Ordering online has become the new normal. This generation prefers purchasing things online, it saves time, and is available twenty-four seven. From clothes to food items, online market has everything you need. Why step out of the house and go to the crowded markets when you can do the purchasing in the comfort of your home. But ever thought of ordering a bulldozer?
One of Northeastern University’s business admiration graduates, Ben Preston, is working to reinvent the marketplace for construction equipment by taking it to the internet. He co-founded Gearflow, the first online marketplace for buying, selling, researching, and repairing construction equipment and parts. The goal of the company is to unify the construction industry.
He is trying to build a platform for every tier of supply chain. A bulldozer can cost up to $200,000. It was difficult to explore about the cost of purchasing a bulldozer until gearflow started last year. His website has made it easier for people to know about the ins and outs of the bulldozer. Now, his online marketplace makes it easier to buy, sell, and learn more about dump trucks, diesel generators, concrete saws, and more.
Preston and his business partner, Luke Powers, hopes to completely transform the market for construction equipment. Their goal is to build a better community for the market. Usually, the large sellers dominate the market which makes it difficult for smaller sellers to compete against them. Gearflow helps smaller sellers compete with giant brands, and gives everyone better access to manufacturing. It has provided them with an online market place to sell their products. They can now reach a wider group of people.
Preston says he caught the entrepreneurial bug after helping students launch start-ups in IDEA, Northeastern’s student led business accelerator. “I worked with IDEA like it was a start-up of my own,” says Preston.
Now, a few of his former colleagues in IDEA are helping Preston take Gearflow to the next level. They have introduced him to potential investors—or invested in the online marketplace themselves. Having people to support you makes it easier for you to achieve your goal. The students he used to sit with in class and make memories with are now helping him build his company.
A lot of people are now preferring to start their own company than work for someone else. It’s a shift towards an entrepreneurial mindset, which is why we see a lot of start-ups.
“After my time at Northeastern I always wanted to be on the founding team of a start-up,” says Preston. “It’s great to be a part of that now.”
Soumya Pandey
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