CRAIG raig Martyn, 24, chief executive, BLMA Models, Whittier

Business: Model train accessory and detailing manufacturer

Employees: 1 full-time and 3 part-time employees

Financials: Expects 2010 revenue to hit $1 million, more than doubling from 2009; modest profit

Fact: Martyn started the company when he was 15, custom painting and detailing model trains in his bedroom.

When he was just 15, Craig Martyn thought he could make a few bucks in his spare time by doing custom-paint jobs on model trains. So he placed notices on the Internet offering his services.

Within weeks, train enthusiasts from around the world were mailing him their models for painting. Later, he started building custom parts for model trains, and he turned that into a business, BLMA Models.

When he first placed the notices, he wasn’t even sure he’d be any good at it. Martyn didn’t let anyone know he wasn’t an experienced train-painter.

“I just said it before I even knew how to do it,” he said. “I never told anybody my age. I don’t think they ever knew.”

Soon he also offered accessories, such as lights and mirrors. Martyn began selling the parts to local model train stores, and named his Whittier business Best Looking Models Around, later shortened to BLMA.

Then he realized that he could save time by outsourcing the production of the accessory parts, including lights, wheels and even a portable toilet, to two factories in the United States and two in China.

A storage unit near his home serves as a warehouse for his inventory before he ships it. Martyn’s custom details range from $4 for a pair of rearview mirrors to $450 for a metal bridge.

Martyn’s now in his senior year at California State University, Fullerton. He believes the best way to learn business is through experience, but he knows his college advertising and business courses have helped him with the management of BLMA.

“I’ve done stuff kind of through trial and error on my own,” he said. “Then I get into class and learn the formal way to do it.”

When he graduates in May, Martyn is ready to devote himself to the company full time, using his education to keep the business streamlined and effective. Though he sees himself eventually moving into a consulting role, he expects that he’ll always have a hand in BLMA’s management.

“I do this not because I’m materialistic but because I really love what I do,” he said.