The Idea
Remember the days just a few years ago, or possibly just a few months ago, when you were frantically shopping for your new dorm accessories? You weren’t completely sure what you would need, so you probably read a lot of those lists that tell you exactly what to buy when you go to college. Except when you finally got to school, you realized that half the stuff you bought was unnecessary, and you have to make another Walmart run for all the things that none of your lists covered. All of this is being bought on your college-student-sized budget.
This is the problem that Shanil Wazirali and his cousin, Sagar Hemani, are solving through their online company, Dormitup.com. The premise behind their company is that college students should be able to easily purchase the essentials for a dorm without all the time and money that can be involved in buying every item individually from big-name superstores.
The Specs
Wazirali and Hemani began by taking surveys of many college freshmen to find out what they actually needed when they got to school. They two then got busy finding where they could find this merchandise, and it appears from an article written about them on youngentrepreneur.com that they have partnered with family members who are in the retail business and can provide them with lower cost merchandise. These products are then sold in packages ranging from $129 to $299, depending on how many items you want. These packages are customizable and come with free shipping!
Great Design
I especially appreciated Dormitup.com’s design. Wazirali and Hermani are currently the only two employees of the company, and they did all the design themselves, but it looks very clean and professional. Even the typeface on the shipping containers matches the overall branding of the company, and is attractive to the younger audience. The website is also clean and user-friendly.
Wazirali and Hemani have struck on a good business idea and have already sold thousands of products. In the future, they hope to grow the company to hire more staff.
This is a great example of really looking at the problem or struggle you face, and then finding a solution. These entrepreneurs definitely chose something that they found in their lives to be a solution. I agree, that the design of the website is very inviting and simple to navigate. They also did a good job presenting the idea in a straight-forward way that is centered on their target audience of new college students.
Very clever idea! Every college student struggles with this problem one way or another, and what better way to solve it than to provide it all in one package! A fun read as well as an inspiring story.
I wish I would have know about this website freshmen year! I brought so much stuff and almost all of it was unnecessary. This family duo has found a problem that most all college kids deal with. This would make college shopping so much easier and probably affordable. I will have to show this website to my mom for when my brother goes to college!
I believe that “Dorm It Up” has found a market that was certainly in need of a solution. There are many discrepancies in what college students anticipate needing and actually do need. When they are on such a tight budget, there is a definite need to close that gap. My only concern would be that the needs of each student are so different that it would be difficult to find a package that suited everyone’s needs. Still it sounds sooo much cheaper and more effective than taking 20+ trips to different stores, for stuff you won’t use and overpay for. Neat concept.
This is such a great idea! I realized I brought unnecessary stuff as soon as I got on campus. I really wish I would have known about this site in July. I definitely would have saved a lot of money. I don’t even like thinking about how much I spent on dorm room stuff but I know that it was way more than their package deals.
“Dorm it up” provides such a simple solution for transitioning students. It takes a lot of stress out of the already emotional time. The last thing the families need to worry about is whether or not they’ve purchased absolutely everything for Johnny’s dorm. And I checked out the website too. They really did do a great job with the design of the site.
This is a great idea for students that are not the best at organizing their room. I definitely could benefit from this site and use some of their ideas to maximize the space used in my room. What makes the site so unique is the fact that it can save people a lot of money. This day and age people are always looking to save money and I believe this will be a successful business.
I wish I had know about something like this when I was a college freshman, it would have been so helpful to get everything I need in one package, and not have to go around getting a bunch of different pieces. It would be so cool if we had something like this specifically for Grove City freshman,
This set up is really cool, especially because it is very relevant to us in college right now. I think this is so successful because these guys did find a problem that so many people have and they solved it. They are giving their customers exactly what they need and want. It’s perfect.
I also had an idea similar to this one! Going to college can be very stressful and these guys went out there to make it easier. The fact that they went through family members is very interesting. If I would of know about this I would of looked into it when I was a freshman.