9 Cool College Start-ups

April 3, 2009 by Steve - Seton Hall

Some college students schedule classes so they can sleep in as late as possible, but not Danny Klam. The University of Houston senior, who is double-majoring in entrepreneurship and marketing, often begins his day at 3 a.m., opening one of the three Simply Splendid Donuts and Ice Cream stores he owns employing a staff of 12. Last year, it grossed $750,000 and, this year, revenue is on track to top $1.2 million. “The hours are crazy,” Klam says. “You just have to make time and get your priorities straight.”

To learn more about running the business, Klam took courses at the University of Houston’s Wolff Entrepreneurship Center. In gratitude for the advice and support he received there, Klam recently endowed a scholarship. As for Simply Splendid Donuts, Klam plans an ambitious expansion just as soon as he graduates. “We can compete with Dunkin’ Donuts,” he says, “and I see other local shops as something to acquire.”