At 14-years-old Jaequan Faulkner already knows what its like to launch a business and overcome unexpected obstacles. Last year when he put on his entrepreneurial hat and started selling hot dogs, someone reported his operation to the health department. However, instead of shutting it down the city of Minneapolis became his village and worked to help him get the stand up to code. Fast forward to this summer and Faulkner was back in business, selling his hotdogs alongside his uncle outside the Minneapolis Urban League.
“My hope this year is to be an inspiration,” he told Kare11. “I want to inspire other young teens that live in north Minneapolis.
If you ask us, Jaequan has already succeeded at inspiring others. In addition to his resilience, the business has served as a model for community support. According to Kare11, the Minneapolis Police Department’s Bike Cops for Kids program showed up to encourage his efforts in a big way. How? They gave away free ice cream to anyone who purchased a hotdog from Jaequan’s stand. Who doesn’t like free ice cream?!
With the proper certifications and the perfect commercial stand courtesy of Shark Tank’s Daymond John, Jaequan is well on his way to building Mr. Faulkner’s Old Fashioned Hot Dog’s into a longstanding business.
This is the last week of his summer operation as Jaequan is headed to high school this September, but something tells us he’ll be back soon!