Resources abound for kids and teens who want to explore the
world of business before starting their own. There are camps,
school programs, and national and local organizations that can help
launch your own little future Michael Dell. A plethora of books and
Web sites are available with ideas on what kinds of businesses to
start, how to get ideas and how to make them a reality.
The Kauffman Foundation offers entrepreneurial programs and
partnerships across the country for kids ages 5 to 18. There are
also internships, grants and plenty of business advice on its
Web site.
One of the most popular programs it offers at schools and camps,
Mini-Society, immerses kids in a hands-on simulation of an economic
environment. Over 10 to 20 weeks, kids develop business ideas and
experience the resulting financial, consumer and social effects.
"This isn't 'Eat your spinach, and someday you'll
grow up strong,'" says Doug Miller. "This is relevant
right here, right now. These kids are learning cash flow,
record-keeping, scarcity-and they love it. I saw a fifth-grade
class incredibly excited to write contracts and then find each
other's loopholes." The Kauffman Foundation, in connection
with YoungBiz Inc., also offers an online magazine, Y&E
(Young and Entrepreneurial), which keeps up a steady stream of
advice and profiles other young entrepreneurs.
Junior Achievement, founded in 1919 as an after-school business
club, now features an "Entrepreneur Center" on its
Web site with tips
and strategies on starting a business, and connections to experts
who will answer questions. In every state, Junior Achievement
matches volunteer businesspeople with K-12 classrooms to offer
real-world advice and experience. The businessperson and teacher
work together to set up hands-on activities that teach kids how
business works and how they can use their skills to be successful.
Any classroom can get this program for free by calling their local
Junior Achievement office.
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"Engaging kids this way shows them why their schoolwork is
important-for example, how math skills convert to business
success," says David Moore, president of Junior Achievement of
Greater Puget Sound in Washington state.
Rohan Singh, 15, the winner of Junior Achievement's 2003
Student Entrepreneur of the Year award, credits his success to his
early training and his parents. "In seventh grade, I had no
idea what the free enterprise system was, and I didn't
care," says the teen. After taking a Junior Achievement class,
he wanted to start a business right away. "My parents had me
draft a business plan to show I was serious," Singh remembers.
His Woodinville, Washington-based business, Fuzzel Fish, in its
second year and grossing $3,000 annually, sells software (written
by Singh) that helps people create Web sites. "It's very
cool to say you own a business," says Singh, whose parents
emigrated from India when he was 4. "It's part of the
American Dream."
For high schoolers who might like to compete with other kids
around the nation, Junior Achievement offers JA Titan, a Web-based
simulation where kids get to set prices, R&D spending and other
factors, and then play along as economic factors beyond their
control change. The Kauffman Foundation has teamed up with Disney
Online to offer Hot Shot Business, an online simulation game for
tweens that lets kids start a pet spa, a skateboard factory or a
comic book store and introduces the concepts of financing, customer
demand and pricing-with lots of decisions to make.
Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE)
is a program where participants learn business acumen and ethics at
the same time. Teams of high schoolers countrywide, mentored by
college students and local businesspeople, compete tournament-style
against other schools to come up with the best business idea. In
the process, they learn they can become entrepreneurs and help
their communities. One winning team created an on-campus lunch cart
for their high school: It was a profitable business and helped
reduce truancy by keeping teens on campus during lunch. Dr. Curtis
DeBerg, founder of SAGE, says, "Our future community leaders
should have a sense of social responsibility. If you don't
teach it, it gets lost."
Kids get hooked on entrepreneurship because it's the
ultimate form of self-expression, says Drew. "Kids take their
talent, skills and interests and create something out of
nothing," she says. "We teach them the skills to make
their ideas into reality, and they can use those skills throughout
their careers."
Will all this fuel their desire to sell the next big thing when
they grow up? Chris Miller says it doesn't really matter,
because either way, there are significant long-term benefits for
the kids. "When young people see they can contribute to a real
business, it gives them confidence that they can make an impact on
their world," he says. "This self-belief is a fantastic
gift to give a child. They'll have the confidence to change
things. Whether or not they decide to run their own businesses,
they will feel they have choices in life."
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