A layer of ice cream sandwiched between two chocolate chip cookies. A good idea, huh?

Richard LaMotta thought so, and in the 25 years since he invented the Chipwich, a billion have sold.

The Chipwich didn’t become a sensation because of TV ads or marketing, but because LaMotta used an army of college students to hawk it on pushcarts on street corners - going directly to the consumer.

Now LaMotta, a resident of Mount Kisco, is promoting another new idea that again bypasses grocery stores and other traditional venues.

His new venture is called myStudentBiz. And, once again, students are the centerpiece of his marketing plan.

LaMotta intends to recruit high school and college students from around the country to distribute novelty snacks in neighborhood businesses, such as Laundromats, dry cleaners, car washes and bridal shops.

The students make $5 for every box they sell. The retailer gets a 45 percent profit, and LaMotta gets a way to put new products into the public eye without spending a penny on advertising.

The students can also win a $10,000 bounty if they discover a food item that myStudentBiz can market.

LaMotta said he has personally invested $3 million in myStudentbiz.

LaMotta, who is 54, said that when he was a young man, he spent 15 years attending college at night. He wants to help today’s students make some money to avoid his experience.

“It harkens back to my own childhood. A lot of this comes from being a poor kid growing up in Brooklyn,” he said. “I want every kid who is interested in this to have an opportunity.”

thejournalnews.com