Meet Ben Corwin.
CEO of Obscure Euro Parts and Winner of Launch It: Cincy 2022.
"Connect with your community. ...Real world experience with your customers and friends in any given community you're a part of is... valuable. The moment you find your community, tap in and stay connected."
Obscure Euro Parts is a full-service parts consignment shop helping shops, collectors and private individuals get their unwanted parts into the hands of enthusiasts who need them most.
Q: You were a winner of the Launch It: Cincy Pitch Competition. How was your experience?
A: Launch it: Cincy was a great way to connect with a bunch of people in the Cincinnati ecosystem. Getting one on one time with experts in different fields really helped put into perspective aspects of my business I have otherwise only gotten general knowledge on. This was a great way to help grow my business and set goals over a short amount of time. Launch It: Cincy felt like a good intro to a business accelerator for any students looking to really start moving their business into a full-time gig.
Q: How will the Main Street Ventures Grant impact you and your business?
A: The MSV grant is going to be a big game changer, helping us build out our capabilities in our work even further. On top of that, it will allow us to take some risks with ideas we have been working with in expanding, including offering merch to our clients
Q: What does a typical day in your life look like?
A: For me it generally is getting up, getting to the shop, packing up everything that sold yesterday and then sitting down to see what is new. I'll check in with my employees, seeing what they need for the day before turning them loose on listings and side projects. I have recently been spending a lot of time working on furthering the business, working on Shopify and looking at new channels to organize and store parts in the shop. I'll check in with my clients and see if they want us to come by and get more parts and plan for our next load. By the end of the day I will wander, cleaning up the shop and reorganizing shelves or cleaning up messes from side projects.
Q: What makes Cincinnati a great place to start a business?
A: In my industry- the aftermarket automotive one- Cincinnati has a booming ecosystem of different major players. The number of world-class BMW and European car shops in this city makes it a special oasis of car enthusiasm that is often overlooked by the broader car community while still getting recognition on a global level.
Q: What is next for Obscure Euro Parts?
A: Next we're looking into making a deal with a client who is world-renowned for their work in my industry and redesigning our inventory management systems. With all of that, we are getting to a point where we are needing to expand beyond our current space into a bigger, more permanent facility.