Where are they now? - entreprenuership - SandoteWebsites.com - T.K. Worm Factory - Sister Clowns - Crenshaw High School's Food From The Hood

Black Enterprise, March, 2003 by Raelyn Johnson

After receiving the 2001 Kidpreneurs Award at the Black Enterprises Entrepreneurs Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, 19-year-old Chris Diggs learned a valuable lesson. "Make sure you do a lot of networking, and keep others' business cards on your body," says the founder and CEO of Dallas-based Sandote Websites.com. Chris left all of the business cards he had gathered from the conference in a white plastic bag in the hotel, and the hospitality staff threw it out as garbage.

That loss of contacts, coupled with Chris starting college, caused a drop in revenues from $65,000 to $20,000. But Chris says things are on an upswing, "We project $20,000 in revenues for the first quarter," estimated, he said in February.

The chief executive is currently a sophomore at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, majoring in political science. Luckily for Chris, he's had some lessons in business outside of the classroom. His 5-year-old company. SandoteWebsites.com provides Website development, including design, hosting maintenance, and marketing. "Use everything about you as an asset," says Chris. "Use your age to your advantage."

A full-time entrepreneur and college student, Chris has a lot on his plate. He takes nine credits at school to handle both tasks successfully. "Taking more credits than that would make it impossible to manage both. I am also able to manage school and business at the same time by keeping a menu of the things I have to do."

SandoteWebsites.com; 9804 Sophora Circle, Dallas, TX 75249; 972-709-1494; www.sandotewebsites

TRAVIS KEITH BRUCE T.K. WORM FACTORY

What do you get when you mix a hobby, a business, and a friendship? Give up? It's T.K. Worm Factory, the Kidpreneurs Award recipient of 2000.

Fishing with his grandfather was Travis Keith Bruce's pasttime and he turnedit into a unique enterprise when he launched T.K. Worm Factory as a 12-year-old. With the support of his mother, Paula Bruce. His company cultivates and sells earthworms. For six years, T.K. Worm Factory has been a successful Springfield, Illinois-based business, taking orders from customers as far away as Japan and Ecuador. Travis also sells worm waste--a natural fertilizer, which he has trademarked as WiggleWorm Soil Builder[TM].

Today, Travis is a busy 17-year-old senior at Springfield High School. Active in football, wrestling, and track and fid& he is also focusing on academics and preparing for college (Illinois State, Delaware State, and Shaw universities are on his short list). "In order to deal with these new demands on my time and attention," says Travis, "I've scaled down my company's operations, passing up international business and focusing on selling to fishermen, gardeners, and other local customers."

T.K. Worm Factory; 2604 Hazelnut Drive, Springfield, IL 62702; 217-391-5503

ANISAH RASHEED SISTER CLOWNS

Anisah S. Rasheed, who is also preparing for the transition to college, knows that while it pays to down around in her business, it doesn't pay when it comes to school. "Being the president of Sister Clowns allows me to be wild, fun, and crazy. But that mentality doesn't work in the classroom," says Anisah.

Roanoke, Virginia-based Sister Clowns is an entertainment business that provides clowns at parties, hospitals, and community events. Since two of Anisah's sisters have outgrown the business, three friends have joined the staff. After winning the Kidpreneurs Award in 1999, Sister Clowns gained new exposure and new customers, all of which Anisah enjoyed and had the time for as a 14-year-old. As she grows up and her priorities shift, she's had to scale down her business. "Because I am involved in so many things, it's only natural that my business takes a backseat. I participate in a lot of activities like AAU Basketball and SAT-prep classes, so when it comes to the weekend, I don't have as much time to bookparties and events." In 2001, Anisah had gone from doing six parties a month to about three.

Her success as an entrepreneur, however, continues to garner national attention. For example, she was featured on the nationally syndicated television program The John Walsh Show last December

Sister Clowns; P.O. Box 14093, Roanoke, VA 24038; 540-793-5539; email: sisterclowns@hotmail.com

CRENSHAW HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FOOD FROM THE HOOD

The next time you're told to cut the grass, you might want to take a closer look and consider letting it grow. Students at Crenshaw High School took the weeds growing in their football field and decided to turn them into a garden--and oh, my, has that garden grown. With hard work dedication, and an entrepreneurial spirit, Crenshaw students turned weeds into vegetables and vegetables into salad dressing. The result was Food From The Hood.

In 1996, Food From the Hood won the Kidpreneurs Award. With the help of teachers and community grants, Food From the Hood's four salad dressings are now sold in more than 2,000 grocery stores. Students manage the business. They develop products, make marketing decisions, create business plans, and run daffy operations, all while attending high school. They get paid with scholarship money upon graduation. So Crenshaw students are learning life skills and business fundamentals all while receiving an education.