THE BERNARDS-RIDGE CONNECTION PAGE 60 NOV 2024-JAN 2025 theconnectionsnj.com BRIANNA PETRO K-5 MATH TEACHER 908-938-6989 CALL OR TEXT MATH TUTORING GRADES 2-5 www.linkedin/in/briannapetro Start strong, stay ahead! F R EE F I R S T S ES S ION i! I’m Pranati and I am a Junior at Ridge High School. I’d love to tell you about an app that I’m developing called Cooly. While most of my friends have kept busy with school and college prep, I have chosen to focus on a different challenge: finding a better way to ship airline luggage across the country. It might not be the usual teenage path, but I have already gained a ton of experience and I believe this experience will pay off down the road. I’ve always had a strong desire to start my own business. Inspired by entrepreneurs like Jan Koum, Richard Branson, and Sam Walton, I realized that starting young could give me a better shot at success. My dad has been my biggest supporter. He often tells me, “You have more opportunities to fail as a teenager; you’re still young and learning.” That resonated with me and encouraged me to go for it. So, I took his advice to heart and started working on a business plan. It took me about five months to develop a solid idea. I finally decided to focus on transporting customers’ airline luggage in a stress-free, reliable way. My goal is to make travel easier and more enjoyable for everyone. I started thinking about what I faced during family trips—like juggling 4-5 suitcases at once. Once I had the idea, I was excited to share it with my parents. I wanted to ensure they were ‘on board’. I knew they would give me honest feedback. They can be critical, but it is always constructive. That is what I appreciate most about them. I sat down with them to discuss the details of my plan, and they listened carefully. Their feedback helped me to refine my concept. After our conversation, I felt a huge wave of relief and excitement. It was official: this was no longer just a dream—it was happening. Feeling energized, I jumped into action. I started brainstorming about ways to attract investors and how to get a website up and running. My goal was to catch people’s attention, so I focused on making the website visually appealing and accessible to everyone. I then needed to determine my price point. My services needed to be affordable, so I created a survey to determine what potential customers would be willing to pay. After analyzing the results, I got a clearer idea of what the average price point should be. Next, I moved on to logistics. I contacted airlines, including Emirates, to see if they’d be interested in collaborating with my start-up. I was thrilled to find that many of them were open to the idea. Their positive feedback motivated me and inspired me to believe that I’m on the right track. I’m still figuring out the next steps for my business, but I genuinely feel like I’m making progress. It’s exciting to think about where this journey could lead. Each day brings new challenges and learning opportunities, but I’m determined to see this through. Ultimately, my aim is to make traveling easier for everyone. I can’t wait to see what my business achieves in the future. This experience is teaching me so much about entrepreneurship, resilience, and the importance of following my passion. I’m ready to keep pushing forward and see where this adventure takes me! My words of wisdom to fellow high school dreamers? All young entrepreneurs should take a chance and follow their passion, fail quickly to gain experience, and try out new things, just like my dad says. Life is all about experimentation! TEEN VOICE A ‘COOLY’ Idea Coming Soon to an Airport Near You By Pranati Misra app that I’m develop H
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