The Best Entrepreneurs Class of '07 Today
Brass Media

Bryan Sims, 25
www.brassmagazine.com
Corvallis, Ore.

Then:
Last year the financial magazine, which seeks to make money and finance relevant to young people, reached over 450,000 readers across the country. The company, founded by Oregon State dropout Bryan Sims, made money through ads on its Web site and its print magazine, which also let financial companies specify which addresses certain ads would reach. Sims said the 33-employee company had revenue in the low millions and had been profitable since early 2006.

Now:
Brass has launched an educational program for high school students in New York, Oregon, and Wisconsin, intended to strengthen their understanding of financial issues. "We're actually getting a lot more interest in classrooms now that the economy has struggled so much," says Sims. The company has also added more featured to its Web site, including a video podcast series that it will license to financial Web sites to educate their readers on everything from a Roth IRA to investing strategies, says Sims. In the past 12 months, he says Brass has hired three new employees and now reaches over 500,000 readers.