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After a few days work the new design is complete. This whole new version of iLaunch essentially keeps the same content and the same pages but is a style conversion from the previously dark modern layout.
- February 22th, 2006
iLaunch Creations owner, Andrew Spiziri, wins TCU Texas Entrepreneur of the Year award.
- February 14th, 2006
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| Money in the Bank |
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Lemonade stands just aren't cutting it these days for all kids looking to make some extra spending cash.
Highland Park High seniors Kelly Cavender and Andrew Spiziri, both 18, rake in their dough by means of their own businesses. They were two of the 25 finalists in the Neeley Entrepreneurship program at Texas Christian University.
Andrew, selected for his Web hosting company, iLaunch Creations, was one of six to be named TCU Texas Youth Entrepreneur of the Year. Kelly was recognized for his lawn mowing company, KCAV's Lawn Service.
The two heard about the Neeley program from school counselors and were among about 50 to apply statewide.
The program's Young Entrepreneur Days held at TCU last month consisted of the 25 high school seniors visiting with TCU students and alumni who also own their own businesses, listening to speakers, exchanging ideas, and interviewing with a panel of 10 judges.
"We look for poise, how they field the questions, whether or not they have a grasp of the business, etc.," said David Minor, the program director.
As one of the six Youth Entrepreneur of the Year winners, Andrew earned a $1,000 scholarship, which could double if he chooses to attend TCU.
"It made me want to go home and work on my Web sites and make them better," he said.
Kelly has been running his lawn service business since eighth grade.
"My dad was pushing me to make some money," he recalled.
As the business grew, his dad helped him purchase equipment.
Kelly distributes business cards but said he gets most of his clients by word of mouth. He mows 12 lawns each week.
In addition to mowing lawns, he also trims hedges, rakes leaves and even removes items from rooftops.
Most of what he makes goes in the bank.
"I don't really buy that much stuff," he said.
He plans to go to the University of Texas at Austin, most likely major in business, and keep up with KCAV's Lawn Service in the summers.
Andrew moved to Texas from the Northeast his freshman year.
"I had to remake friends, and there was a period where I had a lot of free time, so I really got into computers," he said.
He started designing Web sites in the seventh grade for fun and began to sell Web site templates through an online affiliate system in 2002.
Andrew's current company consists of eight entertainment-based Web sites housed under iLaunchCreations.com. The eight subsites provide independent services such as image hosting or showcasing funny movies. He spends one to three hours a day updating content and designing features.
Andrew funds the main site, which costs $200 to host, by charging related sites to place banner advertisements.
"The Web site pays for itself with extras. I never lose money; it's just a matter of how much I make," he said. He added that his income can range from $500 to a couple thousand each month.
Most of his profit has gone into a new computer and additional advertising.
Andrew plans to keep his company after high school.
"If you have a good idea, stick with it," he said.
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| Entrepreneur of the Year Awards |
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The Neeley School of Business at TCU awarded six inventive Texas high school students for their success as entrepreneurs, out of 25 finalists from across the state. Winners were recognized at the Awards Banquet on February 13. The Grand Award winner receives a $5,000 scholarship; the remaining receive $1,000 scholarships. The scholarships are doubled for those who attend TCU. The 2006 TCU Texas Youth Entrepreneur of the Year Awards went to:
Jeff Livney, $5,000 Scholarship Winner
Senior, The Woodlands High School, The Woodlands, TX
Piko Zoom
Piko Zoom is a student-run graphic consulting firm offering web design and development, brand and identity consulting, print and Internet marketing, and web/interactive solutions including e-commerce. Jeff founded Piko Zoom his sophomore year, when he helped a law firm develop a website. Piko Zoom now employs 15 independent student contractors and, in May 2005, was selected to design marketing materials for a start-up company, including: e-commerce, website, server, business cards and letterhead. Client referrals bring in most business. Piko Zoom also donates hosting space to nonprofits in return for sponsoring the Piko Zoom logo on their websites, another strategy that has increased business. Jeff plans to turn over client communication to three of his project managers when he enters college, leaving him with managerial and billing matters.
Lucas Butler, $1,000 Scholarship Winner
Senior, Palmer High School, Palmer, TX
Lucas Boer Goats
A returning 2005 finalist, Lucas began raising Boer Goats in 2002 with four females, to help with college tuition: bringing in money while qualifying him for FFA scholarships. Lucas now has 28 females, two males and four show goats, and is expecting 60 to 80 kids this spring. He won Grand Champion at the Ellis County Youth Expo, Junior Herdsman at the International Boer Goat Association in Hattiesburg, Miss., and Star Lone Star Farmer at the State FFA, the highest FFA honor. To market his business, Lucas joined professional organizations to network with other breeders, and produced business cards, caps, signs for his trailer and signs near his house. He recently expanded to provide barn and fence construction, breaking horses and helping other goat raisers with their herds. When he attends college next year, Lucas plans to find land with pastures, pens and barns so he can continue with his herd while attending school.
Craig Gagne, $1,000 Scholarship Winner
Senior, Judson High School, Universal City, TX
Global Exotic Reptiles
Global Exotic Reptiles provides exotic livestock to hobbyists, educators and zoological institutions the world over, and has distributed over 1,300 animals in three years without customer complaint. At age 15, Craig used his savings to purchase his first livestock and sold it for a small profit. Craig now buys large quantities of the most profitable livestock wholesale from the nation’s top breeders, then sells the animals through internet sales and trade shows. Internet sales account for 65% of sales, while trade shows account for the rest. For Internet sales, Global Exotic Reptiles contracts with the local mail room to send the animals UPS overnight in special Styrofoam-lined boxes. Craig also maintains relationships with well-known importers to provide animals from other countries. In the future, Craig plans to directly import animals, as well as build a breeding facility to produce a larger percentage of inventory and reduce overhead.
