Lawson Hennick and Mike Levine, seemingly average university students, who are not particularly fond of peach or blueberry pie, are the two founders of the web-based company 

www.booksforschool.ca  It’s not every day that I get to do an interview with two successful entrepreneurs at our very own Lexicon office, while serving them pie. I had quite a few questions, and they willingly obliged.

How did you come up with the idea of starting this company?

 Mike: Basically, you buy these expensive textbooks and then you resell them and get less than 50% of the original value. You’re better off keeping the books, so what we did was create a service in Canada where you can buy and sell textbooks. Editions which are no longer used in Ontario are used in other provinces like Quebec or Alberta. This keeps up the value of the book.

What makes www.booksforschool.ca different from the other sites out there?

 Lawson: It’s for students, and obviously it’s made by students. So we understand. We have that student perspective. And it’s free!

How did you guys get started with this venture?

Mike: We first started the site about a year and a half ago. I have a background in computers and programming. Lawson has a background in marketing. Basically, just combined our two skills and created a website. I handle the technical aspects of the website and Lawson handles the PR, marketing, and sponsorships. We’ve been handing out bookmarks during frosh week.

Was it hard to get everything going at the beginning?

Lawson: It hasn’t been easy. It’s been a bit of a challenge getting the name out. Word of mouth is really picking up right now. That’s a big asset right now. People are discovering the service and realizing how convenient, easy, and affordable it is.

I have a marketing textbook I want to get rid of. How would I go about doing that on your site?

Mike: Very simple. You visit the website and create an account for yourself. You enter your personal details so that we can verify who you are. This is so we can reduce fraud on the site. You list your textbook and it goes into our directory. Other students will visit the site and browse the directory. You basically arrange your own details. We’re just the middleman in this system right now.

Any advice for students who are trying to start their own company?

Mike: When you think of an idea that you think is going take you to the top, you have to stick with it. Lots of hours spent working on your product. You have to stick with it. A lot of things fail and a lot of things succeed. If you don’t stay with your idea, you’ll never know.

How do you feel about having launched your very own company?
Lawson: I've actually spoken to quite a few people who have personally benefited from the service. It feels good to know we're helping other people.
 

In a nutshell, the perks of  your business are:
· Ability to list an unlimited amount of textbooks

· Your own personalized bookstore and web address

· Access to one of Canada's fastest growing textbook directories

· Search for textbooks you want by using the ISBN number or the subject category

· Instant messaging between members

· No commission fees. All the money goes straight into your pocket.

If you haven’t been to the site already, I highly encourage a visit, especially since you might be able to sell off your old textbooks and get some much-needed cash. As Lawson put it, www.booksforschool.ca  is a free service for students by students.

 My only regret is that neither of them divulged any really dark morbid past secrets. Maybe in my next interview, I’ll serve food with truth serum instead.