As a member of the iconic Bombardier family, it is no surprise that Charles Bombardier has become an innovator in his own right. With a mission to inspire people to imagine futuristic modes of transportation and improve existing ones, we caught up with the brilliant mind behind www.charlesbombardier.com to get the scoop behind his innovative and inspiring project, how he overcame failure, and advice for young professionals of the future…
Life must be very interesting coming from such a large and respected family…
We’ve been in business for over 70 years, so as you can imagine we’ve had our share of ups and downs. Our parents (and grandparents) taught us that family is one the most important things in life. You can part ways with friends, associates and clients, but your family will always be tied to you all your life. I believe that this value is what kept us close and united after all these years even when times were really challenging for our businesses.
You have a very entrepreneurial spirit. Tell us about your early aspirations with Segway.
In 2006, my team and I delivered the production drawings for the Spyder and the board approved the tooling release for the project. I had just completed my third development project for BRP and felt confident to leave and build my own company. (You can say I was ambitious…). I signed a deal with Segway to distribute their products in Canada and I built a sit-down prototype of their Personal Transporter. A few years later I made an offer to acquire their company. My plan was to develop a series of electric powersports vehicles (Motocross, ATVs, Side-by-Sides), but I lost the bid to a UK investor.
You then developed a web platform…
During those years, I met a young inventor who had applied for a new web business model patent in the US. The idea was simple: reward people when they logged on the web. It seemed like an easy project, but it proved a lot more challenging than I expected.
That business didn’t take off as you planned – how did you stay positive and not let that discourage you?
This was one of the most difficult parts of my life. I took risks and it didn’t pay off. It was my first failure and it was a big one. I was discouraged and I felt terrible. What kept me positive was the fact that I had had smaller successes in previous endeavours. You can build on success; you take small, medium or huge risks and when you fail you can use your previous accomplishments to rise, stand up and continue your journey. The secret is to balance the risk you’re taking with the success you have built and not overstretch too much…
Your current project and venture, CharlesBombardier.com, is very unique. Can you share how the idea behind it started?
I have plenty of ideas and I don’t have enough time, capital and wisdom to develop all of them. I had multiple goals when I first decided to share my concept ideas publicly. One was to receive technical feedback from fellow innovators, designers, engineers and tinkerers. The other was to gauge the interest of the public for new ideas. The third was to inspire people in various industries to innovate and come up with similar ideas.
Your mission is to inspire people to imagine futuristic modes of transportation and improve existing ones. How do you turn on that creative button in your head every day in creating these?
I have to stop and think about it. When I am ‘multi-thinking’, I just shut down all the other stuff in my head and I focus on one problem or idea. For example, how to design a better ambulance or provide a low-cost truck to African farmers. I find it’s easier to do this when I wake up in the morning lying in my bed or when I’m driving for 1-2 hours on the highway.
You have designed everything from luxury cars to a 21st-Century stagecoach. Which of your designs has been your favourite so far?
Good question. I really like the Watrix. It’s a really cool electric Hydrofoil-Watercraft concept (I think of it as an ‘Hydromarine’). I am working with a tinkerer to build a prototype and we hope to finish it this year. I also like the Mekago, Trailtrike, the Antares and the Arrow.
What is the long-term goal with this project?
To me, long-term is relative. I would say build a prototype of those vehicles and either sell those prototypes/concepts to existing companies and/or sell them to a group of investors. I don’t have the patience or interest to build and manage a production and distribution company.
What have been the challenges along the way?
Obviously some of my ideas fall right into ‘BRP’ territory. I don’t want to jeopardize their work, so my challenge is to balance all this. The other challenge is to pick the best idea and build a prototype of it. It will require capital and time and I want to make sure it leads to something meaningful.
It must be a beautiful thing to share your ideas with the world…
Yes, it is! I am also really lucky to have all these designers from around the world to work with. They bring their own ideas to the table and they help translate words into meaningful images. When you are opening yourself to the world you are also opening yourself to critics, so you need to be prepared to accept them (and build on them).
What can we expect in the future from Charles Bombardier?
I want to showcase the works of other innovators; I want to step up my creative process to improve the benefits to society and I definitely want to start building working prototypes again!
Any advice for young entrepreneurs and professionals that want to pursue their dreams but might be scared?
Life is really, really short. It flies fast, so don’t waste your time pondering the question. Just go! Start small, and build on your success. This will help you recover when things get tough. Don’t bet everything you have on one idea, keep a back-up plan. You’ll do just fine and you will feel alive – good luck!
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All images of Charles by: http://paul-alexander.com/
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