Niche Biz: Indie Rock Bands
As a member of an indie rock band while a student, Alex Tchekmeian agreed to handle his band’s finances and order necessary merchandise like T-shirts and stickers.
When other bands asked him for help, he agreed, starting several businesses that relied on subcontractors.
He says that three years ago he started to take the business seriously, and dropped out of the University of Central Florida to devote more attention to it.
Today, 20-employee AKT Enterprises consists of 15 businesses that revolve around the music industry and include merchandising, Web development, and online ticketing services.
Most of AKT’s clients are hardcore bands and record labels. Tchekmeian says the business had $1.3 million revenues in 2006 and estimates it will earn just over $3 million in 2007, with the bulk of the income coming from merchandising, all of which is produced in-house, because he doesn’t “trust the quality of anyone else out there.”
As the business has grown, he says he’s received a number of offers from potential investors but has turned them down because now he doesn’t need the money.
Photo by AKT Enterprises.
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