WV Executive

As the publishers of West Virginia Executive, we are constantly meeting wonderful people who take on great things, and although they may not have always found success, they’ve always found knowledge, strength and motivation. Over the last several months, we have met several outstanding individuals—individuals all under the age of 18!—who have taken on particularly difficult roles as entrepreneurs. These underage executives have taken hobbies and interests and pushed the limits to discover the passion and dedication of running a successful business or marketing endeavor. Here you will discover their personal steps of success—their inspiration, motivation and execution—and where their hard work will be taking them.

As the inspirational Vince Lombardi said, “It is time for us to stand and cheer for the doer, the achiever, the one who recognizes the challenge and does something about it.”

For the first-time, WVE magazine is proud to present to you the 2009 JuniorExecs: Ben Queen, Salih Muhammad and Rebecca Shanklin.

Ben Queen
Finding life through the lens of a Nikon D90 is a hobby that 14-year-old Ben Queen from Bridgeport discovered two years ago when he began taking photos of the local sporting events that he regularly attended. Recently named the Harrison County Chamber of Commerce’s 2008 Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Queen’s entrepreneurial spirit began at an early age when he sold cold glasses of lemonade during the searing summer months. “I would sell lemonade for 50 cents a cup. After the first time I did that, I hired some friends who were in the neighborhood to pitch in and help make some money.”

Queen’s parents, Mike and Paula, set the stage for his adventures in photography and bought him his first digital camera for Christmas in 2006. Soon thereafter, he saved enough money to purchase his own professional grade camera and began selling the photos he captured of the local events to schools, onlookers, athletes and their families. In mid-2007, Queen decided it was time to launch his own Web site, www. benqueenphotography.com, which would not only promote his list of photography services but also provide customers the convenience of purchasing photos online. Presently, he is working on the possibility of expanding his business by giving other inspired young photographers an opportunity to snap their own photos and post them on his Web site. “I’d be giving other photographers a chance to take photos. Like me, they can put their photos on my site so they can show people what kind of work they do and not only have fun with it but make some money.”

In January 2009, of more than 10,000 photos submitted nationwide, Queen’s photo, titled “The Longest Yard,” was selected as the 2009 National Amateur Photo Contest winner sponsored by the USA Canon and the NFL’s Professional Football Hall of Fame. Featuring five peewee league football players, the winning photo was selected from the “Why do we love football?” category.

“The best thing about my job is that I can give people moments that may eventually be forgotten. Whether it is a sports shot or a family picture, I just love giving people something that they will use forever.”

Being an avid athlete himself—running cross country, basketball, football, baseball and bicycle riding, Queen holds a special place for taking photos of sporting events. “I like to watch sports, so when I do go down to the baseball or football field, I bring my camera not only to take a few shots but also to watch the game. The one thing that keeps me motivated is the action on the field.”

Queen’s father, Mike, a member of the Harrison County school board, can’t express enough how important it is to teach children the lessons of being an entrepreneur. “A great deal of Ben’s success is directly linked to the support and encouragement he receives every day from his principal and teachers. His technology and Web site skills were learned at school. His journalism and English skills were taught to him, as well. The best way to develop those self-employed business skills, opportunities and challenges is in our schools.”

Utilizing his learned technical knowledge, Queen edits each photo in Adobe Photoshop, making each individual photo of the utmost quality, matching his highest of standards. “Because I sell my photos, I have to make the photos the best that I can make them and then put them up on my Web site.”

As he learned from his parents, who are also his mentors, being a business owner takes diligence, responsibility, hard work and patience and is a continual learning process.

“Ben’s photography business has allowed him to interact with adults in a mature manner. He is a very talented salesman, very honest and considerate with his customers” says Mike Queen of his son. “The confidence he has in himself is amazing and Ben has gained a very early respect for money.”

Between maintaining a Web site and shooting sporting events, family portraits, theatrical performances or private functions, Queen has learned to maintain a smooth balance between school, friends and family and work and plans to be a professional photographer. “I love life right now. I still do other things I enjoy like play basketball with my friends and running, but going to church and school are on my priority list.”

