Final Newspaper

http://www.district196.org/evhs/academics/journalism/McDevitt/mcds times.html

The Cages

Owning a business at age 18 was something I never imagined nor dreamed of. Very few highschoolers have the desire to own a business at such a you age, and take on the great responsibilities and time commitment needed to create, run and manage a business while still in high school. I was the same as almost every other high school kid, the less work the better. Late in the summer going into my senior, with baseball winding down, and football starting up, my dad was searching. With the poor economy, many business buildings and warehouses were empty, and my dad was looking for a spot to hang some batting cages so my 3 younger brothers and I could hit during the winter. We planned on borrowing the cages from the high school team for the winter months and borrowing space in an empty warehouse or industrial building. That idea soon became laughable. Opportunities arise and soon became thoughts and then became reality. In an untrackable series of events, a family winter hitting cage, became a 12,000 square foot indoor baseball facility. We got an awesome deal on a lease of a space in Lakeville, we bought batting cages from a net company in Iowa, and found used turf that was being taken of a high school football field in Texas. We named it The Cages. Its as simple as it can get but it felt genius-like for a bunch of creativeness lacking guys. The guys I’m referring to are my dad, my brother Ty, and myself. We all were important to the overall creation and success of The Cages. My dad took care of the money and had connections through his other job. Ty took care of the cages, and hanging the nets. And I designed the logo, painted it on the walls of the facility, and created the sign display out front. I turned 18 in the fall and took ownership of the business. By the New Year we were up and running. The time commitment was beyond incredible. With my dad coaching my younger brothers, and Ty playing high school hockey, I spent the majority of the time at The Cages. During the winter months I worked and average of 48 hours a week. Plus a full school day and winter baseball workouts, my life was hectic. Early on it felt like a failure. People weren’t coming as much as hoped, and the hours of hard work and dedication were not seeming to be worth it. But as the winter went on, and early spring came, all of my feelings changed. The Cages were in "full swing" and the opportunity for success was thinkable. The workload didn’t let up, in fact it grew. Instead of sitting behind a desk managing the facility, I was giving hitting lessons and making $30 an hour. More and more people started coming, and the hard work was starting to become worthwhile. The Cages are here to stay for awhile, and will be a nice asset for me and my family. Instead of working at a fast food joint, or a summer job, trying to save for college, I know that college can be paid for. And not only is the financial aspect worth all of the hard work, but more importantly the lessons I’ve learned and things I’ve experienced that will help me in the future. From the creation of a business, I have done many things normal high school students haven’t done or have probably heard about. I have leased space in a business/industrial district. I have opened a business checking account and have to manage a business credit card. I have gone to the state capital and have applied and registered for a business license. I have managed the money in a business and made crucial decisions about purchasing inventory and assets such as field turf, nets, pitching machines, baseballs, televisions, computers, furniture, and phone, television, and internet services. Creating a business is extremely complex and much more in depth and complicated then I had ever expected. Not only is the time commitment incredible, as one can expect, but the mental commitment and energy used thinking about new ideas and making difficult decisions is not understood until actually experienced. The entire process, from imagining, to creating, to actually running the business is a major investment, but it is all worthwhile when you see the rewards or even the opportunity of success at the end. The tough work is done, the kinks have been worked out and the business plan has showed it can succeed. Everything is set in place for the future and under control. The process is far greater than I could have imagined, especially not having any desire to do it in the first place. But now that I have done it, I am happy that I was presented the opportunity to be a part of such an experience that I can take with me for the rest of my life, and also as a tool that will help me pay for my college education and start out ahead of peers and have an advantage in the “real world” which is a difficult place to find an opportunity to succeed. The Cages will be a part of me for a long time. Hopefully the financial benefits will help me as much as the lessons I’ve learned and things I’ve experienced, and that in the end, the benefits I’ve earned will be worth the investments early on. I feel that I have an advantage and am a step ahead of my peers, and that makes me excited to continue my pursuit through college and into the rest of my life.