Hub Spotlight: LEVR Toronto
LEVR Toronto deals with the buying, selling, and repair of light electric vehicles specializing in electric skateboards within the GTA. LEVR Toronto understands maintenance procedures on several well-known brands and charges a fee for services.
Mark Mooradian, an undergraduate Marketing Management student at UofG, leveraged the observations he made while living in Toronto to launch his career as an entrepreneur. We got the full scoop on how he went from being a skateboard owner to the founder of his own company.
How did you come up with LEVR Toronto?
The new industry of light electric vehicles was and is still very interesting to me. About 4 years back, I did whatever I could just to own an electric skateboard. It was only until I learned about the industry and how popular it was getting that I realized the high demand for these vehicles. Living in Toronto at the time my small business began, I saw more and more people resorting to transportation methods other than cars. Light electric vehicles such as motorized scooters, bikes, and skateboards are much easier to take up into the office and slide under your desk then having to sit in traffic for an hour and a half each morning. They also provide a fun and stress free way to get to work. Fascinated about the industry, I learned as much as I could by repairing vehicles and finding new ways to make them look brand new again.
What motivated you to take the next step and apply to the Hub?
To me, the opportunity of being able to share insight with other students going through the same situations seemed like a no brainer. The Hub program gave me amazing feedback and provided me with tips and strategies that I now incorporate into my small business.
What do you hope to get out of the Hub?
Though the HUB program, I hope to make long lasting relationships with my peers in the same field. It was very interesting to see such amazing ideas coming from students that go to my school.
Do you have any advice for someone with a business idea in mind, but are not sure what to do next?
My advice would be make something that people didn’t think they needed. Or, like me, find something that people really want, and try and make it even better. In my case the brands I work with have done all of the marketing work for me by establishing their brand. I don’t have to convince my customers of the brand their buying into. If you are trying to find your own side business try starting with something you are really passionate for. Then think of any resale capabilities. For example if you really liked iPhones there are a ton of people that repair broken screens as well as resellers who take risks on buying broken phones and trying to repair them.
Housed within the John F. Wood Centre for Business & Student Enterprise (Wood Centre), the Hub is a business incubator designed to support early-stage business ideas with high-potential, but unproven business models. The goal of the Hub is to provide University of Guelph students (undergraduate and graduate) and alumni the opportunity to build a successful business enterprise in a supportive learning environment.
The Hub has a tiered program that ensures a good mix of start-up companies at varying stages of growth. “Hub Start” is for ventures still getting their idea off the ground. These ventures typically have a great team and a great idea, but still have not demonstrated product-market fit with traction. “Hub Build” is for ventures with traction looking to refine their business model and/or scale.