What inspires someone to become an entrepreneur?
Do they hope to “put a dent in the universe” like Steve Jobs? Do they picture serving neglected consumers and applying groundbreaking models like Sam Walton? Are they consumed by the impulse to raise quality and reduce costs like Henry Ford?
Or, in the case of Hayden Earl, are they pulled by the love of a community – and a calling to protect it?
AN “UBER FOR BOATS”
A senior at Cornell University’s Nolan School of Hotel Administration, Earl learned to sail when he was five-years-old on Cape Cod. Later on, he competed for the U.S. Olympic Development Sailing Team. Such experiences imbued a passion for the Massachusetts coast’s natural beauty – and the ecological balance needed to sustain it. The latter hit home when Earl visited his coastal hometown several years ago. The view was unforgettably eerie: fishing boats no longer dotted the harbor. The reason spurred him to action.
“I learned that overfishing from tourists – coupled with environmental degradation which had brought warmer waters to Cape Cod and driven the fish population north – had destroyed our fishing industry and the livelihoods of many,” he tells P&Q. Dwindling catches had led to dwindling incomes, and my town’s fisherman had been displaced. It was in this moment that I felt a deep responsibility to help uplift my community.”
Hayden Earl, BoatCape, Cornell University (Nolan)
In response, Earl launched his venture, BoatCape, in the summer of 2022. The venture provides guided tours where visitors can “explore Cape Cod’s natural beauty like a true local – and with one” in Earl’s words. Thus far, BoatCape has attracted over $80,000 in investment. Long-term, Earl hopes to build an “Uber for Boats,” where he envisions tourists using an app to reserve a boat and a captain for a tour. In the meantime, Earl points to his yacht charter service serving a dual purpose.
PROVIDING A LIVING TO DISPACED FISHERMEN
“[It] provides my community with a way to earn an income and stay connected to its coastal roots. BoatCape [also] aims to educate visitors about the importance of environmental stewardship, out on the water, where seeing is believing!”
Earl himself has long dabbled in entrepreneurship, with ventures ranging from shoveling snow to teaching sailing to selling sodas. Now earning a BS in Hotel Administration, Earl says the Nolan School has been “extremely supportive” of BoatCape. Not only has one of his professors, Tom Estad, guided him though launching and scaling his venture, but has even put his students to work on it.
