What's the big idea?
Chalkfly.com aims to reinvent the experience of buying school and office supplies online. We offer 24/7 customer service, free shipping, a 365 day return policy and we give back with every purchase. We give 5% of all qualified purchases directly to teachers with the goal of helping improve education throughout America. Chalkfly.com already sells over 5,000 products and we hope to be the number one e-commerce site in the office and school supply vertical.
Describe the nearest player in your field.
Staples, Office Max, and Office Depot currently have over 70% of the $20 billion office supply market. There is little differentiation in the market. They offer similar customer service, website design and shipping policies. It’s time to get excited,(even inspired) about purchasing office supplies.
How are you different from that player?
Chalkfly.com is elevating every aspect of purchasing supplies. Customers can call us 24/7 for live support (typical support is 9-5) and products can be returned for 365 days (10x industry avg). We allow teachers to acquire free supplies for their classroom. Buy office supplies, make a difference.
How's the world different with your idea in it?
Our goal is to get all students in America the supplies they need to be successful in school. We found that the best way to do this is through teachers. 5% of every purchase goes directly to organizations supporting teachers. Chalkfly.com wants to be a key player in improving education in America.
Why are you the one to run with this idea?
Chalkfly.com is the third startup that Ryan and I have launched. (Carnival Extravaganza, PowerVoice). We quit our jobs at Google and IBM, moved back to Michigan and are 100% committed to this businesses success. We’re excited to join the entrepreneurial renaissance happening in Michigan.
There have been 2 replies to this idea
Nathan Pilcowitz
Changing the world, one pencil box at a time!
Will Vanden Breul
Ryan and Andrew,
I think the site looks great and its definitely easy to use/navigate; I also agree with you that shopping at office max, staples, ect. can be a drag and I don’t think I’ve ever used their websites. But how are you going to compete with other online players, namely Amazon? I price compared a few products and chalkfly’s prices didn’t seem unreasonably higher, but I feel like unless you’ve really convinced me as a consumer of the mission, I’m probably going to go for saving a few bucks and its hard to beat amazon on selection or customer service. I imagine part of the answer to this is fostering relationships with teachers and schools as you mentioned, can you elaborate on that a bit? I also think the bundles are a good idea, but I want to be able to put together my own basket as a parent. Maybe get an X% discount for putting together $25 or $30 worth of smaller items.
Looks like guys are dedicated and passionate though and that’s the most important competitive advantage you can have. Best of luck.
- Will
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