ATLANTA — The hotter temperatures are good business for Atlanta's youth who make money selling water, otherwise known as “water boys.”
Back in October 2023, 11Alive told the story of three water boys who turned their hustle into a successful, registered business. Behind them was the program Helping Empower Youth, or Hey!, that made it happen.
Mekhi Wilson is 19 years old and co-founder of Water Boyz in the Hood. He started by looking to envision a better life for his future and family. He hit the streets with his friends and a case of water.
"I grew up in like, a five-, six-, seven-sibling household. My mom was a single mom, so, like, I couldn't really get everything," Wilson described. "I wanted to go to school, and my way of hustle is, I grabbed a case of water and went to Northside Drive and just started selling water."
Over the years, competition popped up, and the water boy hustle took over the city. While some deemed them a nuisance or fought to ban their presence, the group Helping Empower Youth wrapped their arms around the boys and turned them into businessmen.
Through the program, the teens were able to get answers to things like: "What does an LLC mean, or a C Corp or a Benefit Corp? What does it look like to budget? Having a personal account on a business account."
As they completed those series of workshops, one of the gifts to them was having their businesses registered with the secretary of state, the City of Atlanta and their business licensing office.
The co-founder of Hey!, KaCey Venning, said the organization specifically created Hey! Hydrate! to help the water boys scale legitimate businesses. Four years later, the program reports that 18 of them have acquired LLCs.
“Now I run my own business,” Mekhi said. "And, so, I go around daily with my water, because we have our own brand of water now. So, I go around in different stores in and around and try to get my orders in there."
The guidance from Hey! not only made him a business owner but also a high school graduate -- he wasn’t enrolled in school when he entered the program. His focus was on making money for his family, but his mom had a dream for him to finish school.
Meanwhile, Mekhi is seeing success every summer and brings a new group of water boys facing the same plight. Many of the young people who come to the Hey! house on Atlanta’s west side live 300% below the poverty line.
Venning said the greatest need right now is money and mentors. The program is currently full. $10,000 would help them hire five more young men to teach them how to sell water through bulk sales and e-commerce. To donate, visit Hey!