Young Soldotna Entrepreneur Wins Scholarship

June 16, 2011|Ashton Goodell | Channel 2 News

SOLDOTNA, Alaska —

Each month Channel 2 awards a scholarship to an outstanding Alaskan student. This month’s winner is an 18-year-old from Soldotna, who saw a business opportunity in an everyday chore.

Kelsey Brush didn't know what she was getting into when she started her own business.

“I came home to my mom and dad and say you would not believe what was in my boat today.”

The concept for Kelsey’s Mobile Boat Washing Service came to her three years ago, as a way to save for college.

If you ask Kelsey it was her dad's idea; her dad says that's just Kelsey being modest -- she's the one who got the business license, paid her own borough sales tax, and bought her own supplies.

Father and daughter do agree where she learned work ethic.

“Dad always had a nice clean boat, he made me recognize that small details do count,” she said.

It's a dirty job with horrible hours. She starts work at 2 p.m. and sometimes finishes at midnight.

The young entrepreneur knew there was a need for this kind of business and as far as she knows she's the only person who does it in Soldotna.

“This is a great service for a lot of the guides who are down here. When we are done fishing on the river every day, we are tired and a lot of us are very meticulous of how our boats look when we climb into them every morning,” fishing guide Jim McCormick Said. “So to have this service that Kelsey provides for us is an incredible, incredible thing.”

Kelsey figures it is practical experience she'll need when she starts her own dentistry business after college.

“I've learned a lot about keeping good books, and scheduling, and not overbooking, I learned to say ‘no’ and that was really hard for me when I first started,” she said.

Kelsey will be attending Northwestern College in Minnesota this fall.

From first grade through high school she maintained a 4.0 grade point average and hopes to do the same in college.

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