"An entrepreneur is someone who embraces risk to achieve a big goal."
Previously the youngest executive of franchise automotive dealerships in the US, Trent Blake is currently the Captain & CEO of Galactiv, Inc. He founded Galactiv to utilize his automotive expertise, from design engineering to consumer sales, to support the sustainable commercialization of outer space in the emerging industry of satellite servicing and create a circular economy in space. These pursuits are how his team and him plan to shape the future.
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Thank you so much for giving us your time! Before we begin, could you introduce yourself to our readers and take us through what exactly your company does and what your vision is for its future?
Trent Blake: My name is Trent Blake and I’m the co-founder of Galactiv, Inc. Galactiv is an in-space services company offering emergency services and salvage operators to commercial satellite operators. We are currently developing a small spacecraft that effectively acts as a tow truck in space, allowing satellite operators to create additional value from their in-orbit assets. Our goal is to encourage the sustainable commercialization of outer space, providing alternatives to the wasteful practices of the current aerospace industry and ensuring that humanity doesn’t destroy the only natural environment that still remains untouched.
NO child ever says I want to be a CEO/entrepreneur when I grow up. What did you want to be and how did you get where you are today?
Trent Blake: As a child, I dreamed of being the President of the United States and I can’t say whether that dream has died yet… In an unusual string of events, I ended up running family car dealerships at a young age. I got the taste of running my own business in that role and there was no turning back. I launched my own company to chase a dream and continue running my own business.
Tell us something about yourself that others in your organization might be surprised to know.
Trent Blake: My crew is made of my best friends. There really isn’t anything that they don’t know about me.
Many readers may wonder how to become an entrepreneur but what is an entrepreneur? How would you define it?
Trent Blake: An entrepreneur is someone who embraces risk to achieve a big goal. Entrepreneurs have to be willing to dedicate their lives to something bigger than them and to grow alongside their business.
What is the importance of having a supportive and inclusive culture?
Trent Blake: A supportive and inclusive culture is vital to a successful organization because this environment fosters creativity. A business can’t succeed simply by copying its peers and thinking outside the box will lead to its success.
How can a leader be disruptive in the post covid world?
Trent Blake: Despite a lot of conversations saying otherwise, the post-covid world is no different than it was for businesses prior to the pandemic. The same recipes for success exist now as they did in the past. A leader can be disruptive by being genuine, working hard, and thinking outside the box to accomplish their business goals.
If a 5-year-old asked you to describe your job, what would you tell them?
Trent Blake: I’m a space pirate, taking over satellites because they’re full of treasure.
Share with us one of the most difficult decisions you had to make for your company that benefited your employees or customers. What made this decision so difficult and what were the positive impacts?
Trent Blake: One of the most difficult decisions that I had to make for our company was to stay remote for another year. While I was tempted to relocate to Denver to work alongside my co-founder, I decided to relocate from Chicago to Austin to pursue outside investment. The positive impacts of this decision haven’t come to fruition quite yet, the connections that I’ve made in Texas appear to be worth working remote for the additional year.
Leaders are usually asked about their most useful qualities but let’s change things up a bit. What is your most useless talent?
Trent Blake: I can read upside down just as fast as right-side up. It was extremely useful in the car business that had old-fashioned paperwork, but it’s pretty useless in every other field.
Thank you so much for your time but before we finish things off, we do have one more question. If you wrote a book about your life until today, what would the title be?
Trent Blake: I’m still young and have a lot of life left to live. I honestly don’t think that I can imagine a title for the book just yet.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Trent Blake for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Trent Blake or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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