A Metre Matters: Young Entrepreneur Launches Online Platform To Sell Bike Lights
MONCTON – Beth Stevens is only 15, but she has big plans for her business, Beth’s Bike Light, with the recent launch of an online sales platform.
“The website is a really big step. I’ve been working super hard getting this up…for the past month,” said the Riverview High School student.
“What it means for me now is that I can start to ship across Canada, I can start to sell more, and also I’m hoping…I can be able to go into stores.”
The company sells A Metre Matters Bike Lights, which shows drivers the distance they should maintain when they pass a cyclist. Some people also use the lights when they walk their dogs, and some use it on their wheelchairs for safety.
The business idea came out of a seventh grade STEM project, for which Stevens had to try to solve a real-world problem.
“I was having a really hard time coming up with an idea. Originally I was just going to build a volcano,” she said. “And then I heard Ellen Watters’ story on the news.”
Watters was an internationally-known competitive cyclist from Apohaqui, N.B. She passed away in December 2016 after becoming critically injured in a collision with a car while on a training ride in Sussex. Her family and friends had since pushed for “Ellen’s Law,” a one-metre rule for drivers passing cyclists. The law came into effect in New Brunswick in June 2017 and was later also passed in P.E.I.
“I was inspired by Ellen’s story to create a light to show drivers how much room to give drivers on the road,” she said. “That would help them know exactly how long one metre is.”
The making of the lights started with a 12-volt battery and a light meant to be used as a signal light on a trailer.
“It was pretty heavy and pretty funny to look at. And I also wrapped it in tin-foil,” Stevens said.
The current version is a USB rechargeable red LED light with a rubber strap that can be attached on different parts of the bike. The light has five modes: low beam, medium beam, high beam, blinking and flashing.
“It depends on how high your bike is off the ground,” she said. “But a 45-degree angle is a good place to start.”
Stevens started selling her bike lights at the Moncton market in 2018. While doing that, she got orders from as far as B.C. and Newfoundland because of posts on Facebook.
The website will allow customers to order more easily, and for Stevens to manage the orders more easily. She’s hoping it will allow for an international one day, too.
But her business is a community business, she said, thanks to her parents, friends, teachers and the cycling community for their support.
“I didn’t really think to make it a business until I heard real stories from real cyclists that this is a real issue, this can actually make a difference, this can really save lives,” she said. “And I was just, like, whoa, I can’t do that. I’m just in middle school. I’m just a girl. I’m not an old man in a suit, I can’t run a business. But because of the cycling community, they inspired me to keep it going.”
Stevens said she’s been working with world champion cyclist Emily Rodger, whom she met through a Boiling Point podcast event that one of her teachers took her to. Rodger connected Stevens to a friend who could help her create her website and has been her mentor.
“Emily has just been so helpful with making connections and just getting the word out there. It’s just awesome to be able to talk to an actual person who followed her passion and really, she inspires me every time I talk to her,” she said.
While school is out due to COVID-19, Stevens has been continuing her favourite course from school online. Called IDEA Centre, the course focuses on innovation and entrepreneurship. She’s also been getting a lot of work done for her business – sending emails, calling people, and making connections every day.
“It’s been so fun. I feel like a little professional lady because I’m always calling people or Skyping them.”