CFD 516 – Ori Sagie On Community Based Car Sharing With Envoy

February 18th, 2019

Ori is a serial entrepreneur with extensive experience in developing high growth businesses. He is responsible for leading the vision, strategy, and growth for Envoy, as the company continues to build out a robust global infrastructure. With nearly 2 decades of experience driving successful entrepreneurial ventures, including Smart IL and Lenn Ventures, Ori has a vast knowledge of various facets of business including new business incubation, venture investing activities, project management and business development. Over the past 10 years, Ori shifted his focus towards real estate related investments, including acquisition and operations, as well as actively initiating technology related ventures in the US market.

Podcast Highlights

  • Who is Ori Sagie?

Ori believes that what entrepreneurs true heroes is the time and sacrifice they have to make to achieve their goals. Ori was born is Israel and has always been focused on the why of success. Why you want to do it and why people need it is the essence of the success of every venture.

Looking at what people are doing to solve their problems is a way to figure out what solutions to work on.

  • Is it still a sacrifice if you’re not aware you’re doing it?

It’s always a sacrifice, there is always an opportunity cost to what you do. You have to understand your skillset and what you are willing to give up in order to reach your goal. You may want to be a tech entrepreneur, but maybe you’re a great singer.

Sacrifice is about giving up something good for something better.

Ori and his partner Aric Ohana have worked together for a long time, the development of their business is due to their evolution as people and observing the market. They realized that mobility is an amenity and a need for many people that needed a solution, which is where the idea for Envoy began.

Time to market is the most critical thing for the success of an entrepreneur.

  • Real Estate

When you assess the market correctly and buy a good property that creates stability. For Ori real estate is nice but not where his creative genius lies. In order to succeed in real estate you have to know what you’re doing, it’s not a simple matter of leveraging your assets. There is a lot of information and research that goes into it. Spend a few hours looking at the physical property you are going to spend your money on.

There is no silver bullet or free rides. Don’t build your life on the hope that you made the right choice. The key element is to be realistic with yourself and assess the situation. As Ori likes to say “go touch the wall.” Respect the hustle.

  • Envoy Car Sharing

Envoy is the 3.0 version of car sharing. There is a big difference between something becoming an amenity and something being a service.

Envoy is community based car sharing, they provide electrical cars and infrastructure to properties so those vehicles become an amenity to those tenants or guests. A good comparison would be the gym in the building, with Envoy now there is a car in the building as well.

For you to get rid of your car, you have to rely on another mode of transportation. The more options you have, the more likely car ownership is unnecessary. Multiple modes of transportation available to you becomes you mobility solution.

Envoy’s current focus is on property portfolios of 100 units and higher, but they will eventually make their way to working with smaller communities.

The number one thing people purchase after they choose their short term rental is a car service.

The idea for Envoy came from Ori’s experience as a real estate investor himself. Real estate operators have an opportunity to provide an amenity that they can do at zero to low cost to their tenants, the tenants get access to mobility that they may not otherwise have, and the city gets a break on its infrastructure requirements. Envoy is one of the only companies on the market with a true understanding of community based car sharing.

Hearing the no’s takes you to the yes’s. Coming from real estate really helped Ori and his partner understand the mindset of real estate operators and know their service is valuable and worth supporting. Going lean and efficient has also given them the advantage.

Envoy is becoming a real competitive advantage for property owners.

  • Ori’s Takeaway

Think of the idea that you have been contemplating for years but never done anything with and just write the first step you need to take in order to execute it. Only 1% of people have the ability to take an idea one step further. Don’t think about the networks or conquering the world, just focus on the next step to making it happen.

Links:

envoythere.com

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