Local Young Entrepreneur Celebrates 11 Years in Business

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - Aug. 6, 2014 - PRLog -- Eleven years ago, Keddrain Bowen opened his first business, KD Urban Wear, at the Mall of Johnson City—from the trunk of his car with only $300, a degree in Sports Management and a dream.  He now operates two sportswear retail stores doing business as Fanatics 101, with one in Asheville, North Carolina and one in Johnson City, Tennessee.  Together, both stores provide jobs for up to 20 employees.  In 2013, Bowen was recognized as the Young Entrepreneur Winner at the Annual KOSBE Awards, the longest running and most recognized small business-focused awards program in the Tri-Cities area.

When asked how he has survived and succeeded, Bowen replied: “My faith and desire to put God first instead of only focusing on my business.  When you have a business, there are people involved—employees and customers.  Customer satisfaction is at the heart of our business.  I have devotedly invested a significant amount of money hiring and training young employees using our own “Playbook,” who have stuck with me.  Our success is built on satisfied customers and satisfied employees.”

In 2013, Fanatics 101’s president and founder started another venture, Appville 101, which celebrates its milestone one-year anniversary this year.  Appville 101 is located in Johnson City, Tennessee.  To date, Appville 101 has designed and developed more than 60 apps on iPhone, iPad and Android for diverse industry categories including but not limited to Restaurants, Realtors, Lifestyle, Education, Healthcare, Retail, Nonprofit, Finance, and Service.

Bowen believes he has a competitive advantage over major rivals.  “Our clients experience unparalleled development excellence through our apps, which are not only polished-looking, easy-to-use and easy-to-manage, but expandable and affordable—for a startup or mature business.  Our customers consider us a partner, not just a service provider.”