The Evolution

“In A Bind” is an interactive site that searches the web for the cheapest prices on your textbooks based on the information that you give it about your classes. Once you've picked everything you need, you can purchase or rent the books and we'll ship them right to your doorstep.

Where I Started

My idea began as a simple textbook service with a simple idea behind it. I wanted to find the best way to get college students the books that they need at the lowest cost possible; all while maintaining high customer service standards and causing the least amount of hassle for our customers. Throughout the entire project, I have been discussing different aspects of the company and figuring out what it would take to really get “In A Bind” up and running. After doing some research into different products and services as well as taking into consideration the feedback I have received via comments on my blog posts, I have been able to carefully dissect some of the main aspects of my project and work on them. From social media use to internet security, I have been able to put together some ideas that will become really beneficial for the outcome of my idea. So where do the chips fall as of right now? Well….  

Puzzle Pieces

One of the first things that I would have to do in order to make “In A Bind” into a reputable company is to have a detailed outline of what I want to do and how long it will take me complete that task. This will become my greatest asset throughout the process of starting “In A Bind” because it will keep me on track as well as allow me to make sure that things are going according to plan. The next think I will need to do is make sure that I have a detailed list of everything that I will need to make this happen. From web developers to textbook vendors and storage place, I want to make sure that I have all of the necessary tools and resources available to me before I make any decision. Once I have all of this information, then the real fun can begin.

From The Ground Up

After my plans are officially written up and I am able to access all that I will need for the business, then I will need to find one of the most important parts of any small business; a team. As I began to write more about my idea, I kept coming up with new facets that could be added to the company, and as I did this, I began to realize that I would definitely need some major help. I will want to hire a small team to help me start up and maintain “In A Bind” as well as help spread the word about it. The team will start small and I will hire a few people per department based on the amount of work that each department will take. For instance, the main part of our ONLINE service is the website. The website is where everything is going to take place. From housing our customers’ personal information to containing continually updated material regarding what we have in stock, the website is housing a lot of important components of the business; so making sure it is always in tip top shape is one of our main concerns. I will hire a few web developers as well as information security experts to make sure that everything runs smoothly in the IT department. Once a team has been hired and well integrated into the company, it’s time to seek outside help.

Good Connections

Once the team is up and running, then we’re going to go out and look for the best textbook vendors that we can find. We want to make sure that no matter what; we give our customers the best product with the lowest price possible. We’re going to take as much time as needed to find great partners to work with who have the same goal in mind. We will look at direct distributors of the textbooks as well as 3^rd parties in order to rind the right price for us. We’re going to need not only textbook vendors but shipping companies as well to make sure they can give a nice flat that will not put our customers at much of a financial inconvenience. We are also going to need to form a good relationship with the company who is in charge of Blackboard. Blackboard will be a very important part of the website because this is what students are going to use to enter their schedule into the website and find out what books they need for each class, so it will be very important for us to make sure that we develop a good professional relationship. That way we can come up with a service that will both provide our customers with an optimal experience as well as make both parties happy. Once this step is completed, the final thing to do is make our presence known.  

Spread the Word

Advertising for “In A Bind” and really getting our name out there is going to be a process in which our most creative ideas are going to have to take place. There are a ton of textbook sales companies out there that have their name plastered all over college campuses and are constantly emailing students about deals that they’re having. I would want to use different tools that could reach a wide ranged audience; specifically social media. I would love to get the news out there in the most convenient way for people. A lot of people, especially those who are my age or a few years older, are constantly looking at things like Facebook, Twitter, etc. on their laptops, iPads, or phones; so why not make getting news and things to them easier. We will tweet about specials as well as add them to our Facebook page, just to keep people updated and in the loop. I also think it would be great if we could find campus ambassadors who are willing to go out onto their campus and talk to their fellow students about all that we do at “In A Bind”.

In the End…..

“In A Bind” has gone from a simple textbooks sales company to an interactive website where students can log on, purchase textbooks, and communicate with other students. The site makes buying the books that they need very easy while also incorporating some different tools that can help our customers out with preparing for classes (like online tutors that are available 24/7). The main aspects that I think sets this service apart from most other services is:

1.     The incorporation of Blackboard which makes finding books a lot easier

2.     The guaranteed low prices

3.     The ability to sell the books back with 50% of the price of the book returned, guarantee

In the end, with these constant blog posts that we were assigned, I was able to learn more about what it would take to start up this business using IT tools which is a very important thing to about when it comes to starting a web-based company like “In A Bind”.