Mechanlink (Mechan-Link)

Hi, I am Faruk Ojikutu a second-year accounting for management student and the Founder of Mechanlink! Originally from London but adopted by Brum, I’d say I am best described as a determined, focused individual as well as outgoing and social…at times.

Mechanlink is your direct link to local mechanics at the best price. We connect vehicle owners with experienced mechanics in their local area, by enabling them to post their required needs and matching them with the complimentary specialist via a mobile application. This is achieved with a live bidding process at work with a listing of mechanics sorted by location and job category.

Since being at Aston I have had the pleasure of becoming a BSEEN business and have almost completed my year accelerator. I have been a finalist in the Barclays local genius competition and look to enter many other competitions this year. I was able to take Mechanlink from a concept and a few wireframes to a fully functional app ready for open beta with BSEEN. With the support of BSEEN and mentors, as well as a collaboration with Cosesano (a software company founded by an Aston alumnus), I have learnt a life-time of knowledge, generated from events, conversations and boot camps. Overall its aided my entrepreneurial growth in ways I couldn’t have imagined a year ago which only makes me more excited as to where I will end up.

Mechanlink is to be my Full-Time occupation and it will be my placement year project; eating, sleeping and breathing Mechanlink. Whilst this is scary, I am excited by the challenge and potential growth within the year. I will be studying towards my degree by doing what I am most passionate about! I would also love to be able to provide opportunities for other Aston students in the future to gain experience/internships or employment with Mechanlink.

Here's a quick breakdown of what I need your help for:

• Updates and maintenance (£1450) - In order to be a market leading product, it is imperative the UX and UI is state of the art. With collaboration (Cosesano) we want to implement our proposed mind-blowing features, such as virtual dashboards and chatbots.
• Digital Marketer (£300) - Although I hate to admit it, I am not superman. Initially I will use a skilled digital marketer who will assist me in my digital campaign. Through delegation, I will achieve higher efficiency in terms of conversion and reach.
• Sponsored post/Google Adwords/Gumtree for business (£1200) - What's the point having a great product if nobody knows about it? A budget will be needed for a campaign to garner interest into the brand. However, although increasing awareness is great conversion will always be king; a highly tailored ppc campaign (google and gumtree) will allow for Mechanlink to gain users actively searching for car repairs or modifications, this essentially is the difference between having a highly sought after app and having a viable business which is profitable and as you can tell means so much to me.
• Other Marketing related material (£300) -  I am 100% sure not all factors will go according to plan and thus I will need a flexible budget facility to account for this provision.

Why not find out more about us: www.mechanlink.co.uk

@mechanlinkuk on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram