Living Entrepreneurship Blog / Babson Entrepreneurs

2018 SVP Startup Profile: BikeLord

Jake Maude MBA’19, founder of BikeLord

Tell me a little bit about your company BikeLord?
BikeLord is an online marketplace, focusing on making the process of buying and selling a bicycle a great experience.

What is the story behind BikeLord?
One day, I needed a new bike so I went to Craigslist (being that it was pretty much one of the only online bike buying options). Everything that could go wrong in a Craigslist transaction, did go wrong. I ended up with a bike I did not want in the first place. That is when I knew there had to be a better way to buy bikes. I looked at trends in technology and noticed a growing sneaker-head app where people can buy and sell sneakers. I thought: what if this idea was applied to bikes? This marks the beginning of BikeLord. Babson really encouraged me to pursue this idea. Through the feedback from family, professors, and classmates I decided to delve into what has now become BikeLord.

What is the most valuable thing you’ve gained from the Summer Venture Program thus far?
The Summer Venture Program (SVP) gave me a structured approach to entrepreneurship. Through SVP I’ve learned to take a step back, look at the bigger pictures, and try to understand other people’s perspectives. Furthermore, this summer I’ve really focused on branding, positioning, and market research. I’ve been much more strategic in all of my action steps with BikeLord.

What’s been a milestone/accomplishment you’ve made since the Summer Venture Program started?
Reconstructing the buying and selling process on BikeLord. I was able to map out in detail the actions our users must take to complete this process; now we are in the process of designing and building it.

What’s been an obstacle/surprise you’ve faced?
Like most entrepreneurs, I do too much. It’s hard not having a large team to fall back on. I am thankful to have people who are helping out, but I wish we had more people on the BikeLord team. When you multitask too much it can be counterproductive, and at times, I get into that rut. Currently, I am focused on recruiting more people to BikeLord, so hopefully the team will grow.

What is your favorite memory or moment from the Summer Venture Program?
A group of us went to the Google rooftop party a few weeks. Some of the SVP team hadn’t rsvp’d, but I knew one of the Google employees so he let us all in, which was really nice of him! It was good time and I enjoyed chatting with everyone overlooking the beautiful Boston skyline.

If you could run any company in the world, existing or not, what would it be and why?
I want to run a fun business. Of course, it’s important to make money, but even more importantly I want to have fun with it. I would probably run a jet or race car company. I love Tesla because not only do they have a great social mission, but who doesn’t love cool cars?

What is your go-to restaurant around Workbar?
The taco truck around here is awesome! I believe it’s called Tenoch Mexican. You have to wait in line for a while, but it is definitely worth it.

Any tips for aspiring entrepreneurs that you want to share?
When you do business it is inevitable that you are going to want to quit at times. I like to view these times as checkpoints in a game where other people have dropped out and you are just one step closer to winning it all. If you can stick in it, you will figure out how to make the business work – even if that means pivoting or adapting. I suggest to surround yourself with people who are smarter than you. I find this motivating and key to my success.

Check out BikeLord and our startups at this year’s Summer Venture Showcase. Register now!