“There are so many opportunities out there. You’ll never know if you can succeed unless you try.”
–Ryan Snitzer
It’s moving time!
Three words that can conjure up just about every conceivable emotion within a mere minute.
Excitement – It’s a new home and a new adventure.
Nervousness – The unknown is, well, unknown.
Anxiety – There’s just so much to do.
Dread – Packing and unpacking are about as enjoyable as a root canal.
Rest assured, there are loads of online resources with tips and suggestions to make packing and unpacking less of a pull-out-your-hair-in-a-frenzy experience and more of a…more of a… Oh, let’s face it, you’re never going to have a lollipop and rainbow day while packing and/or unpacking, but there are tips to definitely make it a little easier.
TIP 1: Before you box up electronics, grab your phone and take a quick picture of how everything is hooked up and connected — BEFORE you disconnect.
TIP 2: Designate a different colored duct tape for each room and use the colored duct tape as a way to tape boxes shut but also as a way to label the boxes.
TIP 3: Pack the essentials that you will need right away in a clear plastic tub.
And the most important tip if you’re a Baylor student is TIP 4: Contact Campus Crates!
Never heard of Campus Crates? It just happens to be an incredibly innovative and ingenious business launched by a couple of Baylor students to help ease the moving frustrations that parents and students experience, especially with a May end-of-lease move.
Ryan Snitzer created the business with his previous partner, Ryan Robinson, during their sophomore year at Baylor. The idea of Campus Crates came about as they discovered the need for summer storage after having previous troubling move-out experiences at the end of their Freshman year.
It was in that moment the two realized that there had to be a convenient, yet affordable, alternative for Baylor students. And as any Entrepreneurship major would do, they put the “had-to-be” thought to work.
The budding entrepreneurs utilized a stockpile of amazing resources within the Baylor Business School to make the “had-to-be” thought become a reality, and they relied on the guidance and advice of Mary Abrahams and David Reid. Snitzter also fell back on the example and leadership of his entrepreneurial father.
The initial goal was to conquer the world of storage and moving – to be the McDonald’s of the storage and moving industry. Admittedly, it was a lofty dream, but over time they realized that a leaner and more narrow approach would help produce an initial success.
It was also understood that a rigid business plan would not work with the harried schedules of fellow students. Going into this venture with adaptable and open mind was a necessity, and ultimately the key to Campus Crate’s success.
Here’s how the Campus Crates on-demand storage services work:
- Customers register with Campus Crates and pay.
- Campus Crates schedules a time.
- Campus Crates delivers boxes to customer’s front door.
- Customer packs boxes at their convenience (see tips 1-3 to make it easier).
- Campus Crates stores belongings in a secure facility during the summer.
- Campus Crates returns belongings to customer in the fall.
Campus Crates has moved out and stored over 200 students belongings in less than two years. That means Campus Crates has saved 200 students from the pull-out-your-hair-in-a-frenzy packing and/or unpacking experience and maybe, just maybe, also helped those students have a lollipop and rainbow day.
Snitzter says, “If you don’t create that product or service, someone else will.”
Students all over campus are mighty glad that “had-to-be” thought of an easy, convenient and flexible moving experience became an actual reality with Campus Crates.
Snitzer recently merged the business with The UPS Store in Waco and plans for the business to continue to assist students in moving, shipping, and storing their belongings for years to come.
For more information about Free Enterprise at the Baugh Center, please visit our website at baylor.edu/business/freeenterprise/