Business students find calendar useful lesson in marketing males
Note: This news story relates to a male calendar not published by the current publishers of "Campus Men." This news story is offered for its historical value.
Here is what it takes to start your own business at Ohio State: a creative idea, lots of hard work and of course of $5,000 loan from your parents.
That's what it took at least for the three business students who started the Images Calendar Line to release their first product, the "Buckeye Men's calendar."
Scott Jordan, a senior from Cincinnati, Ed Allen a senior from Beavercreek and Tony company, a senior from Worthington, started their company spring quarter. Today all their hard work is starting to show a profit.
The idea of the Calendar came from a 40-page research paper the students completed for a Human Resource Management class. After completing the paper, the three decided that what works on other campuses could work here at Ohio State and the Buckeye Men were born.
"Most of the campus-oriented calendars that are produced show lots of skin and have little or no mention of what the individual is all about," Allen said. "Ours is different because we have developed a calendar that it has been referred to as a classy and clean.
The entrepreneurs received more than 200 applicants for the calendar. They advertised with the Lantern and hung fliers on campus, and also met applicants through personal contacts.
The three narrowed the number to 60 applicants and then a panel picked the 12 men pictured. The panel was composed of representatives from two local modeling Agencies, a professional photographer and four OSU women.
Biographical information is included on each of the 12 men, who are all currently attending Ohio State.
Jordan, Allen and Campagni agree that market research and planning were a key to making their businesses a success. But the true measure of success is a belief in the product, they said.
If you have something that you really want to accomplish, do it and you can make it work, Campagni said.
"We believed in our product so much," Allen said, "that we were able to convince our parents to give us each a $5,000 loan.
Prospects are much better for student entrepreneurs today, the three advise because risks are low.
"The business community is much easier to help students then they are non-student entrepreneurs," Allen said.
Although the three said they worked much longer than regular nine to five hours other students put in during an internship day, they said the experience was worth the effort.
Originally published . Story © . This text is exactly as published.