How I accidentally started a small business in college
Written By: Nick Nguyen | Read full profile
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That moment when...you just wanted to break even and the next thing you know you started a business.
Inspired by:
“I had accidentally started a business. But I didn’t want to start a business!”
I don’t know why, but after reading this line, I grabbed my laptop and charger and decided to start this whole series. It reminded me of a day in the Spring semester of my Freshman year of college. I was buying books for all my classes, and a myriad of people both on the UC Berkeley Class of 2017 Facebook page and some other people in my building had plowed into my head that buying new books was a waste of money and that used books from “Free and For Sale” is the way to go. For those of you who are out of the loop, “Free and For Sale” is a facebook group - this one specifically for Berkeley - where people, mostly students, sold their random junk. It was a real great place to find books and furniture (read more about how my girlfriend and I made over $5,000 flipping furniture at Berkeley.)
Anyways, I found myself a crazy steal on Understanding the Principles of Organic Chemistry: A Laboratory Course by Steve Pedersen from some chick. I can’t remember the prices back in 2014, but today, it currently runs $47.99 used and $116.59 new. I grabbed a copy for $20 and still have it today! (Part because I’m a nerd and part because the book is seriously amazing - I mean every student who has taken Chem 3A/3B (Ochem 1&2) in college used this book and if you took it with the Ochem god himself, [Professor Steven Pedersen], you’ll know anything he puts together is freaking amazing). *Funny because I only took 3AL with him, but my sister and girlfriend had him! I had the equally as awesome Dr. Pete Marsden or as he referred to himself “Pete” for my 1A, 3A, 3B sequence.)
Anyways, this purchase was like my gateway drug. I was always skeptical about buying used things having been taught that way from asian parents who really only wanted the best for me (they didn’t want me to have to experience any of the hardships that they had, and getting secondhand items was one of them). But this buy put me on a huge shopping spree for items that I knew were incredibly great bargains. (For those of you who don’t know, I’m huge price comparison-er, like my friends always asked if I watched the Price Is Right, but I’ve only heard of the show, never actually watched or knew the rules of the game).
I knew the prices of a lot of high ticket items like calculators and books - especially knowing my market at Berkeley. I scoured the pages looking at what prices people were selling different books and furniture, and I decided to try it out for myself! I bought a TI-89 for $50 (for my AP Calculus folks out in the world, this calculator is gold for the exam, but if you’re wanting free, Wolfram Alpha is totally the way to go), picked up another copy of Understanding the Principles of Organic Chemistry: A Laboratory Course for $30, and flipped them both for $75 and $50 (the going rate for these prime items in the first 3 weeks of the semester).
I. Was. Hooked.
From sophomore year onward, my girlfriend and I hoarded books, furniture, utensils, iclickers, technology - essentially anything we knew was a great deal that we could move quickly either within a few weeks or by the start of the following semester.
We were broke college students who needed to pay that outrageous bay area rent. It was a win-win. We found a way to grab some extra cash without taking advantage of our fellow golden bears. Like Derek Sivers is saying - we accidentally started a business!
Dude like, seriously. I feel so bad for my girlfriend, who I’ve dragged along my entrepreneurial adventures since college (thanks babe, I love you <3).
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