North Cobb Christian Student Builds Small Business

Sixteen-year-old Caleb Keitt has his sights set high in the business world.

A junior at North Cobb Christian School in Kennesaw, Caleb launched a business with several metro-Atlanta students involved in the Atlanta chapter of Junior Achievement.

“I didn’t know much about business,” said Caleb, a Kennesaw resident.  The students developed a product and sold it under the company name of Take Charge.

The product was E-Power – a wireless, portable solar cell phone charger that replaced cord-based devices and sold for $25. With more than $9,000 in revenue and 370 chargers sold, the company returned $16 on each share of stock – originally valued at $5.

That’s a 235 percent return to shareholders, Caleb said, adding the company donated 11 percent of its profits to the American Red Cross to aid the earthquake relief effort in Japan.

The first step for Caleb and his business partners was getting start-up money for their company.  They entered a “Shark Tank” contest where 12 JA companies went up against each other to win $500.  The team took first place.

Junior Achievement is a partnership between the business community, educators and volunteers – all working together to inspire young people to reach their potential.  It teaches work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy. 

Caleb said he wanted to be a pharmacist but, after his small business experience, he now wants to attend a large university, major in business or finance, and become a chief financial officer in a large corporation.

“This has helped him find his passion,” said Caleb’s mother, Jennifer Keitt. “The biggest change is seeing the light in his eyes.”

Caleb said he handled the company’s marketing and public relations and saw first-hand how to solve problems. One such obstacle was a problem with inventory of their E-Power product, which recharges a battery up to 75 percent in products like iPods and iPhones. 

When the supplier sold out, the team came together and found a better product with sufficient inventory.  “It taught me the value of re-evaluating a company’s direction as often as possible,” Caleb said.

Unfortunately, Caleb said, Take Charge has liquidated and is unable to sell additional products. The student team wrote an annual report for Junior Achievement as well as a summary of their experience. 

“I really enjoyed it because I had the opportunity to work with people and build relationships like in a real company,” Caleb said.