Prior to joining the car community, I felt like my world was very limited. The people I knew, the friends I made, the connections I had. It was only a small glimpse of what this world had to offer. I knew that there were so many more unique, diverse, and interesting people out there, but I didn’t really know how to connect with them. Part of why I wanted to go to car meets was for the people. Yes, I was passionate and I loved cars, and I wanted to see what amazing things people had done with them, but that was only half of it. I wanted to meet the people behind those cars. I wanted to see things from a different perspective. I wanted to see how they viewed the world, what interesting stories they had, the lives they lived.
I want to talk about the experiences I’ve had during the last two years of being part of the car community. More than anything, I want to focus on the community itself. In my time here, I’ve realized how special it truly is in a way I haven’t seen anywhere else. The car community is unique in its passion compared to most hobbies or interests.
When it came to building my app, Carbon, my goal was to help foster that same sense of community. I wanted to help it grow and become the best it can be. Over these past two years, I’ve met so many incredible people from every walk of life. People from different cultures, careers, and backgrounds, all brought together by the same love for cars. That’s what makes this community so special to me.
The fact that so many people from so many different ways of life can come together over a shared hobby and all be equally passionate about it is something truly rare. Personally, I’ve met people I never would have interacted with in any other situation if it weren’t for our shared love of cars. This passion connects us in ways that cross boundaries that otherwise might never be crossed.
That connection is what I want to help grow through Carbon. I want Carbon to bring the car community together in a way it never has been before. Right now, we’re still scattered across social media platforms, private group chats, and separate pages. While we all share the same passion, it’s spread thin across too many spaces.
I especially want to help those who are new to the car scene. Those who are curious, interested, or just beginning their journey. I want people with passion to have a place where they can express it fully and connect with others who feel the same way. That’s the heart of what I want to build.
And in my personal experience, I got lucky. I happen to live in a city that has one of the best car communities in the country. So even as someone new getting into the car scene, while it was a bit difficult, it wasn’t that hard. But I also have friends who live in different states where the community isn’t as prominent, and they struggle to find events, community, and other people who are as passionate about cars.
That is exactly what I want to help grow. Because in my dream, I want to be able to go anywhere in the country and find people and events, even small ones, that hold that same passion I can connect with. I want that experience to be accessible. I want a piece of the community to be alive and thriving no matter where I go. That would truly be a dream come true.
Bringing the car community to one platform, centralizing it, and making it more accessible. Giving those who are small or new a voice and an opportunity to share and connect like never before. That is what will bring my dream into reality.
To me, this isn’t just an app. This isn’t just a business. This is my passion. This is my life. I love this community. It has blown away any expectations I had before joining, before I knew anything about it. The experiences I’ve had, I wouldn’t trade for the world. Joining this community has been one of the best things that has ever happened in my life, and I want others to be able to experience that same thing.
But I can’t do this alone. And I haven’t. I have my co-founder, Jason, who has enabled me to build what I never could have done on my own. I have friends in the community who are just as passionate about this idea and this project as I am. And it would mean the world if you could support me as well.
For this to truly work, I need the support of the community. That will be the difference between Carbon and all the other apps that have tried to do this before. I will work endlessly to make this app the best it can be for the community, but your support is what will make it come to life.
I know we are more passionate than anyone who has come before. I know that this isn’t just some side project. It isn’t just a hobby. This is my dream.
I’ve thought a lot about what I wanted to do in my life. In fact, I struggled with it for a long time. The idea of committing to something for an entire career, forty plus years, always felt heavy. Back in college, I had a hard time finding what I could be passionate about for that long. But now, I finally have.
I want this to be my life. I want it to be my legacy. The car community has given me so much. It’s time I give something back. And I can’t wait to build it with you.
