Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in training and education but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Deepali Gaur, Founder of Circuits2Robotics, located in Basking Ridge, NJ, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
My business is called Circuits2Robotics. We are a small online EdTech, teaching young learners about electronics, coding, and robotics. Of age 11-18 years. Our mission is to Make Tomorrow’s Makers.
Tell us about yourself
I am an engineer and a mother. I noticed that kids are surrounded by “tech,” devices, screens, and media. It is really easy to be drawn into this stuff - becoming a “consumer” of stuff or content that someone else has made - without really understanding it or being the boss of it.
So my idea was to help kids understand stuff around them. How it’s made, what makes it work. And eventually to empower them to think like (and become) a Maker. I thought of it like this… Robotics = Electronics + Coding + Mechanics.
And so, Circuits2Robotics aims to educate kids in each of these three foundational things from the ground up. We then bring it all together, and kids build their own machines, projects, and robots. That move, do stuff and interact with them and the world.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Definitely, being able to make a positive difference to kids, seeing them enjoy themselves and “do” robotics, and stay at it, work hard at it, just because they have come to enjoy it. And being a mom to girls - when I see girl students becoming makers of their own inventions.
Kids bring their own creativity. What I’ve found is to teach them “how” but let them decide the “what.” And they have come up with ideas of robots they want to make that do cool stuff that matters to them. Then helping them get there, that’s really satisfying.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Maintaining the quality of instruction while being virtual. Actually, virtual education has many advantages - like a kid can go back and watch something again and again till they really understand it. Or it can be much more affordable. So it has many advantages, too. But getting to a point where we can make it work for a variety of learners and different levels of motivation that’s definitely something we continue to work toward.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Keep at it. Write down your purpose (your “why”) and read it to yourself every day. It will keep you going in tough times.
- It is much harder to scale a business than to start it. So buckle in for the long haul.
- Be ready to evolve, both your business and yourself. COVID hit after I thought I had a plan, and that changed everything.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.circuits2robotics.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064109376488
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/circuits2robotics/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/circuits2robotics/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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