The Technician reports here on two young men, one in high school and one at NC State, who didn’t like the sunglasses available in stores, so they’ve started their own business. It’s a great story that gives me hope there are still young people who understand the power of the marketplace and their own dream.

Denison said he wanted to be able to buy a pair of glasses that were completely customizable.

After contacting Oakley about his idea to have a pair of sunglasses that was completely one color, Denison was told that the company doesn’t take “random requests.”

However, Denison said he just couldn’t get the idea out of his head.

“I had just spent 200 bucks on a pair of sunglasses,” Denison said. “Then it hit me. This could actually be a good idea”.

That same evening, Denison and May stayed up until midnight, sketching pictures of joints and lenses.

“Even though we didn’t have any engineering experience, we still wanted to try and see how it might work,” Denison said.

With the help of a simple Google search, Denison and May decided to actually develop the product.

“Right when I came up with the idea, I looked up ‘product development Raleigh’, and got connected with Swedish designer Fredrik Perman, the creator of The Product Farm,” Denison said.

Denison said Perman has mentored him throughout the entire process, and he even recommended them to websites to help them develop a prototype for their product.

Awesome. No government program required — just the drive to succeed.