SLU student reaps benefits of business

BY JASMINE OSBY

Like most college students, Ben Albers needed a job that would support him during the school year and through the summer.

Albers never expected that he would end up managing a network of employees ranging from college students to family men.

At age 19, the St. Louis University student is the district manager of a nationwide entrepreneurial internship program for undergraduate students that allows them to create and manage their own businesses.

College Works Painting is an internship program started in California by four college students who had worked as interns for Student Works Painting in Canada.

After Student Works dissolved in 1993, the students took what they had learned and created College Works Painting, giving college students in the U.S. the opportunity to gain knowledge on how to run a business.

College Works has about 2,000 interns covering 23 states.

Last summer, Albers became one of College Works' newest employees.

By the time he went back to school, he had painted 25 houses, managed six painters, trained six marketers and made $80,000 all before entering his junior year of college.

But it wasn't easy.

For the first three months, Albers was on his own as he searched for professional house painters on Craigslist and sought out marketing interns from local colleges and universities.

"I did well in the very beginning, but then I struggled a lot because I wasn't listening to the people trying to help me and I was trying to do everything on my own," he said.

But Albers soon realized that he needed help and, after hiring a few friends, he started going door to door in his neighborhood looking for clients.

Because the business hadn't made any money yet, Albers paid the workers from money he made in a previous job at a car wash. As customers started booking College Works to paint their homes, the business began to grow and the summer got busy.

Soon he had a team of painters whose ages ranged from 20 to 50. At first, Albers worried about the age disparity.

"When I first did this last summer, I was pretty shocked when they listened to me," he said. "But then I realized that it was all about how I carried myself and that it doesn't matter how old you are, it matters what you do."

This summer Albers and College Works Painting are off to a fast start. Sixty-three houses are already scheduled to be painted.

Production manager Greg Smith, who was hired by Albers this summer, said working with College Works has been great because everyone involved is extremely motivated. Smith also said that although the economy is rough, business is still flourishing.

"With the way the economy is, people aren't buying new homes, they're fixing up the homes they have," he said. "So it's a great time because it increases the value of their homes and gives it good curb appeal."

Chuck Michel, 55, had his bluish gray Webster Groves home painted by Albers and his team last June after Albers knocked on his door while looking for clients.

"They were diligent and did a great job," Michel said. "You could tell that Ben had put together a crew who really knew what they were doing."

Michel said that Albers' young age never crossed his mind but that he applauds any young person willing to venture out into entrepreneurship.

"Any time one can go out of their way to find opportunities, they're ahead of the curve, and I applaud them for going out there and chasing the dream," he said. "Especially in this economy, because people aren't just calling around handing out jobs."

During the school year, Albers juggles being a student and being a boss even when the painters stop painting. In the fall he recruits and teaches new interns how to market and sell the business — all while attending class, completing assignments and cramming for exams.

Albers said it has been tough managing both school and the business and that, although he is equipped with all the tools needed to run a successful business, he thinks school is still very important.

"If I would've known already what field of business I wanted to go into, I probably would've dropped out of school and started doing it," he said. "But I think there's a lot more to learn in terms of business and marketing strategies that school can provide."

Every student should take a class on how to run a business, even if they aren't business majors, said Jennifer Ehlen, 34, director of St. Louis University's Center for Entrepreneurship.

"In today's economy and subsequent job market, employers are looking for students who can come into their place of employment and look at a job from an entrepreneurial perspective," she said.

Ehlen said what Albers is doing transcends house painting because he is learning two of the most important concepts of running a business: managing a workforce and understanding cash flow.

"There's no greater way to understand concepts like that than if you're having to be the CEO of your own business, even if it is a painting business," Ehlen said.

Although running a business is not easy, Albers said that college students are not just limited to the typical summer job anymore and that there are lots of other opportunities for them.

"The best way to start your own business is just to do it," he said. "There'll be a lot of failures and no's, but the trick is to see through those no's and get to the goal, which is running a successful business or company."