As the saying “Lead by example” comes to mind, Queen continues to assemble his aspirations from those who have taught him so well. “The major key that inspired me to be what I am now has been my dad. Now that I am older, I understand the points of owning your own business. Whether it’s about taking pictures or what the important aspects of a business are, my parents have been the major key for me to become a young entrepreneur and to success in life.”

Salih Muhammad
“He was about as tall as the skateboard” says father James of his now 11-year-old son, Salih Muhammad, when he first notified his parents of his ambition to become a sponsored skateboarder. Eight years after planting the sponsorship idea seed, Muhammad of Charleston has not only become a marketing representative for his sponsors such as SportMart, Fuel Clothing, SpyOptic and Freestyle Watches, but he continues to make quite a name for himself here in West Virginia and in the region as one of the youngest, most promising skaters around. In skateboarding lingo, Muhammad is a “ripper” and just last month participated in the Advanced/Sponsored Division of the King of the Hills skateboard contest held in Chesapeake, WV and won the competition. Salih was the youngest competitor.

Deriving from the influence of a skateboarder on a cartoon television show, Muhammad’s three-year professional career, sheer determination and passion for the sport have given him opportunities such as becoming a marketing representative and gaining both local and national sponsorships, as well as sponsoring his first skateboard contest this past year. Muhammad’s family has always encouraged him to take on any activity or challenge with the knowledge that he is as good as anyone else.

With these values instilled in Muhammad’s heart and mind, his parents decided it was time to take the advice of their son and together began looking for sponsors in the area. “I saw how much my parents were spending on skateboard equipment and clothes and I thought I may be able to make things easier (by obtaining sponsors).” At the age of eight, he made his first sales pitch to SportMart.

“My wife arranged the meeting,” recalls his father James. “I think the manager, Bob Lilly, was a little shocked. Here’s a little black kid with a funny name, a skateboard, his school transcripts and the guts to ask one of the oldest businesses in Charleston to sponsor him.” After one year of following up with this prospect, Muhammad received the SportMart sponsorship. “I convinced them I could raise their profile among skaters. I’m a good student and skaters know and like me. It wasn’t easy getting them onboard, but I didn’t give up on them.”

As many of us understand, marketing is the steady presence of your products and services. Muhammad’s role as a representative of numerous companies means he must continuously promote the products of those who sponsor him and come up with new and innovative ways to remain competitive. “I have to be visible. I’m always skateboarding in a Fuel or SportMart shirt and I ride Fuel skateboards and wheels. My other supplies all come from SportMart. I do interviews, have been in promotional videos like Smart529, in Skateboarder Magazine, Thrasher Magazine, local newspapers and local magazines.” Keeping up with the momentum of the Internet, he also promotes his sponsors on YouTube and MySpace. “I have a skate video coming soon. I even sign autographs at times, which is kind of funny to me. I don’t see myself as someone who ought to be doing that, but I’m always happy to do it.”

Muhammad also acknowledges that his sponsors and supporters assist him in promoting skateboarding in the community. “I know a lot of people do not understand skateboarding or the people who skate, but representing different companies gives me a way to represent the sport in a positive way in my community and throughout West Virginia. Some of us are on the A Honor Roll, donate our time in the community, teach free skateboard lessons, represent West Virginia well and sponsor positive events in the community. I just want people to know skaters are not bad people.” Professional skateboarders such as Rob Dyrdek, Stevie Williams and Chaz Ortiz are but a few of the talented individuals who have inspired Muhammad to become a young executive. “These are guys who all started skating young and did well,” he says.

Although becoming a professional skateboarder is Muhammad’s passion, his parents have taught him that real respect in life will come from his academic performance, not his ability to do a tre flip to fakie on a five-foot quarter pipe—which is why becoming a dentist when he grows up is second on his list.

In the meantime he stays motivated by the skaters in West Virginia and Ohio. “This has been my support system from the beginning. I used to be the little kid always in the way and then they took the time to teach me and be my brothers.”

