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14-year-old Ezra Ekuban just started a new business that already has a big following! KONE is a premium ice cream starter made with the finest organic and all-natural ingredients. You can find his products online or at the Parkers Farmers Market on Sunday’s from 8am-1pm. He has applied to the Spotlight on YouthBiz Stars business competition in hopes of making his business even better.
Watch Ezra’s segment from Colorado & Company and learn more about him below!
Question:Tell me a little bit about you – name, age, how long you’ve been an entrepreneur.
Answer: My name is Ezra Ekuban, I’m 14 years old and a freshman at Regis Jesuit High school. I’ve been an entrepreneur for a little over one a month.
Q: How can people find your business? Do you have a website?
A: You can find KONE on our website at koneicecream.com, on Instagram and Facebook@koneicecream and at the Parkers Farmers Market on Sunday’s from 8am-1pm.
Q: What motivated or inspired you to start a business?
A: There were several things that inspired me. One was my sister, who started her own company at 21, and also my love for making homemade ice cream with family and friends. I wanted to create a product that tasted great but more importantly, that brought families together.
Q: Please share an overview about your business.
A: KONE is a premium ice cream starter made with the finest organic and all-natural ingredients. Pretty much it’s the foundation or base for ice cream. The product itself is vegan and gluten free. You can add dairy or non-dairy to the base that will yield about 2 quarts of ice cream. The letters in KONE are the first initials of my mom, sisters, dad, brother, and myself. Family is the foundation of our company.
Q: What makes your business unique?
A: I think what makes our product unique is the different flavors we offer, we use organic and all-natural ingredients, our product is vegan and gluten free and we offer a variety of recipes to our followers.
Q: Tell us about some of the challenges you face being a young business owner.
A: For me right now it’s time management. Also just establishing business relationships with wholesalers and getting good pricing.
Q: Why should other youth start a business?
A: Starting your own business teaches you so many life principles that you don’t necessarily learn from a text book like taking risk, developing confidence and overcoming fear. It’s a great resume builder and the relationships you develop along the way are invaluable. You become more independent and self-reliant.
Q: Who is your favorite entrepreneur and why?
A: My favorite entrepreneurs are my parents and sister. My parents because they’ve built a business that has allowed them not only financial security but the ability to help others. My sister because she works really hard and has shown me what perseverance looks like.
Q: Please share your involvement with YouthBiz.
A: I’m new to YouthBiz. I learned about them when I opened an account at Young Americans Bank. Once I started my company, I participated in their YouthBiz Marketplace which was an amazing experience.
Q: Why are you applying to the YouthBiz Stars business competition? What do you hope to learn?
A: Well I entered because being a small business owner, the scholarship award would offset some of our expenses . Also having the opportunity to be mentored by local business owners and learning from them is such a great opportunity.
