My College Hustle
Founders (from left): Alicia T. Glenn and Edward T. Lyles
My College Hustle, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a peer-to-peer job-opportunities site for college students nationwide. It will serve as a centralized hub through which students can advertise their skills and generate income while maintaining maximum schedule flexibility.
HOW MENTORING WILL HELP: “It’s actually more important than the money,” Lyles says. “Access to a professional network will enable us to build this business into a massive success, as well as give us the tools necessary to build many more in the future.”
HOW $10,000 WILL HELP: “We’ll use it to build our Web site, as well as for branding, marketing and operations,” Lyles says.
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AMONG THE GREATEST VIRTUES of the Web is its ability to connect disparate individuals and groups who have common interests but who had, in the pre-Internet era, no easy way to find each other or get in touch.
Taking advantage of such connectivity — and, ultimately, streamlining it for college students worldwide — is My College Hustle, a Washington, D.C.-based company cofounded by Edward T. Lyles, 26, and Alicia T. Glenn, 20.
The premise is simple: Student A uses My College Hustle to advertise a particular skill — graphic design, say, or proofreading. Student B, in need of just such a service, runs a search at the My College Hustle Web site and finds Student A. The two negotiate a fee for services delivered, of which My College Hustle takes a cut. Student B gets done what he needs done; Student A gets to increase his income on his own schedule; and My College Hustle has just logged two more satisfied customers.
“We foresee this business becoming the premier peer-to-peer employment solution for students, enabling them to work as independent contractors and entrepreneurs,” Lyles says. He and Glenn know whereof they speak: The pair (he’s got a degree in computer engineering from Miami-Dade College and is working on a graduate communications-and-advertising degree at Howard University; she’s a Howard undergrad studying advertising and business) have been collaborating on various entrepreneurial projects since 2009.
My College Hustle will start by focusing on students in the Washington, D.C./Maryland/Virginia region, with plans to expand nationally and internationally, campus by campus. College students nationwide are responsible for a tremendous amount of aggregate economic activity; My College Hustle seeks to harness it for the gain of everyone who’s in on the transaction. Lyles and Glenn’s ultimate goal? Nothing less, Lyles says, than “to become the global leader in peer-to-peer online work solutions.” •
