Young Millionaires

By P. Kelly Smith

As Jason Wall sees it, success is all about having a ball. Since 1998, Wall has been topping car antennas with happy faces, 8-balls and even cowgirls-complete with braids and hats. Wall is president and CEO of In-Concept Inc., the company behind Antennaballs.com, which manufactures more than 500,000 custom antenna balls per month.

Based in Glendale, California, Antennaballs.com owes its success to one "man": Jack. It all started when Wall saw a Jack In The Box fast-food commercial in mid-1997 that said the company had sold more than 3 million antenna balls. Sensing opportunity, Wall came up with a few designs he thought would penetrate the auto accessory and novelty industries. The designs stuck. After selling four million balls through local gas stations and convenience stores, Wall recently landed some major national accounts, including AutoZone, Circle K and Wal-Mart, and he's negotiating licensing deals with Universal Studios. With sales of $1.15 million for 1999, Wall attributes timeliness to his overnight success.

"It's very easy to think of a good idea," he says. "But I think [success] really comes down to execution and perseverance."

This article was originally published in the November 2000 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Young Millionaires.