Austin Hoffman, $1,000 Scholarship Winner
Senior, All Saints Episcopal School, Tyler, TX
Austin Hoffman - Coleto Collectibles
A 2004 scholarship winner, Austin created Coleto Collectibles, an internet retailer that resells garage sale items, at age 14. Each Saturday morning, Austin visits up to 15 garage sales to buy merchandise that he sells for profit on the Internet, scanning the local paper and Thrifty Nickel the night before to plan his buying strategy. He resells everything on eBay, except books, DVDs and videos, which he sells on Half.com. He also lists and sells for others on eBay, including an MGB sports car, Harley Davidson motorcycle, Nikon camera and Eagle RV. He has grossed over $50,000. Austin became a PowerSeller on eBay three years ago, reserved for members who have upheld the highest levels of professionalism and have achieved and maintained an excellent sales performance record. He has written a book, Guerilla Garage Sales, on how to operate a successful Internet business.
Charlie Neff, Junior, $1,000 Scholarship Winner
Grandview High School, Grandview, TX
C N Graphics
Charlie started C N Graphics, a printing business, in 2003. C N Graphics prints a variety of products including business cards, T-shirts, pens, pencils and other items. Charlie creates the designs and then prints it himself on his portable printing press, or outsources the printing. With a tag line of “We give you the freedom to design,” if a customer already has a design or logo, Charlie will find a way to print it. Charlie markets his business by sending promotional flyers, postcards and coupons to high school principals and department heads. He sends approximately 1,000 mailings a month, and gets a new customer for every 50 mailings. He also sends special offers to summer/sports camps for a discounted package of T-shirts with a customized sports ball. He plans to set up a website to make the marketing and ordering process easier, then grow his business and continue it through college.
Andrew Spiziri, $1,000 Scholarship Winner
Senior, Highland Park High School, Dallas, TX
iLaunch Creations
iLaunch Creations is a network of websites offering independent services, originally created as a personal website in 2002. Each website is designed for a unique target audience, and all but one is supported solely by advertising. Websites include: www.MusicJabber.com - free 24/7 radio streams across a variety of genres; www.FreeImageHut.com - free image hosting service complete with an online photo album; www.EternalFun.com - a large collection of funny movies, pictures, flash games, animations and more; www.FreeTemplateDesigns.com - free template downloading service for webmasters in need of a quick design; and www.TemplateDatabase.com - more advanced, professional layouts at a budget price. Since all operate themselves and require little modification, Andrew focuses on Eternal Fun, the main source of revenue, redesigning and adding features based on user requests. In the future, he expects his advertising income to increase, see solid traffic gains, and grow to be one of the top networks on the web.
The Neeley Entrepreneurship Program is one of the top entrepreneurship programs in the country and has been recognized nationally by Entrepreneur Magazine, U. S. News & World Report, the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization and NASDAQ.
For more information on the Neeley Entrepreneurship Program, the TCU Texas Youth Entrepreneur of the Year Awards and past winners, visit www.nep.tcu.edu
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| Scholarships for Entrepreneurialism |
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Six Texas high school students were awarded for entrepreneurial success at the 2006 TCU Texas Youth Entrepreneur of the Year Awards banquet Feb. 13. The awards, given by the TCU’s Neeley School of Business, are scholarships of $5,000 for the grand prize winner and $1,000 for the other five winners. Prizes are doubled for those who choose to attend TCU upon graduation.
The grand prize of $5,000 went to Jeff Livney, a senior at The Woodlands High School in The Woodlands. He came up with the company Piko Zoom, a student-run graphic consulting firm that offers Web design and development, brand and identity consulting, print and Internet marketing, and Web/interactive solutions, including e-commerce. He founded the company during his sophomore year and has since hired 15 students as independent contractors.
The $1,000 scholarship winners are Lucas Butler, a senior at Palmer High School in Palmer, Craig Gagne, a senior at Judson High School in Universal City, Austin Hoffman, a senior at All Saints’ Episcopal School in Tyler, Charlie Neff, a junior at Grandview High School in Grandview and Andrew Spiziri, a senior at Highland Park High School in Dallas.
Butler’s business is Lucas Boer Goats. He began raising goats in 2002 to help save for his college tuition. He now has 28 females, two males and four show goats and expects 60 to 80 kids in the spring. He markets his business by networking with other breeders via professional organizations, and has recently expanded his business to offer barn and fence construction as well as breaking horses and helping other goat raisers.
Gagne’s company, Global Exotic Reptiles, provides exotic livestock to zoological institutions and other organizations worldwide. He has distributed more than 1,300 of these animals in the past three years, an endeavor that started when Gagne was 15 and he used his savings to buy an exotic animal that he sold for a profit. He buys animals from breeders and sells them through Internet sales and trade shows. He plans to someday directly import the animals and build a breeding facility.
Hoffman’s business, Coleto Collectibles, is an internet retailer that sells garage sale items. He visits multiple garage sales on Saturday mornings, buys things and sells them for profit online via eBay. He has grossed more than $50,000 and has written a book about operating a successful Internet business titled “Guerilla Garage Sales.”
Neff started CN Graphics, a printing business, in 2003. His company prints business cards, T-shirts and other promotional materials on his own portable printing press. He sends flyers and coupons to high school officials, approximately 1,000 mailings per month, and says he gets at least one new customer for every 50 mailings.
Spiziri started iLaunch Creations in 2002. The company, a network of Web sites offering independent services, includes sites that offer streaming radio music, image hosting, funny movies and pictures, template downloading and professional template layout work. He gains revenue by charging for the sites’ services in addition to advertising dollars.
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