Against the overcast, quiet backdrop of Rodney Bay Marina, 16-year-old Elim Estava and his mother Darnelly Estava-St Ange paused their pre-travel preparations to sit down with the St. Lucia Times to share the inspiring origin story of the young man’s bold new entrepreneurial venture, King of Clean Marine Services.
Tall, laid-back and remarkably thoughtful for his age, Elim openly admits he carries a small amount of nervous excitement as he navigates his first months running a business while still balancing studies at the Saint Lucia Sports Academy. Just two months before this conversation, he stood before a packed crowd at the islands’ first ever Creativity and Innovation Forum to formally announce his launch, a leap of faith encouraged by his mentor from the program, Natalie John. The early returns have already been promising: his dedicated business Instagram page has quickly built an engaged audience of local boat owners.
The business idea grew organically from Elim’s lifelong connection to the water, a bond rooted in his family’s multi-generational history of sailing. It all started when he helped a friend scrub down a long-uncleaned vessel, and he felt immediate satisfaction seeing the dull, neglected boat shine again after a thorough cleaning. He brought the idea of turning this enjoyable task into a full business to his mother, and together they mapped out the brand: King of Clean, a name that honors Elim’s grandfather while nodding to his commitment to spotless results. Today, Elim offers comprehensive hull scrubs plus full interior and exterior cleaning services for marine vessels, with plans to expand his offerings as his customer base grows.
Beyond his entrepreneurial pursuits, Elim is also an accomplished competitive cyclist who competes at the national level, proving his ability to juggle multiple passions alongside his high school studies. But his path to launching his own business has not been without obstacles. Elim lives with ADHD and dyslexia, neurodivergent conditions that have led to unfair misunderstandings in some academic settings. In interviews, Elim and his mother explained that many educators fail to accommodate neurodiverse learning differences, often writing off struggling students as unmotivated or difficult rather than investigating the root of their challenges. While Elim has found supportive mentors including cycling coach Andy Bail and some understanding school faculty, his family has long fought to reframe what success looks like for neurodivergent young people.
As a parent, Darnelly has positioned herself as Elim’s biggest advocate and supporter, rejecting the common narrative that pushes all young people toward traditional employment after graduation. “The education system often trains young people to be employees, but I want Elim to chart his own path,” she explained. “I’ve always told him that success doesn’t only come from academic excellence. You can thrive in any field you’re passionate about, so long as you commit to it.” She added that from the time Elim could walk, he has felt most at home on the water, so building a marine-focused business was a natural fit for his strengths and interests.
For Elim, building his own business is also a personal stand against the negative cycles that trap many young people in his community. He notes that too many local youth with untapped talent end up drawn into gang violence, in large part because they lack the support and encouragement to pursue their own positive ambitions. “I want to build something of my own, for myself,” he said. “I want to show other young people what’s possible when you get the right support.”
Just over a month into official operations, Elim is still balancing business growth with his academic responsibilities, so he is moving at a deliberate pace, sourcing all his current clients through his Instagram page. After he graduates, he plans to scale the business, expand his service range to cover more vessel types beyond the sailboats he currently serves, and eventually bring the King of Clean brand to other countries. For now, though, he remains focused on what drew him to the work in the first place: helping more boat owners get back that sparkling, like-new finish he loves to create.