A University of Guelph student is getting charged up to showcase his business on a national stage.
Mark Mooradian is one of 12 finalists in the Student Entrepreneur National Competition, which shows off some of the best student-run businesses in the country.
Mooradian is the owner/operator of Charged, a repair and refurbishment business which specializes in selling and servicing small light electric vehicles like scooters, bicycles, self-balancing wheels and boards across the country.
"It means a lot to be representing the university in my last semester here," said the 22-year-old soon-to-be U of G graduate.
"And going to compete all the way in Montreal, it's going to be so much fun."
Mooradian will make his pitch at the Enactus Canada National Exposition May 1-3 in Montreal. The winner receives a $10,000 prize.
Charged has been around in name for about a year, but Mooradian said he began the business back when he was in high school, fixing things for friends and other people.
Now, the co-op marketing management major has seen it snowball into something bigger.
"I get to spend a lot of time with each customer, which makes me really happy," he said. "I get to be extremely customer-focused, and people are always extremely relieved because I can offer them something that they don't really have."
Now, he gets to pitch his business in Montreal, which really appealed to him when he applied for the competition.
"I love these kinds of competitions, pitching competitions and just presenting in general. I found that I really enjoyed doing that throughout my university degree," Mooradian said.
Right now, he operates Charged out of his garage in south Guelph.
But down the line, Mooradian said he'd like to open a brick and mortar store, or even explore opportunities to franchise the brand.
"We have a really new and exciting opportunity with a new way to get around with electric bikes, electric scooters (and) whatnot," he said. "But there needs to be a service in Ontario and in Canada that fixes these when they go bad because just like any other car, motorcycle, even your bicycle needs a tune-up once in a while, needs a part replaced or fixed, and a lot of those issues aren't being addressed here.
"That's what I'm trying to ensure."
