Entrepreneurial Superstars

Company: Roc-a-Fella Records

Location: New York City

Business Began: 1995

Start-Up Cost: $250,000

1996 Sales: $8 million

1997 Projections: $35 million

It didn't take long for Roc-a-Fella Records' Damon Dash, Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter and Kareem "Biggs" Burke (left to right) to score a hit in the music business. The three young partners (aged 25, 26 and 22, respectively) struck gold with their first release-a rap album by Carter. And, adding the Bugs Bunny rap for the recent movie "Space Jam" to their record of accomplishments, they show no signs of cooling their hot streak any time soon.

"We want to make a big conglomerate out of Roc-a-Fella," enthuses Dash. "We're coming out with a magazine, we're doing a movie, and we're also [planning] a clothing line."

Sound overly ambitious? Don't bet against the Roc-a-Fella trio, who initially launched a multigenre record label to showcase Carter's talent. The label now boasts two additional rhythm-and-blues artists. "The bottom line is that the major labels are putting out music that is made from the street," says Dash. "And we're the closest to the street, so we know how to do it better."

Set to release four albums this year, Roc-a-Fella Records looks to make 1997 particularly noteworthy. "The more success we get," asserts Dash, "the more things we want to do."

This article was originally published in the April 1997 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Entrepreneurial Superstars.