My Entrepreneurship Story
In 2015, I was selected to participate in Young Entrepreneurs Academy, a one-year course that takes your ideas and helps you develop a business plan to then present to a panel of investors. The classes were managed and taught by four different self-made entrepreneurs who were very successful themselves, and it also included trips to local business to better understand the factors of operation. I came up with an application to teach kids about a variety of careers, to better equip them to choose their desired professional path. When it came time for the class to vote on which ideas would stay, only two students voted for mine; how discouraging! I then joined a team to come up with a new idea. Again, I attempted to share my concern that young people should become more informed about their future profession and felt that a game would be the best way to do so. I continued to adjust the idea, pushing that we needed to mix these two factors: fun & informative. That is when we decided that if we created a board game, it would not only be better suited for kids, but it would also allow for a more hands-on approach to learning. After executing my revised approach with the team, the originally discarded idea became a board game called “Career Choice”. The effort paid off when we won 2nd place and a cash prize of over $1,000.
In addition to this experience, my parents were in the process of acquiring a business for a couple years, therefore exposing me to the processes that different business go through from start-up to a running place of work. I enrolled in this class because I have always been interested in the life of entrepreneurs, especially seeing where they came from and all they had to put in in order to reach success. I have watched countless hours of interviews where different entrepreneurs discuss their journeys, and they all had one thing in common, perseverance. I think this class will help further expand my knowledge on the process and journey of actually starting a business, something that I would like to do in the future.
Erick,
ReplyDeleteI like your ideas about giving people more insight into careers so they can make better life choices. Your idea about a game was spot on. No job is what it seems on the surface. For example, I don't think little boys dream of becoming firemen so they can go on multiple calls a day to tend with people having complications from diabetes and heart disease. They thought they were going to fight fires all the time and slide down the pole at the fire station. Having better insight into jobs would definitely deter some folks. A TV show would be great about this subject. "One week in the life of.."
Hey Erick, I wanted to say that your story was very interesting and your one-year course seems like it was a very rewarding experience. Your idea about creating a board game for these kids was very intuitive and I believe that this idea can actually be used in the real world. Also being able to learn from your parents and being able to witness their thought process and ideas is something you should take advantage of.
ReplyDeleteHey Erick,
ReplyDeleteThat has go to be one of the most exciting things I have heard. I wish I participated in more extracurriculars and competitions like the one you participated in. It seems that you have a great foothold and head start into a life of entrepreneurship, considering your familial ties and experiences of your own. I think both will be helpful tools to aid you in the future to come. I wish you all the best.