Local high school student to open own business

Area high school students are going to get the chance to live out their dreams. After watching the show The Apprentice, Bill and Donna Daubmann, of Mr. Shower Door, decided to help local students start their own businesses.

"Donna and I thought that this would be a great way to give back to the community," Bill Daubmann said.

With the help of area business owners, Daubmann will choose one student to open a business. The criteria for the business is that it has to be something that will make money.

"We will give our time and information, but it will be up to the students to earn their own way," Daubmann said.

Daubmann and his selected panel of business people meet with the students each week to ask questions about the business. It is their job to determine if the business is a good investment. The panel is made up of marketing experts, information technology experts and banking experts. All have a specialty and are prominent in the Naples/Bonita Springs business circles. The students will be given ideas about how to market their business and receive training in sales.

Before each meeting, the students were given assignments. One week they were to come up with a business plan and an idea for executing it. The next week they were told to come up with a budget. The students were to sit down and decide how much money they would need to get the business started.

At the meeting, the students were told to find ways to save money. They could rent space, for a while, instead of buying something. One student was also given the idea of starting out by selling his products over the Internet. Once he established a clientele, he could open a storefront.

All six students are business and marketing students from Collier County high schools and are interested in owning their own business. Lely High School was represented by two students, Joe Sammons and Gretchy Gomez, which, the panel said both had good ideas and a lot of passion. Sammons and Gomez are both seniors.

Sammons' idea is to open a pet store. He wants it to be something that supplies everything a pet owner would need ­ food, toys and medicine. Sammons also wants to offer pet breeding. He wants to open it on the north side of Naples because that is where he believes he will make more money.

Sammons believes that the big chains like PetsMart will not be a threat to him. He said the difference will be in the service. He promises to offer personal customer service.

"Pet Shack will have what the customer needs," Sammons said. "If we don't have it, we'll find it."

Gomez wants to open a day spa, specializing in massages and relaxation therapy. She believes that a spa would go over well in Naples. Gomez told the panel at their last meeting that she has a friend who has been a massage therapist of many years. Her friend has already told her that she would help in every way possible. The only glitch in Gomez's business is with licensing.

"You have to have a license because you don't want to have to depend solely on your employees," Daubmann told her. "What happens if your employees decide to leave?"

They can help her with everything but getting the license. She is on her own with that. They are also concerned with the time it takes to get a license.

Daubmann hopes to have Gomez's business up and running within the year, the lack of a state license will put a hold on opening. The panel's suggestions for Gomez were to sell aromatherapy products to already existing spas. This would give her time to study and obtain her license. Gomez said that she liked that idea a lot.

A student from Gulf Coast High School wants to produce an informative after-school television program for teens. Other ideas presented are a hurricane shutter storage company and an art mural studio.

After each meeting, the panel submitted their feedback to Daubmann.

The panel made their decision in February. The two students selected, Melody Weber and Britni Justice, are both seniors at Gulf Coast High School. They will receive a loan from Wachovia Bank and business advice from the panel. According to Daubmann, area business people are very excited about the student's business. Businesses are saying that the best part of the program is that the one chosen will contribute to the area's economy.

"That's why we went after high school students," Daubmann said. "We want to make sure that it stays in Collier County, that it revolves in Collier County."

Daubmann hopes that this will continue. He wants to use the selected students on the panels in the future.

Daubmann and his panel encouraged all of the students to continue pursuing their dreams.

"Just because you weren't chosen doesn't mean that you have bad ideas," Daubmann said. "All of you had great ideas, we wouldn't be willing to endorse you if your idea wasn't a good one."

The panel believes that the students who weren't chosen will still succeed. They hope that this experience will give them more encouragement and motivation for their businesses. Daubmann and his panel have promised to still offer assistance to the others. They believe in Gretchy's business and are willing to give her the guidance she needs to be successful.

"I don't want to dissuade anyone from following their dream," Daubmann told the students. "I am here to help in every way I can."

What are people saying about mortgages today:

Rates on 30-year mortgages edged down last week to a seven-month low. Mortgage-giant Freddie Mac reported Thursday that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages fell to 6.3 percent, down slightly from 6.31 percent two weeks ago. It put rates at the lowest level since they were at 6.24 percent the first week of March.

Bank of Hawaii, Central Pacific Bank, Territorial Savings Bank and Wells Fargo Home Mortgages all cut their 30-year mortgage rates to 5.75 percent this week.

Most people think of a mortgage as a means to an end. After all, you buy a house, not a home loan. But a mortgage is much more than the path to homeownership. It is a financial instrument that must be managed, just like any other financial investment.