While many of their peers are in graduate school, testing the waters of the New York City job market or traveling abroad, Don Smith '05 and Mike Caldwell '05 are pursuing a less traditional post-graduate path.
Smith and Caldwell, friends during their undergraduate years, launched Ivy Concierge last June. The company offers personal assistant and concierge services to southern Connecticut residents and performs a wide range of services spanning from running errands to waiting for repairmen. Since its inception, the company has had about 30 regular customers, Caldwell said.
Ivy Concierge functions through a network of about a dozen employees -- mostly college students -- maintained by Smith and Caldwell. While the company's target client base was initially "busy professionals" in the 30-65 age range, its clientele has now grown to include a variety of businesses and individuals, Caldwell said.
Among the services the firm provides are car washing, courier service, gas tank fill-up and pet walking, as well as real estate, hospital and corporate concierge services.
Caldwell said he and Smith thought of the idea for the company, whose office currently consists of two rooms in their apartment on Edgewood Avenue, toward the end of their senior year, in an attempt to earn business experience in an unconventional setting.
"We didn't want to have desk jobs or do something standard," he said. "We tossed around a bunch of ideas and we thought the concept of Ivy Concierge was something a lot of people could use."
Caldwell and Smith played football together during their freshmen year at Yale, and both were members of the Zeta Psi fraternity.
Rozanne Gates, the executive director of First Night Westport Weston, an alcohol-free New Year's celebration in Westport, Conn., asked Ivy Concierge to take care of the beverage supply at the event.
"They do their job sort of invisibly," Gates said. "They're the easiest guys I've ever worked with. They don't see any barriers, only opportunities."
Gates said she thinks the company will succeed in the long-run.
"Word-of-mouth is what counts, and they're making all the right connections," she said. "Also, I don't know of anyone else who is doing this sort of thing. I absolutely plan on using them again."
Matt Baker '06, who befriended Smith on the football team and Caldwell as a co-worker at the Yale Student Laundry Agency, said their age gives them an advantage in the market.
"They've cornered the market, and they can give businesses a student perspective," he said.
Smith said his friends have been very supportive of the venture.
"Some are surprised, but all are very supportive," Smith said. "They all give us feedback. Some think we don't work that much. A lot are i-banking in New York City, but they don't have lives so we don't talk to them."
Smith and Caldwell said one of the perks of the job is that they get to spend the time in the office together.
"We can turn on a movie in the background while we're working," Caldwell said. "It's a contrast to law school where you're sitting in class all day and reading books at night."
Tiffany Lu '06, a friend of both Smith and Caldwell, said she is impressed by their self-motivation.
"They tried to not be too dependent on their parents," she said. "They've made a lot of investments."
Caldwell said he and Smith plan to enlarge the company and offer services throughout Connecticut.
"We'd like to make it so that we can expand into covering the entire state and have managers covering specific regions," he said. "Then, Don and I can focus on the business aspects of the company."