Entrepreneurship is a great example of the American dream. By starting their own businesses, everyday people can strive to gain wealth through their own means.
Rapid Growth Media recently connected with one of these entrepreneurs in West Michigan. Cameron Lockrey, a
Calvin University senior, is the owner and CEO of
Kickback, an app created to assist those who want help with odd jobs and tasks in their home.
Rapid Growth Media: Did you have a background in app development when you created Kickback?
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CourtesyCalvin University senior Cameron Lockrey
Cameron Lockrey: I actually did not, but the initial idea for Kickback came from my background in doing odd jobs. I started developing Kickback first through Calvin, where I received support, and I released it to the App Store around eight months later. I’m studying marketing management and entrepreneurship at Calvin, so this has been a completely new experience and I have absolutely loved it.
RGM: Did your study of marketing help you choose to pursue entrepreneurship?
CL: I came into Calvin as an engineer and very quickly I found out I did not like it. I switched into marketing, and as I started learning more about marketing, my interest in starting my own business grew. After starting a pressure washing business with my friend in 2022, I haven't looked back at traditional jobs. I have Kickback right now, and, alongside it generating a little bit of income, I do have a small marketing agency where we make Facebook ads for a client or two. That's also a lot of fun being on calls and discussing how we’re going to grow their business.
RGM: Where did the idea for Kickback come from?
CL: When my friends and I started our pressure washing business, almost every one of our customers would call us back for some odd job like lawn mowing or leaf raking. That made me wonder if there was an app where I could do odd jobs all day because I love talking to people, but there wasn't one. That year there was a new person leading the entrepreneurship program at Calvin. I was in the second half of my junior year. I told him my idea and he loved it, so I started making concepts, got feedback for a few months, and then moved on to building the actual app. I released it in September 2023 at the start of my senior year and now we are sitting at 930 users. I’m sad I’ll be leaving Calvin soon, but I’m excited to see how the app will grow.
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CourtesyCalvin University senior Cameron Lockrey
RGM: How has the reception of Kickback been?
CL: The reviews on the Apple store and Google Play store have been very positive. With spring season beginning here in Michigan, after so many false springs and ust surprise winters, there has been a huge boost in task postings.
RGM: Do you have any future goals for Kickback?
CL: I'm finally starting to outsource to other people to make the next version of Kickback. Thanks to several pitch competitions I've won, I’ve had a pretty nice budget to work with. Most of it was directed towards marketing, but now I am moving into building the second version of the app. It should be up and running by the middle or end of summer. I'm very excited for that.
Lockrey hopes more people give the app a try and encourages anyone hoping to start a business to take that leap.
“Go for it – so much fun!”
Ashley King is a born-and-raised West Michigander. She wants to use her writing expertise to make sure the stories of Michigan reach far and wide across the Mitten and beyond.
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