Teenage dreams: High school students, graduates launch their own businesses

Among the small-business owners starting their own companies in Southeast Missouri are several teenagers, creating businesses in high school or right after graduating. Years of business school or technical training are not necessarily a requirement to find a career they love — some already have ideas in mind.

A history of taxidermy

Dalyn Littlepage started his own taxidermy business shortly after graduating high school. Making connections and learning from professionals, he has built up a client base and now has about 100 waterfowl to mount for his customers.Christopher Borro ~ cborro@semissourian.com

Dalyn Littlepage of Scott City has been hunting since he was in grade school, but an unexpected turn led to him choosing taxidermy as a career.

“Right when I graduated, I started doing construction and landscaping, and I found out I have a condition in my back. I have an extra lumbar vertebra, so I was having a lot of back pain. I knew I had to figure something out but I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” Littlepage said.

He started shadowing his uncle, Blake Reiminger, to learn more about the taxidermy business. Reiminger operates his own eponymous taxidermy service in Gordonville.

His 19-year-old nephew gained knowledge from him and other area taxidermists. Littlepage then launched his own business, called Littlepage Taxidermy, in January 2024, primarily working on waterfowl. He also taxidermies deer and customizes mounts of fish.

“I pretty much try to preserve the memories of hunters. I like getting to communicate with a lot of people from the area and hearing their stories,” Littlepage said.

He enjoyed building his own schedule and the freedom that came with working for himself. He filled out the paperwork to become a limited liability company and acquired state and federal taxidermy licenses.

According to Littlepage, the hardest part of owning one’s own business is building up clientele. He has acquired around 100 customers this year advertising through social media. His freezers at his home workspace are almost completely filled with waterfowl.

To mount a bird, it must be thawed and skinned. The heads and bodies are replaced with artificial molds and decorated to match each specimen.

“It goes through a pretty intense washing process in the sink. You’ve got to get all the oils and dirt out of the feathers,” Littlepage said. “Once you do the washing process, you have to get it really powder-puff dry so all them feathers take their shape back. If you do everything right, all the feathers will lay exactly where they’re supposed to when the bird was still alive.”

To finish each mount, he studies anatomy and reference pictures to pose the birds just right.

“I just like learning more and more every day. Every piece you work on has its own little issues that you’ve got to try and figure out. All of taxidermy is trying to fix things,” he said.

Littlepage recommended people learn from those with experience in their chosen field instead of solely relying on information they find online. He has done this himself when competing at taxidermy contests.

“It will make everything go so much easier and quicker,” he said.

Littlepage said he eventually wants to move into a larger workshop and make taxidermy a longtime career.

Painting a family legacy

Morgan Diamond is a fourth-generation painter and decorator. He paints the interiors and exteriors of residential and commercial buildings, such as Hudson Chiropractic's Cape Girardeau office. He started his own painting service with three workers at 19 years old.Christopher Borro ~ cborro@semissourian.com

Morgan Diamond comes from a long line of painters. His great-grandfather founded Loyd Slinkard Painting Co., based out of Cape Girardeau, in 1946. He used to work there himself before starting his own painting company, called Diamonds Edge, in the summer of 2024 when he was just 19 years old.

“I was doing a couple side jobs and I figured, man, let’s just try it and see what happens,” the now 20-year-old said.

His business specializes in residential painting, though he has done commercial painting as well. Diamond has three workers under him, some of whom he knew from his high school days. They have tackled projects across Cape Girardeau County and north to St. Louis.

“I have great workers. I can’t say better things about my workers. I love them so much. They do great work; they stay busy when I’m not there. I’m so proud of them,” he said.

Diamond studied at college for a year but decided it wasn’t the right course for him, so he ventured straight into the painting business. He said his family has been supportive of his endeavor.

“(My dad) taught me everything I’ve known. He’s wanted me to do this,” he said. “This is actually his dream to make a company. I’m just out here chasing it.”

Diamond said most people aren’t aware of the work that goes on behind the scenes at a business, such as filing for insurance and starting a limited liability company.

“A lot of people don’t see the time after hours, they just see the work during. So I’ve been staying busy trying to get everything filed,” he said.

Advertising is another factor to consider. Diamond said social media, especially Facebook, has been helpful in making Diamonds Edge find more work.

As advice to other young entrepreneurs, he recommended making connections and doing honest work.

“Do good work and your name will spread … and you’ll stay busy,” he said.

Soccer, shirts and CEOs

Waylon Huber, second from left, is one of 14 students in the first Perryville Area CEO cohort. These students learn new skills and make connections to develop their own businesses. Huber is working to create a youth soccer program; he has previous business experience running an online activewear shop.Courtesy of Waylon Huber

High school junior Waylon Huber of Perryville has started two businesses: one as part of a school program and another just for fun.

Huber participates in the newly-launched Perryville Area CEO Program. This class features students from three area high schools and is designed to give them the skills and connections needed to create successful businesses. He is one of 14 students in its inaugural class.

Each student in the CEO program works on their own business, and the 17-year-old Perryville High School junior focused on one of his favorite hobbies.

Huber is captain of his school’s varsity soccer team and aims to create a development team for it.

“I think we lose a lot of talent to St. Louis teams such as Lou Fusz (Athletic) or (St. Louis) Scott Gallagher or down to Cape like SEMO Elite (FC). I think with us being a soccer town, sports-wise, we need a soccer club to develop players that will be able to play here,” he said.

Huber will work with the Perry County Admirals, a baseball youth academy starting up this year, to create a soccer program with the same branding.

“With this, we can keep talent here in Perry County and have a soccer club and baseball all in one, then eventually, hopefully, get some other sports in there like basketball,” he said.

This would be an opportunity for young children to learn how to play soccer and would impart them with skills they could use to play for local high schools.

“I think it’s just great for connecting to this wider community,” Huber said.

It is not the first business endeavor he has come up with. He launched a drop-shipping clothing line called Elevate Activewear in January on a whim.

“I think this was just the easiest route for me to start and just get my feet in the water,” Huber said.

He made a website, designed shirts and has a team in Massachusetts create and ship them. He prices items low so those who actually make it get the majority of profits instead of Huber himself, who only designed the apparel.

“So I make a little bit off of each order, and they make some off of each order as well,” he said. “… It’s very good clothing and it’s a simple, modern design.”

Huber views these businesses as stepping stones to future careers.