Indiana teen starts company with local business center’s help

Aleena Sallot, a 14-year-old from Margo, Indiana, is doing something different from other girls her age. She’s a small business owner.

After getting some entrepreneurial help from the Northeast Indiana Small Business Development Center, she decided to create a corporation called Boondock Designs, and she now makes custom clothing items like sweatshirts and tote bags. Most of the company’s sales are made online, but she’s also sold a number of clothing items at local craft fairs.

“My goal is to get my stuff in Seventeen magazine,” Sallot said. “When I reach that goal, I’ll be a happy camper.”

She says that she hopes to run the company until starting college in a few years, and plans to use the profits to help pay for medical school.

Indiana’s Small Business Development Centers have made a significant impact with entrepreneurs across the state. In 2009, the ISBDCs helped start more than 200 businesses and create more than 1,700 jobs. The organization says that its clients create a new business every two days.