14-Year-Old Telephone Installer : Entrepreneur Rings Up $20,000 in 1-Boy Business
Jason Mills, 14, reaching out with his own telephone systems installation company, reports he has grossed $20,000 so far in 1986--in addition to graduating from junior high school.
Jason runs his one-boy business out of his parents’ home, installing telephone sets, control equipment and key service units that interconnect with the telephone dial tone provided by companies such as Pacific Bell.
He is too young to drive, so Jason’s mother, Jeri, takes the young entrepreneur to his job sites. She also helps handle finances of Jason’s fledgling Livermore Telephone Co., such as sales of equipment.
Customers Are Startled
Sometimes Jason’s customers are a bit startled when they first lay eyes on the “man” called to put in their new equipment.
“So in walks this kid, who looked to be about 13,” said Jim Jarnagin of Pleasanton. “I thought it was a joke.
“But he went on to pull out our old telephone system and put in a new one. And he did a terrific job.”
Jason also installed a computer system for Jarnagin and business telephones for his wife’s office in Oakland.
“The boy’s phenomenal,” said Jarnagin.
Watched Veteran Installers
He got into the installation business by watching veteran installers, Jason said. One worked for Jason’s father, Jim, who owns Big Valley Transport Co.
Jason had just turned 13 when his dad hired contractor Harold Puckeylow of San Leandro to install radios in the transport trucks.
“My mom told me to watch him,” Jason said. “Well, we started talking and soon Puckeylow was telling me how he installs business phone systems. I said I was interested in learning. Later, he introduced me to John LaRue, president of Pac West Telecom of Stockton.”
LaRue and Puckeylow gave the youngster advice and provided him with equipment to practice on. They still act as back technicians, handing out advice if Jason runs into problems he can’t untangle.
When he goes out on a job and gets “hung up,” Puckeylow said, “he phones either LaRue or myself and we bail him out.
“It’s fun. We remember back when we were Jason’s age and how difficult it was to get information from anybody. We sympathize with his problems.”
Small Business Systems
Jason catches on fast, LaRue said. Now he’s working on small individual business telephone systems that feature five lines and 20 phones.
“But soon he’ll be capable of installing systems with hundreds of phones.”
Jason will enter Livermore High School in the fall.
He wants to make enough money “so I can do things without worrying about paying for it,” Jason said. But money isn’t why he works on telephones.
“I do it because it’s fun,” he said.
