SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s youngest entrepreneur is from Cedar City, and he’s only 15 years old.
His name is Caleb Nelson, and he’s the founder of Romeo’s Rickshaws, a pedicab company based in his hometown.
Nelson was listed as Utah’s youngest entrepreneur on a new report from Business.org, which shared each state’s youngest entrepreneur.
The report's researchers read through news articles from the past 18 months. The report only mentioned entrepreneurs who allowed age, names and businesses to be mentioned.
The report said Nelson launched his pedicab business to help his town’s tourism sector. He worked specifically to launch his pedicabs during the Utah Shakespearean Festival.
He doesn’t charge flat rates, either. He works on tips alone and places ads on the side of his pedicabs, according to the report.
But Nelson is far from the youngest entrepreneur in the country. Chloe Smith, 7, of Louisiana, takes that honor. She runs Chloe’s Teacakes, an eatery that uses her great-great-grandmother’s recipe to make tea cakes and baked goods.
Raelynn Heath, 8, of Missouri, stands right behind her. She started her jewelry-selling business when she was 4.
In Idaho, Brighton Hood leads the way at age 14 with her business, The Change Bands, which sells custom items at craft fairs and through Etsy.
Utah is often seen as one of the best states for business. A CNBC report from July 2018 ranked Utah as the third-best state for business, falling only behind Texas and Washington state.
Forbes listed Utah as the best state for business in 2016. But the state fell to No. 3 on that list because of its rising business costs and a softer economic outlook.