Eleven years ago this week ScholarBuys started from very humble beginnings. Bob and I were coworkers and had just become casualties of the “Great Recession”. The job market was not promising and we both had very young families to support. We discussed our career paths with each other and mapped out what we thought our next steps should be.
With a poor economy we felt that, now more than ever, there was a need for academic institutions to do more with less. So, we started ScholarBuys in my basement and began our entrepreneurial journey. Our business plan focused on partnering with Independent College Associations to provide unique technology-related benefits to their member institutions. These benefits revolved around unique offerings and services that many small to mid-sized institutions could not access on their own.
Technology constantly evolves and improves over time. I like to think that we have as well. Initially we had concerns that the market might not take a smaller solution provider seriously. However, we quickly discovered that as long as we were open and honest about who we are, it was an advantage and not a hindrance. The boutique size of ScholarBuys allowed us to build a service-focused business that brings a quality experience to our customers and partners. Our team is extremely knowledgeable with the solutions we offer and the academic market that we serve. We build long term relationships with our customers and partners, and are able to improve communication among customers and partners via the collaborative nature of our small team.
It has been a very challenging but rewarding entrepreneurial journey. Today, our primary focus remains on partnering with Independent Colleges Associations. However, we have also branched out to serve other areas within the academic community, such as K12 schools and districts. In four of the last six years, our team made the Inc Magazine list of fastest growing privately held businesses in the US – an accomplishment we are very proud of!
Thank you to all of the academic associations and institutions who have made ScholarBuys possible. We truly appreciate your partnership and the opportunity to serve the academic community! Thank you to all of our solutions partners as well, who develop the awesome technology we are able to offer! Thank you to all of our distribution partners who allow us to supply these solutions! Last but certainly not least, thank you to all of our coworkers for being a part of the team. We are extremely grateful to have the opportunity to work with each of you!
