At just 11 years old, Caleb Wilburn has some big business ideas, and now DeSoto city leaders hope he'll make his bright future in their city.
"I asked my parents if I could get some money, and they told me to start making money. I set up a concession stand right outside the door and made $300," Caleb said.
Caleb is the founder and CEO of Okie Dokie Shaved Ice. He's trying to put a new twist on an old favorite.
"What makes our shaved ice different is that it's a mixture of Hawaiian, Scandinavian and traditional shaved ice," he said. "We put ice cream in all of our combinations."
Last week, Caleb participated in the first-ever Entrepreneur Pitch Day in DeSoto. Twenty-five businesses had three minutes each to make their pitch to business and community leaders. On the line were 15 spots in the city's new business incubator.
"I knew that the snow cone business would be a success. Adult and youth, they all love snow cones. I was frightened, but I think I did OK," Caleb said.
He did better than OK.
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Okie Dokie Shaved Ice was awarded a spot in the incubator's food trailer courtyard.
"I'm an entrepreneur now, so I'm proud of myself," Caleb said.
The city hopes the incubator can help DeSoto keep pace economically with Duncanville, Dallas and Cedar Hill.
"We want people to know that we're going to create that opportunity for you, should you want to go out and be a successful entrepreneur," said Murphy Cheatham, CEO of the DeSoto Economic Development Corporation.
Approximately 40 businesses will get their start in the incubator. Cheatham hopes they'll blossom and move out, but put down roots in DeSoto. He said young entrepreneurs like Caleb can give the city an added edge.
"If you hire somebody, that's one job. But if you start a business, that's two, three and four jobs," Cheatham said. "Caleb, at a young age, we're hoping he grows to do two, three, four and maybe a franchise."
The incubator is scheduled to open in September.
