As soon as Jared Ebersole laid eyes on an electric skateboard, he decided he had to have one. However, he faced two major hurdles: his youthful age and the steep price tag of $1,600 for the model he desired.
Therefore, he opted to create his own, using $800 from his savings for components such as engines, control units, remote controls, and power cells. Following approximately six months of experimentation and setbacks—including a battery explosion during testing—he successfully constructed the device at his parents’ house in Catawissa, Pennsylvania. He then shared his achievement on an online platform, prompting numerous messages from other users interested in purchasing one from him.
In 2017, Ebersole had his initial sale, as evidenced by documents examined by Pawnation.com Make It. When he started attending Long Island University in 2020, his business, Build Kit Boards, was generating approximately $300,000 annually. According to him, these earnings were enough to cover most of his educational expenses; specifically, he paid somewhere from $4,000 to $6,000 each semester himself following several scholarship awards.
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During his time at college, he expanded the business even more. He had help from just one staff member whom he believes put in around 30 hours each week, along with several acquaintances who pitched in occasionally during peak summers. Instead of engaging in typical campus activities, Ebersole dedicated over 100 hours weekly to running the company. By 2021, according to him, Build Kit Boards achieved an annual income exceeding $500,000.
During my time at college, I barely had any friends; I used to attend classes without interacting much with others," explains Ebersole, who is currently 24 years old. "I thoroughly disliked my college experience.
He felt drained, utterly spent, and close to closing his company for good when his next-door neighbor from Build Kit Boards' warehouse—a person who also managed an online impact investing group named Impact U along with an investment firm—proposed purchasing a significant stake in his business. (Ebersole chose not to disclose the neighbor’s identity due to a confidentiality pact.)
In 2022, Impact U acquired 55% ownership of Build Kit Boards for $300,000. Ebersole kept a smaller share and stepped back from daily management duties, as he mentioned. He explains, “This work wasn’t providing me with fulfillment anymore; it felt like endlessly repeating the same tasks but now on a larger scale,” adding, “I reached my mental limit.”
In the subsequent year, Ebersole completed his studies at college and invested the funds obtained from the sale of his previous business into launching a fresh enterprise. Alongside his associate Luke St. Amand, he established Lectec, a company specializing in selling DIY electric skateboard kits tailored primarily for student consumers.
Ebersole puts in 80 to 100 hours each week at Lectec, he mentions—but unlike when he was a college student, he’s not juggling multiple responsibilities at once. He adds that he also receives assistance now. According to him, the firm presently employs two individuals besides its founders. its website .
"I'm surrounded by a lot of good people that I can, like, withdraw myself from for even a few minutes at a time," says Ebersole. "Withdrawing myself from the business for a little bit, as much as I can, has been the No. 1 key to avoiding burnout."
Ebersole brought Lectec onto a recent episode of ABC's " Shark Tank ," where he said it had brought in roughly $150,000 in lifetime revenue at the time of filming. His pitch landed an investment offer from Robert Herjavec, one of the show's investor judges. Ebersole declined to confirm whether the deal was finalized after filming.
His advice to anyone thinking about building a side hustle: Expect to work hard.
The idea that if you do what you love, you won't work a day in your life, "is the most bulls--- thing ever," Ebersole says. "Find what you love, and you're going to work so hard for that."
Disclosure: Pawonation.comowns the exclusive off-network cable rights to "Shark Tank."
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