Eric Knudson, a senior at Richard Montgomery High School, started his own tennis instruction business with classmate Jim Liu in the fall of 2005, called Serve It Up Tennis. Since then, they’ve taught about 700 students. They’ve placed second in Ernst & Young/Junior Achievement’s Youth Entrepreneur of the Year Competition, and Knudson was recently awarded a $40,000 entrepreneurship scholarship by the McKelvey Foundation.
How did you get your start in tennis?
I started playing when I was 4. My grandfather, who is 89, taught me. It’s a lifelong sport. Now I play on our high school’s team.
Why did you decide to start the business?
I realized there’s a big market for cheaper lessons. Local clubs charge $70 for private tennis lessons and $30 for group lessons. We charge $30 for private lessons and $15 for group lessons.
What are some lessons you’ve learned about running a company?
What surprised me was all the different skills we had to learn. We worked with a lawyer to write up a contract and file all the bureaucratic paperwork. We’re waiting to turn 18 to officially become an LLC. We learned how to edit HTML and started our Web site, and we’ve done more marketing this year.
What do you enjoy most about coaching tennis?
I love the social interaction. We emphasize “play to learn” with a lot of fun and games. Our two biggest groups are 8- to 12-year-olds, and retired people over 50, and they require two distinct sets of coaching skills. High school coaches can relate to young kids, and older adults don’t have to feel self-conscious.
What are your plans after graduation?
I applied to the University of Virginia and the University of Maryland. I’m really into politics and business.
What will happen to the company?
We’ve moved all of our infrastructure online, including payment, scheduling and signups. We hope to run the business from college, and we have 18 coaches
