IU juniors offer themed care packages

With package names like "Exam cram," "Get well, be swell," "Early bird special" and "Munchy madness," young entrepreneurs Scott Lesht and Michael Eizenga are finding quick success with their online care package business, www.sendmesnacks.com. \nThe entrepreneurial spirit of Lesht and Eizenga led them to an opportunity to improve upon and go mainstream with the care packages that many students receive from their parents.\n"The care packages we had received in the past never had the kind of casual snacks we liked," Eizenga said. "We wanted to incorporate more mainstream candy and snacks and make it easy for parents to go online and order the package without the hassle of picking out snacks and shipping it themselves."\nThe two IU juniors met last year after they were assigned to the same group for a business class presentation. \n"We did really well on our project and we decided to apply what we had learned to formulate our own company," Lesht said. \nThe new friends casually exchanged ideas throughout the year and began to take action on their plan this past summer in their respective suburban Chicago homes. They spent the summer of 2002 commuting from each other's homes, evaluating and planning how to get their business off the ground.\n"It took us about three months time to actually prepare the Web site for orders," Eizenga said. "We made sure to file a limited liability partnership with the state of Indiana."\nLesht and Eizenga began promoting their business through friends and family, e-mail and fliers. Since they had no means of income, they viewed these channels as the most effective and inexpensive ways to get their name recognized. \n"We wanted to make sure processes and systems were working before we marketed it to a large audience," Lesht said.\nTheir first month was much more successful than they expected; however, the business has since become somewhat inconsistent. \n"It seems to come in seasonal spurts," Eizenga said. "In September we had a lot of back to school orders. October was more Halloween-based."\nThe men's newest marketing project is to form partnerships and set up fund-raising with other organizations. They hope by reaching out to a larger audience, they can donate a percentage of their new profits to the organization with which they worked. \n"We are looking to propose our ideas to organizations in the business school and fraternities and sororities," Eizenga said.\nAlthough they are currently targeting the IU and Bloomington community, Eizenga and Lesht are by no means confining themselves to this limited audience. They ship their packages anywhere in the nation, and they hope to eventually expand to partnerships outside of Indiana. \nThe most popular packages are the "sweet tooth" care package and the "health nut" package. The average cost of each is $45; however, some packages are as low as $21.99. \n"Sendmesnacks.com is one of the easiest care package Web sites to use," said IU student Nicole Greenbaum. "They're very specific with exactly what comes in the package, and their prices are affordable, even for a college student."\nThe partners are enthusiastic about the future growth of www.sendmesnacks.com after they graduate from IU.\n"It's all about volume," Eizenga said. "You have to sell a lot to make a lot, so we need to make bigger contact with bigger organizations." \nLesht agreed that he would definitely want to continue with the business if they expanded. \n"We are still a new company, but if we broaden our marketing base, I think we are on the right track."\nFor questions about sendmesnacks.com, contact Scott Lesht or Michael Eizenga at: scottlesht@sendmesnacks.com or michaeleizenga@sendmesnacks.com, or visit their home page at www.sendmesnacks.com. . \n-- Contact staff writer Lindsay Kaplan at lkaplan@indiana.edu.