July 3, 2013
Entrepreneurs Conference: Celebrating Small Businesses Revved Up for Growth
Anago of Washington, D.C.
Darren Williams, Master Franchisee, Owner & Regional Director
Washington, D.C.
Type of Business: Commercial and Residential Cleaning
www.anagousa.com
Williams is a master franchisee with Anago of Washington, D.C. In this capacity, he oversees 54 franchisees that employ roughly 150 people combined. Williams’s sales team finds cleaning contracts for Anago franchisees he recruits to the area. Clients include multi-tenant office buildings, sports stadiums, and bowling alleys in the nation’s capital. Williams’s franchise was the official cleaning service of the 2012 Citi Open (formerly the Legg Mason Tennis Classic). He also counts Jenny Craig, Amtrak, and the embassies of Saudi Arabia and Tunisia as clients. Williams’s units posted revenues of nearly $2.5 million in 2012 and projects revenues of around $3 million for 2013.
Mr. Handyman
Skip Wyatt and Lorenzo Wyatt, Co-owners
Fairfield, Connecticut
Type of Business: HomeRepair and Maintenance
www.mrhandyman.com
Lorenzo, 42, and his father, Skip, 61, joined forces to run a Mr. Handyman franchise (taking over the business from Skip’s son-in-law). Mr. Handyman is an industry leader in home repairs and maintenance. Lorenzo developed an approach for the company that focuses on two aspects of home energy: diagnostics and upgrades. This new development led to an increase in hiring: The franchise has gone from three employees to more than 30. The Wyatts are members of Mr. Handyman’s Million Dollar Club. The business reached $1 million in sales for five consecutive years and broke the $2 million market in 2012–the first Mr. Handyman franchisee to do so.
TEENPRENEUR AWARD NOMINEES
This award recognizes entrepreneurs, age 19 or under, committed to the tradition of black business achievement.
Maya’s Ideas
Maya Penn, CEO
Canton, Georgia
Type of Business: Online Boutique Selling Eco-friendly Garments and accessories
http://mayasideasshop.blogspot.com
Maya’s Ideas is an online boutique that sells eco-friendly garments and accessories designed by Penn and sold to customers around the globe. An artist, animator, illustrator, and writer, she originally set up her business at the age of 8, when she sold her creations through the online craft store Etsy in 2007. Now 13, Maya donates 10% of the profits from her business to charities, including Hosea Feed the Hungry, the Atlanta Community Food Bank, Captain Planet Foundation, and Live Thrive Atlanta. She also created the nonprofit Maya’s Ideas 4 the Planet, which strives to help the community by spreading environmental awareness and encouraging young girls to follow their dreams in non-traditional fields. Maya’s Ideas generated combined revenues of around $34,000 for 2011 and 2012.
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