Introducing Maggie Thai: A third year Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Calgary and co-founder of JMCH (https://www.jamh.ai/).
Sustainability has become increasingly popular amongst our generation. More and more consumers are wanting to adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle where they can be proud of their sustainable habits. This change is not only being seen in consumers, but companies as well as the push for improved CSR and transparency continues. Today, Maggie will dive into her start-up and the importance of prioritizing sustainability in corporations.
Question: “What is JAMH? & Why did you start this company?”
Answer: "JAMH is an impact technology start-up and we really care about providing information to people and companies so that they can be more sustainable. Climate change and carbon emissions have been on people's minds and it's so important to make sustainable changes to help the planet.”
Maggie and her team provide these companies with data and data analysis insights to help these companies move in a more sustainable direction. How inspiring!
“Our company came together because my co-founders and I are very passionate about impactful problem solving. We got together and decided to work towards informational problem solving to ensure companies are making the best decisions possible based on accurate data.”
Question: “Where is JAMH now in terms of traction, team and size?”
Answer: "I co-founded JAMH with three other talented people. As for our other team members, we have two employees and three interns. On paper we would call ourselves a ‘pre-seed company’ since we haven't sought out investments yet. In terms of traction, well, we actually pivoted a little bit. So last year, we created a data dashboard for gas/energy companies which was used by a few fortune five-hundreds. But since then we have pivoted, so now we are in the research development stage for a carbon platform. Basically we are scraping together information from across North America, which will be used for all companies, not just gas and energy companies. This will help any and all companies passionate about carbon, reducing emissions, etc.”
Question: “What does a typical day look like for you balancing school and work?”
Answer: "Honestly, sometimes your company has to come first because of taxes, employees, etc, and may need to be prioritized over school. But that's the best part of having a team because they can help compensate for the workload if you have a midterm or something.”
To stay on top of all her work, Maggie utilizes spreadsheets and agendas to keep track of all her due dates for school assignments or exams. Then, she adds in her JAMH work into her calendar as well. For anyone interested, Maggie uses Google Calendar and Good Notes to help organize everything.
“During the day I work on school - it's like my 9 am - 2 pm. Then in the evenings I work on my company. I try not to mix the two to reduce stress.”
Question: “What are some challenges you faced with your startup, and how did you overcome them?”
Answer: "Initially the biggest challenge was finding market fit. With such a large problem it's hard to find the right niche. The second problem is money. Currently we are bootstrapping, basically just relying on government funding. We always try to be on the lookout for grants and funding applications. The third thing is culture. We struggle to find a workplace for our employees and cultivate a strong, positive work environment, but we are doing our best!”
Question: “Where will we see you in 5 years?”
Answer: "Our goal is that our company will be the first place companies go when they want to be sustainable. So instead of hiring consultants, they can come to us and use our technology to decide what needs to be done/improved in their company. Then the world will be better haha! But if it's just me, I will still be in the sustainability space regardless because its so important!"
Question: “Any other last words for aspiring student entrepreneurs?
Answer: "My best advice is that you need to always be willing to fail/be able to embrace failure. You also need to accept ‘ego-death’. Just learn to take criticism and make adjustments because it's what will make your company stronger. Oh, and have good teammates!”
Key Takeaways:
Stutrepreneur co-founder, Oceanna, was especially inspired by Maggie's interview since she is starting her eco-friendly clothing line next year. We hope all of our readers learned something new and were inspired as well! Here are some of our main takeaways from Maggie’s insightful interview:
Don’t be afraid to pivot your companies’ strategy, especially if it'll be beneficial in the long run.
Teamwork makes the dream work!
Sometimes school may have to come second to your company for legal reasons, but be sure to seek out help/accommodations when necessary.
Time management and organization is the key to success.
Accept failure and don't let your ego get in the way!
Learn to take constructive criticism.
If you have any questions regarding this interview or are looking to speak with Maggie directly, feel free to fill out the contact form on our “Contact Us” page or email us at stutrepreneurs@gmail.com.