Tanai Kamat and Mauro Ferman both seem like regular sophomores. They are pre-med (Ferman majors in biochemistry, Kamat in biopsychology) and they enjoy clubbing in Boston. However, unlike your typical sophomores, they are not just friends, but business partners as well.
Before the end of their freshman year, Kamat and Ferman decided that to take the initiative to improve their social lives. "We were tired of paying full price at clubs and wanted to go VIP style," they said.
Together they formed M&T Associates, a business partnership that was to be the driving force behind their new website, Boston Night Live. Kamat and Ferman's vision, "to unite all the major nightlife experiences together in one interactive environment," took its first step towards realization with the launch of their website on Oct. 23.
The site - www.bnight.com - combines Kamat and Ferman's love for clubbing and having a good time with some entrepreneurial skills. Through their site, the Boston nightlife crowd can access information about 11 local clubs, including such popular venues as Avalon and Roxy, as well as post their names to guest lists for the clubs. Being on a guest list allows the user to pay a discounted entry fee, and in some cases makes it easier to get into a club (of course, being on a guest list is not always guaranteed entrance, especially if you're underage). Kamat and Ferman receive the lists from a secure database and deliver them to club owners on the night specified on the guest list. Their site currently makes guest lists available Tuesday through Thursday.
The former club promoters worked diligently at the beginning of this semester, teaming up with junior Douglas Jardine to create the site and start the business. "[We wanted to] do a little VIP work and pick up some pocket change," Kamat said.
Database work was done over the summer by Jardine, the site's webmaster. Kamat and Ferman estimate that they now spend 20 to 25 hours a week working on the site, advertising, collecting names, and physically bringing guest lists to club managers.
The site's target audience is students from the Boston area. To help get the word out, Kamat and Ferman have enlisted the aid of promoters, some of them friends and others actual paid employees, at other nearby colleges such as Northeastern, Emerson, Boston University, MIT, Harvard, Wellesley, and Suffolk. At Tufts, Kamat and Ferman also have friends and promoters putting the company's name out and taking names for guest lists.
"We want to give kids an opportunity to be social and have fun in different ways," Ferman said.
"It works well for us, [because] the Tufts social scene isn't what it used to be and we're benefiting from it," added Kamat.
Since the site's inception, it has received about 600 hits, and Kamat and Ferman continue to expand the business and meet with advertisers. In the future, they hope to add more venues, including bars and restaurants, as well as to expand the available guest list days. Eventually, they want people to be able to make restaurant reservations on the site as well.
They plan on working with other entertainment websites, such as www.maximonline.com as well as cultural groups on campus. The groups can coordinate their events with Boston Night Live by organizing dances at clubs and having their own guest lists hosted through the company. Kamat and Ferman's work should slow down a little as they continue to establish a network for themselves. Because of the site's construction, it will be able to function practically on its own.
Starting out, though, Kamat and Ferman experienced difficulties. "Getting established and getting respect from club owners was difficult at first, considering our age," said Kamat.
They also had a lot of competitors due to the many club promoters in the area. Kamat and Ferman like to differentiate themselves from promoters and the sleazy image that sometimes goes along with them. They also consider themselves to be something more than typical promoters, citing the number of clubs and the convenience of their site. Despite the difficulties, Kamat and Ferman are content with their business thus far and both remain optimistic about the growth of their company.
Kamat and Ferman hope to continue to expand their business for as long as they can. "As long as we are in the Boston area we will be doing this," Kamat promised.