Currently, Muhammad is looking for a shoe sponsor and a sponsor for his trip to Camp Woodard in Pennsylvania, considered to be one of the best skate camps in the world. “It’s just kind of hard for me. Kids in other states have a lot of companies and opportunities willing to help them. Except for SportMart, I have had to dip into other states for sponsors. That’s why I would like to put out a positive image of skateboarding so more West Virginia companies will get behind skateboarders.” He also adds, “I’d like to do some commercials so I can make some money also. I’d love to ollie over a bunch of pizza boxes.”

Rebecca Shanklin
From the outside, Rebecca Shanklin of Huntington looks like the typical teenager. She enjoys spending her weekdays playing guitar, Sims 2 and Guitar Hero 3 and she reserves her Fridays for a local showing of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” She likes to talk on the phone and text, go to the mall, play sports and hang out with friends at Pullman Square. Spend any time talking to this 17-year old, though, and you’ll discover the unexpected: she’s a business owner.

Shanklin began her landscaping business, Rebecca’s Lawn Care, when she was just 15 years old. She found that she enjoyed cutting her grandmother’s grass because of how relaxing it was. Doing what many entrepreneurs do, she paired what she enjoys with a business plan and began her business.

The young entrepreneur saw a very real need around her for quality lawn care services. “We had always hired a neighbor to do our yard,” she says of her family, “but he was very unreliable, so we bought a lawn mower and did it on our own.” Her first customer outside of her family was her mother’s best friend who lived across the street. “I was surprised when she handed me $20 after I finished her yard,” she says. Shanklin has been steadily gaining clientele ever since. Within three years, her client list has expanded from 20 to nearly 100.

As both the boss and laborer of her business, she spends approximately six to seven days a week focusing on her work. Her role goes beyond cutting grass and tracking work hours, though. “I hire people and, if necessary, let people go. I also develop new clients as well as make sure our old clients are pleased with our work. It’s a very interesting juggling act. It never gets boring.”

Like any business, equipment is mandatory for operations. While most companies are in the market for telephones, copiers and printers, Shanklin’s resources include weed eaters and lawn mowers. Employees use a variety of lawn care equipment, including Lawn Boy push mowers, Echo weed eaters, a commercial Hustler walk-behind with a mulching plate and a Cub Cadet zero-turn tractor with a bagging system.

When she was nine years old, Shanklin’s parents owned When Pigs Fly Crafts, a craft store that grew to include sales of porcelain dolls and figurines. She remembers being a salesperson at the family store and says that’s where she learned how to pitch a sale, as well the importance of being personable and earning the trust and respect of the customers. “If your customers like and trust you,” she says, “you’ll have loyal customers.”

She recalls that when she was young she wanted to grow up to be a ballerina. Focus changed, as it does for every adolescent, and she toyed with the idea of being a forensic specialist or a coroner. “Now that I’ve seen what doors Rebecca’s Lawn Care can open for me, I’m sticking around in the business world and finding out how far I can go.” Shanklin plans to attend Marshall University and study business.

Shanklin has learned very early the importance of time management. As a business owner, she schedules time for everything, including seeing her family and friends on the weekends, doing work during the day, completing homework for school and performing the important office work at night. She says she has less time now to do things she enjoys now, but that’s to be expected. “It’s like owning a pet or raising a child. Everything changes and it never goes back to the way it was.”

So far, this inspiring teenage business owner has seen her five-year plan fall right into place and plans for expansion and continued growth are just around the corner. “We are planning on buying a truck soon,” she says. “Expanding is always good, and when you expand, hiring is always necessary.” Shanklin never planned to be a business owner, but she is now a firm believer that the best things in life are surprises.

What keeps this young woman motivated? “Knowing that one day I will be better than my competition. That would keep anyone motivated.” It doesn’t hurt that she enjoys what she does.

“I enjoy getting out there and working, meeting new people, things like that. Fresh air and knowing that when we are done working on a lot, we did a good job. It’s almost like leaving a signature.”

The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in West Virginia, and the efforts of our young people to create business opportunities should be celebrated, much like the success of Salih Muhammad, Ben Queen and Rebecca Shanklin. If you know a young entrepreneur who has found success by turning a hobby into a business, we want to hear about them! Please send us their name, contact information and a brief description of their business to kmw@wvexecutive.com.