Five black teenage entrepreneurs from Baltimore, known as “the squeegee boys,” have created their very own company that sells bottled water. They call it the Korner Boyz Water, according to BlackBusiness.com.
The boys, Taetae, Leroy, Khalil, Keyon, and Deauntae, began their entrepreneurship journey cleaning windshields in their community. They stood at the corner of Mount Royal and North Avenues in Baltimore and would flag down vehicles to ask drivers if they could clean their windshields in exchange for money and would use that money to buy food.
However, running this business at such a young age was a challenge primarily due to people insulting and demeaning them. But when they met Kai Crosby-Singleton, a community liaison for the Maryland Institute College of Art’s (MICA) Office of Strategic Initiatives, all that hard work and those obstacles became worth it.
Crosby-Singleton invited the boys to put their creative and business skills to the test at the Baltimore Thinkathon, which is an annual initiative between MICA and the Baltimore Cultural Alliance where competitors have the opportunity to share their ideas with some of the city’s leading creatives. They were introduced to a wide range of entrepreneurs to share their brilliant ideas with.
After this event, Taetae, Leroy, Khalil, Keyon, and Deauntae decided to go into the
business of selling bottled water and have received incredible support from different people who have lent their resources to them, including a graphic designer who created their logo and lawyers who aided them in writing their business agreement. People in the community have also donated money to help them launch their business.Korner Boyz Water now sells its bottled water by the case. They are still doing their windshield cleaning business and are hoping to sell their cases to wholesale buyers. In addition, according to BlackBusiness.com, they’re thinking of adding flavored and sparkling water as well.