This may be the age of the small business, but it takes a dedicated spirit to keep a small business running. First Coast Home Pros (FCHP) was built by an entrepreneur who understood the challenges that could influence a business’s success.
Today, after over a decade of service to the Sunshine State, founder Joshua Kennedy wants to encourage a new generation of entrepreneurs to follow in his footsteps.
It was that community-oriented goal that led Kennedy and the FCHP scholarship selection committee to choose Bronson Andrus of Brigham Young University as this year’s Young Entrepreneur Scholarship recipient. Andrus received $2,500 to support his academic ambitions at the start of the 2023/2024 academic year.
A Business Built on Dreams
Andrus elaborates on his entrepreneurial ambitions in his scholarship application essay. Starting in June 2022, he brought together what would slowly become A Team Cleaners and Detailing with the goal of making enough money to buy his soon-to-be wife a wedding ring. Much like First Coast Home Pros, Andrus sought to make that money by cleaning windows throughout his Utah community.
Andrus reports going door-to-door to advertise his services. Together with a team of his friends, he saw a profit of nearly $20,000 that summer. A Team Cleaners and Detailing helped Andrus make enough money not only to buy a wedding ring but also to afford tuition and business expenses.
Unfortunately, the run of good fortune couldn’t last. The weather in Utah drove away window cleaning clients. Fortunately, Andrus knew how to pivot. A Team Cleaners and Detailing now offers car detailing services in addition to window cleaning services, all the better to serve an in-need community.
It was Andrus’s determination, followed by his ability to stand in the face of adversity, that made him stand out to the FCHP team.
Inspiration from a Family of Entrepreneurs
Andrus reports that he comes by his nature for entrepreneurship honestly. “My biggest inspiration is my dad,” he says. “He is a business owner, but more importantly, a family man. He always puts his family first and somehow always makes time to talk with all 5 of his kids when we call him.
“I would love to be like my dad to provide a good living for my family and spend good quality time with my wife and kids,” Andrus continues.
This family connection, alongside Andrus’s penchant for collecting business cards, that he says pushed him toward entrepreneurship. It was his own determination and dedication to hands-on marketing, though, that have propelled him into the position he holds today.
Andrus and a Team Cleaners and Detailing
Andrus doesn’t operate A Team Cleaners and Detailing alone, though. He notes in his essay that he does his work alongside a group of good friends. This team works together to gather referrals, market by word of mouth, and maintain their digital presence. Andrus is even in the process of expanding the team by looking for a Project Manager.
Andrus already had the leadership skills he needed to take on the position of A Team Cleaners and Detailing’s owner and operator, thanks to several years of leadership development through athletics and service to his church. Now, those leadership skills have paid off.
Andrus seems to have inspired significant team loyalty and put his team’s development first. The company’s motto of “win, win, win,” – a win for customers, a win for employees, and a win for the company – becomes all the more true in the face of this productive cooperation.
Andrus’s Ambitions
Andrus currently attends Brigham Young University through the BYU Strategy Program and Marriott School of Business. He plans to graduate in April 2025. After his graduation, he plans to run a consulting firm that helps small businesses find their footing in a tumultuous economy. He wants to introduce new ideas to the consulting sphere that revolutionize small business growth.
Andrus also reports an interest in his church, community, and family life. He wants to raise a family after he graduates while continuing to dedicate his time to his neighborhood.
More About the Young Entrepreneur Scholarship
Andrus isn’t the first student to win FCHP’s Young Entrepreneur Scholarship. He joins the ranks of 2021’s Simon Barn and 2022’s Nicholas Huffman. FCHP looks forward to awarding this scholarship to another entrepreneur at the start of the 2024/2025 academic year.
Students interested in applying for the Young Entrepreneur Scholarship should submit all of their application materials, including an unofficial transcript and scholarship essay. Students applying for the scholarship must have started a business or have implemented plans to start a business upon submitting their application.
FCHP Congratulates Andrus on His Determination and Spirit
Bronson Andrus’s scholarship essay depicts a young man willing to work hard to make his future brighter. The team with FCHP feels he is a kindred spirit and applauds a fellow window washer for his entrepreneurial spirit.
FCHP congratulates Andrus again on his determination in the face of adversity and hopes that the $2,500 scholarship reward serves him well.
Students interested in following in Andrus’s footsteps can keep an eye out for updates about the 2024/2025 FCHP Young Entrepreneur Scholarship. FCHP looks forward to accepting next year’s scholarship applications soon.