Collin Austin, NS4L, and Other Things
You can very easily find Collin Austin online, if you google his name. The moment you do, you are able to see his LinkedIn page, Facebook page, his own website, his YouTube site, and the list goes on. Austin ,at his core, is an entrepreneurial minded individual who owns and operates a scooter company, manages a consulting business, and does a podcast. In this post, I will further delve into Austin’s scooter company, discuss the goals and KPI’s this company has, and give a short explanation of a S.W.O.T. analysis for his company.
In 2004, Collin Austin was a regular man who took the bus, and over fifteen years later is the sole owner of “one of the largest scooter dealerships in the United States” and according to his website it “continues to break records”. Though he didn’t plan on going into transportation, in using public transportations to navigate around, he recognized an issue in his town that presented itself as an opportunity for him. Of course, many issues arise from public transportation. There are constant delays, the bus could be full, and additionally the route mostly likely takes longer than it would if you had direct transportation. For those without a car, options are fewer. This circumstance is where Austin saw the possibility of a solution.
New Scooters for Less, online known as NS4L, is exactly what it sounds like; a company that sells scooters for a lower price. The website is indicative of an eccentric company culture that is welcoming to all. In perusing the website and observing all of the scooters, there are a variety of scooters styles ranging in price, while remaining affordable. The website and the scooters have a youthful appeal, and for that reason most of the patrons are students. NS4L, located in Gainesville, Florida happens to be in the same area of the University of Florida, and has local appeal.
The location of Austin’s NS4L building is a very important strength for the company. It allows the company direct access to it’s users, and most importantly makes for an experience that can become a campus wide notariety. Austin’s entrepreneurial ventures have mostly been local to the area. Including his podcast, which features other entrepreneurial- minded people in the Gainesville area.
Using the S.W.O.T. Method, let’s further understand NS4L. As previously stated, I felt that it’s location near a college campus is a strength for the company. The location places the company near its target audience, and that in addition to his podcast and other endeavors makes it more of a community affair. A few other strengths for the company is that it is a very unique company and it separates itself from other companies selling scooters.
New Scooters For Less is also a team oriented environment, and a successful one at that. This can be observed on the company website, Collin Austin’s personal website, and in lectures discussing the company. This brand is incredibly available to potential consumers, and that is a strong asset to the company. Lastly, I’d say the scooters, the product, sells itself very well to those in need of that service; they’re affordable and vary in appeal.
As far as weaknesses go, one that I see in the scooter company is that it might not be as accessible to a larger audience. The company’s location allows it to excel in that area, and locations similar to it. However, for those further away and in different climates, the company might not lend itself quite yet to those audiences. Additionally, the company itself specifically addresses the issue of transportation outside of public or vehicular, but is limited in the way that it can resolve that issue. For example, in a time wherein most courses are virtual, and in an increasingly virtual society people won’t necessarily need to purchase scooters. Especially, in times much like we are currently seeing, with students returning home and people remaining inside their homes, there aren’t as many reasons to buy a scooter.
Fortunately, for every weakness with NS4L, there is an opportunity to overcome it. For instance, the fact that it is not accessible to a larger audience could be an opportunity for the company to explore more design ideas to appeal to students in different climates or different interests. Additionally, a current threat to the company is that larger companies such as Lyft, Uber, and Byrd have electric scooters that you can rent for a certain price per minute. Customers can potentially get the same service for less, as they don’t have to be responsible for them. One idea to combat the competition, would be to expand NS4L, so that students could rent out scooters. Students would then get the opportunity to try out the scooter, and then make a purchase. Even further, maybe there could be a stipulation where a certain amount paid renting scooters could be applied to buying one!
If my campus had a company like NS4L, I think I definitely would have invested in a scooter. NS4L, undoubtedly has a strong appeal to anyone in campus life, or really anyone living in a city without a car. I hope to see the company expand to other cities in the future, and I believe this is a strong goal for the company. As it continues to grow and monitor it’s sales, online interaction, and other KPI’s, I’m sure this company will find its place nationwide.
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