Campus Spotlight: GradStreet
You’ve seen their flyers around campus and posts on Facebook, and you might even own one of their graduation gowns- it’s GradStreet!
Gradstreet provides graduation caps and gowns for a lower price than what universities sell them for, offering a much cheaper alternative for the same product. We talked to UCLA senior Tim Connors, founder of GradStreet, who has expanded his company to 4 other UC campuses in less than a year. Check them out here!
1. How did the idea of GradStreet come to be?
I started in 2017 under the name “SoCal Grad Club”. I recognized there was an opportunity when I attended the UCLA spring graduation the year prior. A friend of mine mentioned how much the cap and gown had cost him, and that it might be a good idea to see if there was a cheaper source other than the school store. At that point, I had recently joined UCLA’s entrepreneurship fraternity, Sigma Eta Pi, and was feeling inspired by my peers who had started their own businesses (such as Keith Yoder of Boxcamp) so I was looking out for opportunities. The next year I decided to look into it and found that it was actually quite feasible to sell caps and gowns at a much lower price, and still make a decent margin. I put my classes aside and spent countless sleepless nights pulling it all together. All in all, it took me two months from the moment I decided to begin until I made my first sale.
2. How are you able to provide graduation apparel and photo services for less than what UCLA sells these for?
I operate with an extremely lean business model. There’s very little bells and whistles. GradStreet sells caps, gowns, and tassels. That’s it. I don’t have any employees, I don’t have a physical store front, and honestly, I don’t take a huge profit margin! Regarding GradStreet Photography, this is my first year expanding into that space, so I’m not charging anyone for that service. We connect student photographers with seniors looking to take senior pictures, it’s really simple.
3. What is your marketing strategy at UCLA?
The cornerstone of my marketing is definitely the flyers and posters. As students probably have noticed, I’m not shy about my advertising. Also, I have a lot of people who offer to help out so I’m able to cover a lot of ground with my ads. Besides for the physical ads, my digital presence is also really key. I post on Facebook all the time, but what really helps is getting friends of mine to post in their group chats — that approach is more organic and more successful.
4. What are the biggest challenges that GradStreet faces, and how do you overcome them?
A big challenge for me is keeping it all organized and well-oiled. I don’t have any help in terms of managing the big picture, so it can get really difficult to juggle everything at the same time. I have trouble delegating work. My
approach to this issue is to use tools like Trello to make to-do lists, Google Calender to obsessively plan every moment, Google Inbox to keep my email clean, and an insane amount of spreadsheets to track everything.
Another big challenge I face is figuring out what to do at what times and how to do it. There’s a lot to do when starting up a business and I had to learn it as I went along. If you make mistakes, it can end up costing you a lot down the road. Thankfully I have a lot of guidance from entrepreneurs from my fraternity, Sigma Eta Pi — that has been invaluble.
5. What are the future plans for GradStreet, and what are your personal future plans?
I’d like to continue to get into campus photography, as I think there’s a big opportunity there to help students get photos when they need it. I’d also like to continue expanding to new schools. This year we’re serving UCLA, UCSB, UCSD, UCR, and UCI. Next year I want to go for a few more locations, including community colleges, and even high schools. Long term, I see this continuing to evolve to service the needs of graduating students, whatever they may be!
In terms of my personal plans, I’d like to take the knowledge and success of this business and apply it to something new. My other project right now is with House of Balloons, an event throwing company I started with three friends of mine (come to Westwoodstock on June 2nd!). I’d like to continue to innovate in the music space after I graduate this June.
6. What advice would you give to UCLA students who want to start their own entrepreneurial venture?
Don’t discount your ideas. People are so quick to come up with reasons not to pursue their ideas, and often they can be pretty convincing. Try to avoid that habit and instead push forward as far as possible. Don’t discount your idea because it’s been done before, that just means it’s a good idea! Don’t discount your idea because it’s not a sexy tech startup, I honestly think that student businesses that are low-tech are more likely to succeed simply because there’s going to be way less competition (everyone and their mom is trying to make an app!)
The last piece of wisdom I’ll end with is this: Don’t be afraid to be the weird one. Don’t be afraid to be the black sheep. If you want to be different, if you want to be an outlier, then you have to be different NOW. Look around. Are you doing the same stuff as everyone else? If you’re just like everyone else now, you’ll be just like everyone else later on too. Be different. And don’t apologize for it.
