The Miami Herald has been following developments at The Cereal Bowl in a series that chronicles the first year in the life of a small business. These are the highlights in the short history of The Cereal Bowl:
• September 2004 -- Inspired by late-night cereal-eating marathons at school, Kenneth Rader decides that a hangout serving breakfast cereal might make a good business. The ''Cereal Project'' is born with a flurry of e-mails to his twin brother Josh and longtime friend Michael Glassman, who ultimately become partners in the venture.
• April-August 2005 -- Armed with a business plan and money from family and friends, the trio secure a 15-year loan from the SBA and sign a five-year lease on a 1,700-square-foot storefront near the University of Miami.
• October 2005 -- Amid construction delays and menacing letters from Cereality, a Chicago-based company that pioneered the cereal cafe concept, The Miami Herald starts its year-long series following The Bowl.
• November-January 2006 -- Hurricanes, permitting snags and construction delays scuttle plans for a November opening.
• February 2006 -- It takes about four months and $108,000, but on Feb. 4, The Cereal Bowl opens its doors and sees about 400 customers its first day.
• March 2006 -- Despite being aimed at the college crowd, The Bowl finds its family-friendly atmosphere is pulling in soccer moms and high schoolers. The partners shift gears, offering birthday parties and other kid-friendly amenities.
• April 2006 -- Hoping to boost sales of high-margin items such as coffee, The Bowl hires an outside marketing firm to help get the word out to the commuter crowd. They also launch a catering service.
• May 2006 -- The Cereal Bowl does just more than $90,000 in sales during its first quarter of operations but is still shy of making a profit.
• June 2006 -- As part of its marketing efforts, The Bowl sponsors charitable events, including the launch of a new cereal by Olympian Lauryn Williams. A Time magazine article about the national cereal craze includes The Cereal Bowl.
• July 2006 -- With the college crowd largely absent during the summer, The Bowl promotes itself as a summer camp destination. It's featured on a segment of CNN's 360 with Anderson Cooper, creating a barrage of franchise requests.
• August 2006 -- School is back in session and The Bowl starts seeing crowds return, but the operation is still shy of turning a profit.
• September 2006 -- Amid hundreds of franchise requests, the partners hire a law firm to assist in developing a franchise agreement.
• October 2006 -- As The Miami Herald ends its series, The Bowl is on its way to success. The company makes the pages of Entrepreneur magazine and expects to have its first franchise signed by year's end. It also records its first monthly profit.
