Learning
Entrepreneurship Firsthand At A Young Age
Ian Hill has
learned entrepreneurship firsthand, growing his company, Ian’s Wicked Good
Donuts, from a hobby into a thriving business that allows him to save money for
his college education. As Ian shares below, he has made decisions about
investing in equipment, finding new customers, and sticking to a budget.
Ian tells his
story below:
"Our company’s
origin can be traced back (although we didn’t realize it at the time) to a
convention my mother and father attended in Atlanta, Georgia some years ago.
There, we saw our first Lil’ Orbits Mini Donut Machine that seemed to be VERY
popular with the attendees. Not so long afterwards, a similar used donut machine
was listed on eBay and, after a family discussion, we purchased it. That
purchase in June of 2007 created the Ian’s Wicked Good Donuts Company that you
know today.
"Following a
family trip to Ohio to bring it home, we began the process of trial and error to
find the best way to consistently make Wicked Good Donuts. We initially had the
neighborhood kids taste-test our donuts. We sold our very first donuts at the
Tilton-Northfield Old Home Day at the end of that month. Soon after, Ian’s
Wicked Good Donuts were regularly sold at two of our community’s popular
restaurants, and the word began to spread.
"After a year of
trial and error, learning both the machine and the donut-making business, we
came to the conclusion that, in order to meet up with demand for our donuts, we
needed a machine with greater capacity. In July of 2008, we did our research and
purchased a BRAND NEW Belshaw Donut Robot machine and sold our first machine
(for more than we had originally paid!). The difference the new machine made to
our business profile was astounding! Our customers were excited (and perhaps
relieved?) to see such an increase in production capacity, and the staff was
greatly pleased with the reduction in time spent fixing and repairing that we
had wasted with the old machine. We now had the ability to service our
restaurant and orchard customers with a much larger and more consistent supply
of our larger-sized donuts.
"As for the
mini-donut production (which is what attracted us to the donut business in the
first place), we now had the ability to keep up with any demand our new niche
market, campgrounds, might put before us. That year we worked to redesign the
configuration of our mobile donut trailer to let us demonstrate to the youngest
donut eaters at the campgrounds, just how the donuts are made. A large viewing
window with the machine set up on a low shelf made the act of making donuts more
of an attraction rather than just a retail shop. The campground management
greatly appreciated this approach, and we have been instrumental in increasing
the number of families that arrive a day earlier just to wake up to the smell of
fresh donuts. Campgrounds have been a great market for us to expand into even
though we still have our original regular restaurant customers. We have also
added two private schools in the area that use our donuts for fundraisers.
"My parents’
goal in this venture was to help me find something to do in the summer, but it
has turned into so much more. This entrepreneurial venture has taught me about
business and helped to pay for my college. Not to mention that we’ve had fun as
a family doing both. Our success is evident in the 'wicked good' donuts that our
customers all know and love. Yes, it’s sometimes difficult to roll out of a nice
warm bed to fill customers’ orders, but seeing people’s faces when they try an
Ian’s Wicked Good Donut for the first time makes it all worthwhile."
Ian Hill has
captured the opportunities of hard work and enterprise in America and he is
still only 16.
One of the best
lessons we can pass on to our children is the value of hard work. Experiences
like Ian’s in New Hampshire should be a part of every young American’s
education.