The goal of Hardly Hustle is to provide inspiration, drive and motivation in a 10 minute read or less. What you see is what you get. This is hot off the press without an editing team.
The problem: My entrepreneurial journey started when I was in 8th grade and I started my very own sneaker cleaning and reselling business.
Savohn Hunt is up.
Who are you and what do you do?
All, My name is Savohn Hunt, I am the founder and CEO of Ave Rides. Ave Rides is a 6 figure transportation service for Ave Maria Florida. Not only do we provide a reliable and safe transportation solution, we offer Golf Cart rentals as well! My entrepreneurial journey started when I was in 8th grade and I started my very own sneaker cleaning and reselling business. That quickly came to an end though when I was robbed! Haha that’s a story for another day! If you’re interested in hearing that one, you can check it out on my instagram @savohn.hunt.
With that being said, since I started my first business in 8th grade I always considered myself somewhat of an entrepreneur. But until I recently started Ave Rides, the entrepreneurial desire was on the back burner. Ave Rides came about because I was working a standard 9-5 job barely making ends meet.
I was newly married and my wife just found out I was pregnant. Knowing that my wife and I wanted her to be a stay at home mom and raise our kids, it was my duty to figure out a way to make a sustainable living. So I started doing airport shuttles and rides around south west Florida in my free time and I soon realized that the need for a transportation solution was so great that I couldn’t do it on my own, so I began hiring people I knew personally and trusted to help me out. Since then I have grown the business to a 6 figure company in just under 18 months while continuing to work a 9-5 job.
What did it take/how did you get started?
We officially opened our doors in September of 2022.
What does the future look like for you and your business?
The goal is to continue to provide the residents of Ave Maria with a reliable and safe transportation solution while continuing to innovate snd offer new services.
What drives / motivates you on a daily basis?
The biggest motivations I have at this moment are my wife Emily and My Son Tyson. Also the feeling of having my back against the wall and not knowing if I will be able to pay my bills. I never want to feel that again and I am constantly moving and running as far away from that as I can!
What advice would you give someone interested in doing what you do?
For someone who is interested in running a business, I would say just start. I live by the quote “ You Miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” and I believe that it is better to know that something didn’t work and wasn’t meant to be than live with a bunch of what ifs.
What has been the hardest part of your business journey?
The hardest part about starting my business was creating and implementing processes to ensure that the business can run no matter who is in charge. The goal is to exit the business at some point and I want that transition to be as easy as possible for the next owner.
How have you managed burnout thus far?
Luckily, I haven’t felt the burnout yet. I guess it’s true, if you do what you love, you never work a day in your life.
What are a few resources that you'd recommend?
I recommend watching the vlogs of these two people, James Sinclair and Ryan Serhant. They have been my business mentors whether they know it or not and seeing their ability to balance multiple hats and responsibilities is admirable.
The STATS
List the founders
Savohn Hunt
How many hours a week do you work on this hustle?
I am unsure, I feel like I’m always working in the business.
# of Employees?
15
When did you start?
2022
How much did it cost to launch?
$0 just some well written Facebook posts
What were your funding methods and ballpark amount raised?
N/A
Annual revenue?
150,000+
Projected revenue?
150,000+
What's the number one thing you need right now?
I need to continue to grow my personal brand