10-person firm had made just under $1 million in revenues. That was also the point where _Graham decided to expand his client base again.
“We had the ‘Lexus’ market,” he says. “We were doing OK, but we realized we were missing out on a huge market, and that’s the ‘Toyota Corolla’ market. What could we create that would be beneficial to the masses?”
The answer took Graham back to corporate America, and today XPACS offers Fortune 1000 companies concierge _services for their employees. The new business model _increases XPAC’s profit potential. “Contracts can range anywhere from $500 a month to a million-plus annually,” Graham says. The company expects to make $2.3 million in 2007. Being willing to revamp the business model is crucial, says Graham. “You have to adapt and adjust.” –Tamara E. Holmes
LOOKING TO LEAP
Here are some Websites and organizations offering resources for budding young entrepreneurs
- Young Entrepreneurs of America (www.yeabiz.com) is aimed at secondary education teachers and students. YEA _offers workshops, seminars, conferences, and scholarships.
- Young Entrepreneurs Organization (www.eonetwork.org) This global organization, with members’ revenues at $1 _million-plus, helps young entrepreneurs grow their business.
- Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization (www.c-e-o.org) _informs, supports, and inspires college students to be _entrepreneurial and seek opportunity through enterprise creation. It includes a global network of 30,000 students.
- Zero Million (www.zeromillion.com), created by a young _entrepreneur, offers information on getting started and growing your business.
- Small Business Administration (www.sba.gov) offers _training and education programs for all levels of entrepreneurs, as well as a special program for teens.
- Score (www.score.org) provides expert guidance, how-to’s, and resources for those looking to develop business skills and grow a business.
- Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation (www.kauffman.org) offers multiple training and education programs for entrepreneurs of all levels.
Million-Dollar Babies
The following books and programs can help you take your business to the $1 million mark:
- Make Mine a Million (www.makemineamillion.org), is a program of Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence (a nonprofit microlender) and founding partner OPEN from American Express The program provides access to money, mentoring, marketing, and technology tools that women entrepreneurs need to help grow their businesses.
- Reallionaire: Nine Steps to Becoming Rich from the Inside Out by Farrah Gray and Fran Harris (HCI; $14.95)
- The Real World Entrepreneur Field Guide: Growing Your Own Business by David H. Bangs and Linda Pinson (Dearborn Financial Publishing; $59.95)
- What Clients Love: A Field Guide to Growing Your Business by Harry Beckwith (Business Plus; $21.95)
- Tribal Knowledge: Business Wisdom Brewed from the Grounds of Starbucks Corporate Culture by John Moore (Kaplan Business; $22.95) –Tennille M. Robinson