THE FOLLOWING IS A CEDARVILLE UNIVERSITY RELEASE
(ABOVE) Jack Boesch during his senior year of high school.
CEDARVILLE, OHIO – “Do you need a phone case?” This was the question asked by Jack Boesch, a young entrepreneur who owned more than 5,000 cases from a $125 investment. What was the high school senior going to do with this volume of phone cases?
Boesch, with a $5,000 profit from his phone case investment, was able to repay a loan from his dad and finance his first year of college by selling the cases. And, in the process, his life was permanently changed.
Boesch, now a rising sophomore at Cedarville University in southwest Ohio, had always dreamed of starting his own business. The business management major started with a lawn business — mowing lawns for neighbors and friends in his Champaign, Illinois, hometown. Eventually, his interest moved to shopping for overstock or returned items at Amazon.
He would occasionally purchase and re-sell products online during his senior year of high school. That was until Boesch saw the phone cases — thousands of them — that caught his eye.
Cedarville University’s original building, Founder’s Hall
An unsorted lot of phone cases.
“I was talking to the owner and noticed a large pallet of phone cases,” said Boesch. “I estimated there were around 5,000 cases. I couldn’t wrap my arms around it because it was so large. I offered to buy them, and after some negotiating, they sold them to me for $125.”
It was a great deal for Boesch in more ways than one.
Boesch’s dad loaned him the money so he could purchase all 5,000 phone cases. Once he brought the cases home, or to his parents’ garage, Boesch began to sort and photograph each case. With the help of a newly created Instagram account, he posted and marketed the phone cases, and one by one, people in his community started buying phone cases. The cost per case was just $1.
Interest in the inexpensive phone cases grew nationally, and what started as an idea was developing into a huge money maker for Boesch.
“I began shipping phone cases all across the country,” said Boesch. “I was sending cases, individually and in bulk, from Illinois to people in Arizona, New Mexico, and California. It was one of the coolest experiences of my life.”
Despite his entrepreneurial spirit, many questions still surrounded his desire to pursue a college education.
“I had often been told to consider Cedarville University to study business management but was unsure if that was the place for me,” said Boesch, whose brother, Alex, graduated from Cedarville in 2023. “I was limited financially and didn’t know if I could afford to attend an out-of-state college.”
Then, Cedarville University students began to notice his phone case business. Connecting with him via Instagram, the orders from the southwestern Ohio university started to pile in.
“Enough Cedarville students were interested that it became cheaper for me to drive to campus than ship the phone cases,” said Boesch. “I made seven trips to Cedarville during my senior year of high school to deliver the cases — and visit my brother.”
Boesch’s trips to Cedarville proved to be more than just a business transaction and family reunion. It became an opportunity, unbeknownst to him, to learn more about the university and the academic programs Cedarville offers.
“Originally, I didn’t want to come to Cedarville,” said Boesch. “It was attending Cedarville’s chapel programs, getting immersed in the campus experience during my visits, and connecting with students that slowly changed my mind. Before long, it became clear to me that I wanted to enroll at Cedarville University.”
The phone cases didn’t just sell themselves, they sold Boesch on Cedarville as well. In the end, Boesch made over $5,000 off his investment, enough to help him afford tuition.
“I sold nearly all of them,” said Boesch. “I used that money on tuition, and it helped make my first year at Cedarville possible. The phone cases filled the gap that I needed to make this a viable option.”
It’s safe to say that Boesch has zero regrets.
“After the first couple weeks of school, I kept telling my friends that this was the best two weeks of my life,” said Boesch. “Months later, I can confidently say this was the best year of my life. There are so many moments and so much growth that would not have happened if I were not here. It has been so much better than I could have imagined.”
And, yes, he paid back the personal loan to his dad and he enjoyed his freshman year at Cedarville University.
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 5,082 undergraduate, graduate, and dual-enrolled high school students in more than 175 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is one of the largest private universities in Ohio, recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, including the Bachelor of Science in Business Management, high graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and the #4 national ranking by the Wall Street Journal for student engagement. For more information about the University, visit cedarville.edu.
Written by Alex Boesch
