Most college students dream of starting their own businesses post–graduation, but these three Northeastern students have decided to get a head start on their entrepreneurial ideas. Last April, Johnny Fayad and Ali Kothari obtained money from investors through the Husky Start–Up Challenge, which enabled them to start really making their company New Grounds become a reality. Their first product for New Grounds is CoffeeBars, which features vegan, gluten–free, energy bars that contain a whole cup of coffee.
Kothari and Fayad were the original creators of New Grounds and its first product line. “We realized many students woke up for 8 AM’s and barely consumed anything for breakfast,” Fayad says. “Instead of Five Hour Energy or Red Bull to stay awake, CoffeeBar can be a healthier alternative for when one needs to wake up early, needs a mid-day boost, or needs to cram for a test.” Josh Belinsky, a freshman at Northeastern, joined their team about six months ago through the Entrepreneurship Immersion Program. He is involved in the communications and public relations of the product line. “It has been an amazing learning experience,” he says. The three are all Entrepreneurship concentrations in the BSBA program.
After their achievements in the Husky Start-Up Challenge last year, things really took off for Fayad and Kothari. This fall, CoffeeBar was featured in NEXPO, IDEA’s biannual event that features entrepreneurs and start-ups working with IDEA, a venture accelerator organization run by NU students. Kothari, Fayad, and Belinsky promoted their products at the event and got the opportunity to network with other entrepreneurs and potential investors. Through NEXPO, the team was able to collaborate with UPS to help them ship out their products as demand grows.
“With business growth there is constant change. Every month, our advances for New Grounds can change our current plan and objectives,” Kothari states. “Our plan in the beginning of January for February can be completely different by the time February comes. Starting a business means having to think on your feet and always be looking ahead with an open mind.”
Fayad and Kothari have three main objectives for the progressive growth of their business. The first step is to build a strong base in Boston through local cafes and businesses, with a hope that their consumer based will grow organically. After this, they hope to launch a Kickstarter campaign to begin producing CoffeeBars at a large – scale level. Their last goal is to sell CoffeeBars in retail locations across the country, including WholeFoods, sports stores, and cafes. This month, they will be handing out samples of their product to NU Alumni at an event and thenparticipating in this semester’s NEXPO on March 26th. In the summer, they will officially launch their first Kickstarter campaign that Belinsky has been working on. Kickstarter is a website that organizes crowd funding; anyone can invest in an entrepreneurial idea in return for rewards, deals, and services that the idea offers. The team hopes Kickstarter will help promote the e-Commerce of CoffeeBars.
Starting up this idea wasn’t easy and there have been many challenges. “We didn’t realize how many things had to be taken into account just to make the food product,” Fayad said. “I think one of the hardest things was balance. There are classes and work and sometimes all those responsibilities meant working on the company at 2 AM or early in the morning before class,” Kothari adds. “Having the drive was really important, that’s what makes it all worth it.”