In the Media

• THE BOSTON COLLEGE CHRONICLE

  Posted on 11.29.09 by Libby

  At First, They Didn’t Succeed …but these two seniors have launched a publishing and Web site venture

  

  Carroll School of Management student entrepreneurs Andrew Priestes, left, and Libby Wemhoff confer with their mentor Jere Doyle,’87. “The great thing about starting a business as a student,” says Wemhoff, “is you get a lot of unsolicited advice and people are very willing to help you succeed.” (Photo by Frank Curran)

  By Ed Hayward | Chronicle Staff

  Published: March, 2009

  When the dust settled after last year’s Boston College Venture Competition, Andrew Priestes and Libby Wemhoff went home without a prize or any of the $15,000 awarded to the top three teams of student entrepreneurs. But they didn’t leave empty-handed.
  
  The two CSOM seniors still had faith in their business plan for myCollegeBody.com, a start-up publishing venture focused exclusively on the health, nutrition and fitness needs of college students.
  
  From their dorm rooms, the pair have incorporated mCB Publishing, assembled the technological tools and recruited a staff of contributors that includes an Australian bodybuilder, certified fitness pros, a vegetarian chef and an official taste tester.
  Their Web site, www.myCollegeBody.com, debuted in January, featuring twin editions, one geared to men and the other focusing on women. Already, they’ve attracted 600 registered users of their site.
  
  Jere Doyle,’87, a mentor who helped guide the myCollegeBody team through the weeks of preparation required for the BCVC competition, continued to encourage Priestes, the managing director, and Wemhoff, the managing editor, to launch the business.
  
  He credits the pair for the ability to constantly re-assess their potential business and their relentlessly positive outlook.
  
  “What struck me is they’re passionate about this,” said Doyle, president and CEO of Prospectiv, an Internet marketing company based in Wakefield. “Entrepreneurs have to have that passion, especially in the publishing industry. It’s a critical component.”
  
  Priestes and Wemhoff have involved BC classmates as well. Vegetarian James Birney,’09, is the “student chef.” Brian Kettmer, ’09, is the “taste tester.” Priestes also recruited a roommate from his study abroad semester in Australia, a PhD-educated bodybuilder named Bruno Starrs.
  
  Priestes said the publishing venture grew out of another business idea that fell through. He and a friend had purchased the Internet domain name in hopes of selling body jewelry online, but the idea fizzled.
  
  “I was trying to figure out how else I could use the domain and started focusing on the fact that there’s no publication about health and fitness information that is devoted exclusively to college students,” said Priestes, a native of Erie, Pa.
  
  BCVC, the Carroll School’s business plan competition for undergraduates, provided the structure to further develop the plan. “The great things about the competition – beyond the prize money – were the different steps we went through to prepare,” said Priestes. “There are workshops that help you with your business plan, legal issues, developing your ‘elevator pitch’ and learning how to make presentations to people you want to fund your start-up.”
  
  Despite finishing out of the money in the competition, Priestes and Wemhoff, a Chicago native, continued to develop the idea based on the positive response from Doyle, CSOM Dean Andy Boynton and other competition judges. One major change was abandoning the plan to print the magazine, which immediately reduced production and distribution costs.
  
  On Jan. 15, the student entrepreneurs launched the debut issues of the bi-monthly magazines. The cover story of the men’s edition features the workout regimen of Boston College football player Clarence Megwa.  The women’s edition features articles on sleep health and avoiding the dreaded “freshman 15” weight gain. Both share features that include the rigors of ROTC training, workout guides, and a look at the nutritional facts behind some favorite student meals (like the 935-calorie chicken fajita burrito sold down the street).
  
  Wemhoff and Priestes said the publications aim to reach beyond work-out tips, and look at social issues involved in exercise and diet, such as eating disorders or the impact of nutritional supplements.
  
  Their goal for now is to build a base of registered subscribers, enhance the site and sell ads. Ultimately, they hope to make serious inroads into a market of 13 million US undergraduate students, particularly those between the ages of 18 and 22.
  The student entrepreneurs plan to work full-time growing the business following graduation.
  
  “We’ve been fortunate to have received a lot of help and encouragement, both from students and faculty and experienced entrepreneurs,” said Wemhoff, a member of the University’s Entrepreneur Society student group. “The great thing about starting a business as a student is you get a lot of unsolicited advice and people are very willing to help you succeed.”
  
  Ed Hayward can be reached at ed.hayward@bc.ed

• Posted on 11.29.09 by Libby

  The Heights - BC entrepreneurs start health, fitness publication

  By Chantal Cabrera

  Published: Tuesday, February 3, 2009

  Mycollegebody.com, an online publication recently created by two Boston College students, has gained both national and international popularity in over 50 universities worldwide. Elizabeth Wemhoff, CSOM ‘09, and Andrew Priestes, CSOM ‘09, launched mycollegebody.com to promote physical fitness and healthy choices.

  Their goal was to produce an online magazine that supports a healthier lifestyle and is readily accessible to college students.

  “Mycollegebody.com is an online health and fitness magazine solely for students. The magazine offers a dual perspective by students living the college life and professionals working in the field,” Wemhoff said. “The point of the magazine was to take fitness and apply it to college life style. It is an interactive magazine where one can read and also contribute their own knowledge and passion to all college students.”

  Priestes felt that the appealing layout and format of the online magazine set it apart from a Web site or blog.

  The magazine mainly addresses health and fitness issues. “It is designed to help keep students in good health,” Wemhoff said.

  “It has a nutritional aspect to it. College students are living by themselves for the first time, and the decisions they’re making now are the decisions they’re going to be making for the rest of their lives. A lot of students just don’t have all the information out there to eat right. There’s a lot of deceptive product branding,” Priestes said.

  Through a few known contacts and connections, Priestes was able to find physical trainers and health experts to contribute to the magazine. There is a practical section on the Web site where one can anonymously ask an expert or trainer any questions, and they will respond to the inquiry.

  The initiative to start an online fitness magazine began as a different idea. “I had purchased the domain name for another venture, and it was started essentially for selling belly button rings to college students. [This idea] fell through, and I was looking for different ways to use the domain,” Priestes said. “Late one night, I was thinking that college students don’t really have a go-to for college fitness. They can now get nutrition facts from college students and health perspectives from professionals.”

  Wemhoff joined the publication after Priestes asked her to enter in the BC Venture Competition with him. “It’s a competition where you submit a venture plan, and the committee votes on the top five business plans, and we came in the top five,” Wemhoff said.

  Priestes and Wemhoff fund the magazine themselves, but they said the only major cost was the start-up cost and the software to run the magazine online. “The students are doing it because their passionate about it, and the experts in return for their writing are advertising their own books on our site,” Briestes said.

  Although it must have been tough to start a company as a student, Wemhoff and Priestes seem to love it. “I wouldn’t do it any other way. You’re not working 40 hours a week or anything. We’ve met so many people with different perspectives, and the networking capabilities are amazing. Everyone wants to help you out because they love to see young entrepreneurs,” Briestes said.

  The magazine is divided into a women’s issue and a men’s issue. The men’s issue will occasionally have a featured sports section, while the women’s will have a section on beauty. The magazine is not gender specific and is geared toward all college students, even graduate students.

  “It is important to learn healthy habits at this age, so we try to teach kids how to eat well and exercise right so in the future they can be healthy. I really like the ask-the-experts part because students can ask any questions anonymously and everyone benefits,” Wemhoff said.

  “The goal [of the magazine] isn’t to change everyone’s lifestyle in 360 but to provide healthy resources to accomplish a healthier lifestyle and provide motivation,” Priestes said.