Q: Kindly give our readers an introduction to your business. Please include what your business is all about, in which city you are
located and if you have offices in multiple locations/ cities.
Ans: Greenbeeparking.com is the connection between consumers and parking vacancies in close proximity to major airports and seaports. The parking spaces are very affordable because we have negotiated discounted rates with major hotel chains for the parking spaces that are not currently occupied.
We put the available inventory of parking spaces on our website to be reserved by you, the consumer. This alternative method for finding parking equates to significant savings for you. These savings are sometimes as much as 75% less than parking at the airport or seaport.
We help our environment! Greenbeeparking.com is the eco-friendly choice for parking because of our affiliation with 1% For The Planet. We donate 1% of our revenue to this organization and they distribute the collective funds raised to various green initiatives across the country. By choosing Greenbeeparking.com you are helping to build a greener planet.
Q: Kindly give us a brief description about yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
Ans: Myself Hamant Patel and my friend Mohit Mehra are good friends and had a passion for creating a niche business that would not only benefit our clients, but help improve the quality of life. Both of us had exposures to businesses across different industry verticals, such as hotel industry, retail, IT Technology, Real Estate, Business Solutions, etc. throughout our careers. Both of us have attained success in all the fields listed, which gave us immense confidence to tap into a new exciting business.
Q: What ignited the spark in you to (start a new business venture) or (to make significant changes in an existing business)? How did the idea for your business come about?
Ans: Nurturing the vision to start a new venture, I came up with an idea to sell parking spaces at hotels near airports for a discounted rate. My expertise in the Hotel industry had helped me a lot in setting up a successful business venture in this domain. I brought in Mohit Mehra to partner with me as he could bring a different aspect of IT & Sales to the table and our different mixes could mesh together to create a successful/unique business. This was something that hadn’t been tapped into much by the current market.
It was in fact a great idea as individuals can save up to 75% off parking at the airport and receive better service, less hassle and an inexpensive daily rate. This is not only beneficial for the clients but also for the business environment. This idea was perfect for the business model for both me and Mohit.
Q: What three pieces of advice would you give to college students who want to become entrepreneurs?
Ans: 1. Perseverance
2. Hard Work
3. Patience
Q: What motivates you?
Ans: Motivation can come from different areas. Our motivation comes from not only within ourselves, but also from our family. We are blessed to have families that motivate us to do bigger and better things. Their support is amazing and has helped us tremendously in being successful entrepreneurs today. Our motivation is to do something that not only benefits us but can also prove profitable for our clients and our environment.
Q: Where did your organization’s funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it? How did you obtain investors for your venture?
Ans: We were confident about our business idea and hence put forth our own funds to get everything going.
Q: How did you decide on the location for your business?
Ans: The beauty of our business is that location hardly matters. We are an e-commerce web-based business, so we can operate from anywhere essentially. We still needed headquarter for our business for our employees and other business related activities, so naturally we chose our hometown Denver, CO for our offices.
Q: If you could talk to one person from history, who would it be and why?
Ans: Benjamin Franklin – Because he was an innovator and inventor of many useful products that has changed mankind as we know it. He was persistent in his ideals and his beliefs of certain inventions. We would love to know his thought process and learn how he was able to achieve success in different aspects of life.
Q: Who has been your greatest inspiration?
Ans: Our greatest inspirations have been our parents, siblings and our peers. Without a combination of all these individuals we wouldn’t have been where we are today. We believe that not a single individual but a combination of several people one meets in a life creates and drives inspiration and the knowledge to build something successful. In addition, one’s own failures and success, trials and errors have helped to stir up inspiration.
Q: What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
Ans: The ability to be your own boss, do things the way you want and have pride in yourself that you have accomplished something great because of your own brains and hard work and not because of someone else.
Q: What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
Ans: The feeling when you realize you have built a successful business from ground up. Starting with nothing and at zero and coming to the realization that you have built the business and made it a success in your own eyes as well as others eyes.
Q: In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur.
Ans: Electrifying!
Q: What are your hobbies? What do you do in your non-work time?
Ans: My hobbies are Golfing, attending sporting events and watching movies.
During my non-work or leisure time, I usually love spending time with my family.
Q: What makes you happy?
Ans: Being able to really “Live/Experience” life! Whether it is good or bad times, just the feeling of going through those experiences and working through them makes me feel happy and satisfied.