Young Entrepreneur

05.12.11 (LAS CRUCES) -- As much as businesses are closing due to an unstable economy, many more are still open and finding success where they normally wouldn't expect.

There's a reason why 24-year-old Milton Winkles spends a lot of time on his computer.

"I'm always looking for the next best thing for me," he said.

Winkles happens to be an entrepreneur, he runs a business in Las Cruces buying and selling cell phones. He also repairs old electronics, a trait he learned at a very young age.

"I hate to pay somebody to do something I think I can do and in electronics I feel like, I can learn from it. Might as well take it apart and learn what I can do with it," said Winkles.

And he's taking those lessons to the World Wide Web, helping people turn their junk into a profit.

"When this ended up happening, I saw an opportunity, an opportunity to build some what of a foundation here in Las Cruces with a store front. I didn't have a store front before, a lot of people I go and talk to them about eBay and they say 'oh, okay, maybe, maybe' and I was making maybe 15 percent commission without any eBay fees. So, I was making maybe a couple of dollars here and there. It was not completely worth it, but I just wanted to get out there and see what I can do," said Winkles.

His store front is quickly filling up with items for eBay, things like computers, cameras and even wedding dresses are up for sale.

"This is one of the biggest learning experiences I ever had because you have accounting here, you have repairs here, and you got just everything that a small business needs to have," he adds.

As he builds his company, Winkles isn't taking anything for granted especially his education. He's a student at New Mexico State University and getting closer to graduation.

"I want to learn and have that piece of paper to be able to say I am qualified at doing what I am doing and I am good at it because I already have the experience necessary. In this world, its not just one thing you need, if you're going to be at the top you need every aspect," he said.

Once school is over, Winkles plans to focus more on his business, exploring new avenues and always learning every step of the way. "If this company completely fails it didn't fail at all because I learned from it," he said.

Reported by Carlos Correa

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