But probably not until he's finished writing his first book -- a simple-to-follow guide on turning passions into careers, ambition into wealth.

"My goal has always been to be a millionaire before I'm 30," the 26-year-old Tulsa entrepreneur says.

And the outgoing, always-joking Clark isn't kidding.

The 2007 Oklahoma Young Entrepreneur of the Year has snagged a string of awards and recognition in the past five years. The mobile deejay business -- DJ Connections -- that he started as a teenager in Minnesota and then reprised here from a dorm room at Oral Roberts University is a sizzling hit within the wedding and event planning industry.

Things took off after the Tulsa Metro Chamber in 2002 tapped Clark as its Young Entrepreneur of the Year.

He was operating DJ Connections from a tiny, cramped apartment, scheduling himself and eight other entertaining disc jockeys for weddings and parties.

"At that time, my goal was to do 10 events every week of the year," Clark says, recalling that impressive-sounding $182,000 or so he thought he could make in a year.

Reality, however, outpaced those early ambitions.

In 2001, Clark managed to get hired for probably close to 100 events. Now, with 50 employees who can handle 38 parties simultaneously, "We do 3,500 every calendar year," he said.

Based on business so far his year, the company is expected to pull in a little more than $1 million in total revenue in 2007.

Clark recently moved DJ Connections from a second home office to a second-floor, 4,500-square-foot suite in a centrally located midtown office building along Skelly Drive. He leases some of the space to other wedding-related small business owners, part of his plan to assemble in one place all the resources a couple could need to plan their special day.

In another six or seven months, DJ Connections will relocate to the ninth floor and into 10,000 square feet.

"We'll take over the entire floor," Clark said, and because weddings represent 70 percent of his business, space will again be leased to others offering wedding services.

He actively markets DJ Connections within a 4 ¹/₂-hour driving radius of Tulsa, but the staff has traveled as far as Colorado and Nebraska. Customers now can select from such extras as chocolate fountains, dance floors, drink machines, karaoke machines, projection systems and DVD party favors along with a deejay package that can cost from $325 to $1,000.

Clark created his own software program so the sales team that mans 23 phone lines could more efficiently book events. He also schedules a motivational meeting every Monday morning, encouraging employees to strive for the ultimate in customer service as well as promising a $100 bonus for completing a suggested reading list by his favorite inspirational business authors.

"We have a fun, exciting culture that awards good work," he said. "People want to work here."

Even Clark's father, Thom Clark, got involved. He moved from Minnesota two months ago to oversee the company's accounting and post-event quality control.

Now that DJ Connections is humming, Clark has turned from entertaining crowds through a microphone to motivating others with words.

He is six months into his book, "Entrepreneur of the Year -- Turning Your Passion Into Profits," and he plans to write more. Through Junior Achievement, he spends five hours a week speaking to area high school students about setting and reaching goals.

"I want to help people find their passion and start their own business," he said.

Success, he believes, is a choice that relies on persistence and energy, and the ability to weather failure.

"I think I'm good at applying what I know," Clark said.

What he didn't know he learned from reading books written by people who succeeded at life and business their own way.

"The deejay business worked because it was my passion. . . . There's never a day I don't want to come here."

Debbie Blossom 581-8387
debbie.blossom@tulsaworld.com