so as the business idea grows in Cosmic Motors, adding new elements in such as self-driving and operating would bring another level of uniqueness incorporated to it
- Lastly would just be the idea itself. I know there are other startups that are advancing as well as mine, but the element of incorporating hybrids into the product is what truly makes Cosmic Motors special.
Q: What characteristics make you strong in the Entrepreneurship industry?
A: The biggest thing is my drive. I’m really hard-working and passionate about what I do, when I have a goal or dream I work hard to accomplish it. Senior year was when I first got extremely passionate about my new business idea, and ever since I have been working on ways I can improve it. I let my passions take priority, which is where my drive and determination come in. I always keep on striving for improvement as well and to be better than I was the day before. This helps me grow into the entrepreneur I strive to be because it is a big aspect of how both my business and I can grow as one.
Q: Being so young, what advice would you give someone in your shoes at a similar age or spot in the entrepreneurial process?
A: The biggest thing is, when you’re younger you feel as though you have barriers to success or you feel some obstacles prevent you from succeeding. I felt that was a lot as I came to college and presented my business idea at such a young age. I quickly learned that those thoughts are an individual’s biggest obstacles to overcome and those thoughts are what hold people back the most. If anyone’s trying to succeed, they can, as long as they have the drive and passion for it. Going into life with an open mind is key to success and growth.
NEU 