By LINDA CHION KENNEY
At the ripe old age of 15, Austin Crank landed his first job, leading to his decision a year later to launch his own business, which makes him prime for the growing trend of young entrepreneurs.
Crank came to light at the April luncheon of the Central Hillsborough County Chamber of Commerce, where his business, Ocean Rays Pressure Washing, was announced as a new chamber member.
“Starting out with my business, I definitely had some wonky days,” Crank said. But as time marches on, and with no endgame in sight, he added, “I can definitely say I will stick with it for a while because it’s not something I’m going to give up on.”
According to the 2023-24 GEM USA Report, entrepreneurs ages 18 to 24 are starting businesses at higher rates than older generations. The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor finds that “young adults with creative ideas and a willingness to experiment” find dual benefits as young entrepreneurs. One, “they have the rest of their careers to make up any losses if their ventures do not work out.” And two, the report adds, “they can apply what they learn as young entrepreneurs to their careers moving forward.”
That Crank launched his business at age 16, as a student at Riverview Academy, puts him in good stead for the college business studies he plans to pursue, on the way to fulfilling his dream, as it stands right now, to engage in sales, possibly, yacht sales.
“I’ve always had a really big interest in boats since I was five years old,” Crank said.
It’s the fuel that gave him the drive to walk into the Riverview Marina with his resume to secure his first job, which he started shortly after turning age 15.
“Originally, they had me washing boats,” Crank said. “I started to talk to a lot more people, and, eventually, they had me doing credit card charges and money management tasks. I really enjoyed it, so I wanted to branch out and start my own business.”
The contacts he made at the marina with accountants, attorneys, business owners, and construction and landscape company owners helped him on his way. To wit, he learned from one customer the merits of pressure washing, versus a detail business for cars, “which seemed like what a lot of other people were doing,” Crank said.
Friends helped with marketing, and also a plus were his finance and marketing classes at school. A neighbor, who sells timeshares through his business, offered some good advice as well.
“Originally, I started going door to door to sell to homeowners, but then I started selling to other businesses, and that worked better,” Crank said. “Selling to businesses, I hadn’t thought about it. That was something my neighbor recommended to me.”
Crank is not alone in his entrepreneurial ways. He has friends pursuing their own business interests, and the overall effort is something Crank enjoys.
“It doesn’t really feel much like work for me,” he said. “It feels good putting myself out there. I enjoy it.”
As he moves forward with his business, studies, college pursuits and dreams for a life in sales in Florida, Crank said he doesn’t shortchange his life as a teen. “With school and then the business, it does take up a lot of time,” Crank said, “but there’s still time to be a kid.”
In a break from studies, Crank was at the April 22 chamber luncheon at the Barn Theatre at Winthrop, a mixed-development community in Riverview, with his mom by his side.
“We just try to teach him that there are no boundaries,” Laura Crank said. “While other parents might not agree with us, we give him flexibility. You’re a kid; do what you want.”
That came to bear when Crank dropped a series of classes he was taking, to enroll in classes more in line with his entrepreneurial bent. “It was like pivoting and realizing this was the course to take,” Laura Crank said. “He started getting straight A’s.”
Linda Chion Kenney Photo
Teen entrepreneur Austin Crank, owner of Ocean Rays Pressure Washing, with his mother, Laura Crank, at the April 22 chamber luncheon.
Austin Crank also got an Employer Identification Number (EIN) and hit the pavement selling the merits of Ocean Rays Pressure Washing. Getting the word out is what sales is all about, Crank said, which is why he said it was a no-brainer to join the chamber for lunch.
“Having lunch with like-minded people,” Crank said, “it’s definitely a positive experience.”
Visit OceanRaysPW@outlook.com, or call 863-797-9877 for mor information. You can find Ocean Rays Pressure Washing on Facebook at Ocean Rays Pressure Washing LLC/.