College Student Becomes Profitable E-Retailer

Meet Alex Fuchs who owns 4 Less US LLC, a locally-owned business based in Burlington that exclusively sells refurbished Apple iPods, iTouchs, and the iPhone.
‘We are’, Fuchs says, ‘the only company in the United States that exclusively sells refurbished products. In the industry there is no set standard when it comes to refurbishing a product for resale. At iPods4Less, we set the standard. All our Apple products undergo a detailed inspection and testing process to discover any mechanical or cosmetic faults. Once any needed repairs have been made, our products undergo forty-eight hours of additional testing to make sure that the repairs have been effective. Our testing and repair process is so comprehensive and complete, that we are the only company nationwide to offer a one year warranty on all products that we sell.’
Alex honed his mission and goals through his participation in the BYOBiz program at Champlain College in Burlington. Alex says that this program and its director, Robert Bloch, were instrumental in assisting them with their business idea and plan. Once started on achieving their business goals, Alex found he needed working capital to put his operations on the right footing.
Alex applied to Community Capital for a loan and they were off and running. Commenting on the assistance he received, Alex says ‘The capital infusion provided by Community Capital has allowed us to build critical infrastructure and buy in bulk passing the savings onto our customers while building margins. (Community Capital’s) technical assistance grant helped us in setting up an advanced accounting system so we can track every dollar in and out of the business. Wendelyn Duquette, of QuickStart based in Stowe was instrumental in helping us with our financial management system. Working with Community Capital’, Alex affirms, ‘allowed our business to compete nationally. As a result of the capital infusion we received, our sales are four times our best projections.’
Alex has this advice for other entrepreneurs: ‘If you think you have that great idea, take the next step and invest controlled amounts of capital to test your idea in the marketplace. If your idea proves successful on a small scale, put it down on paper with a business plan and use the resources available in your community like BYOBiz, Community Capital of Vermont and many others to help get your business off the ground.’
Community Capital is pleased to extend such assistance to up and coming entrepreneurs like Alex Fuchs and his company. With expertise and energy like Alex’s, his business future and Vermont’s business future look bright.

For More Information visit http://www.ipods4less.us or call 1-877-453-7730