Twenty-one teens in and around Plano participated in the Youth Entrepreneurship Academy presented by SCORE Dallas business mentors and the Plano Public Library this summer. SCORE is a resource partner of the US Small Business Administration.
The program was created by Julie Newport, SCORE Dallas business mentor and owner of Wild Bill’s Western Wear in the West End. The Youth Entrepreneurship Academy provides students insight into several aspects of starting a business including coming up with a unique idea, finding a target demographic, creating a team, making a sales and marketing strategy, calculating expenses and preparing a pitch.
The students were split into four teams who pitched their business concept to a panel of community judges after nine hours of team sessions and instruction. Each team was led by a SCORE Dallas mentor and librarian.
“It is astonishing what these kids can accomplish in such a short amount of time. They come up with innovative business ideas, orchestrate a budget and marketing plan, hone a target market, and confidently and creatively present to their peers and judges. What impresses me the most is how they encourage one another with grace and without judgment. It is such an exciting program for us to be a part of,” said Misty Hoyt of Photography by Misty, one of the community judges.
The winning team included Harshal Vinod Goswami, Reya Kalamkar, Alejandro Moreno, Taim Salamor and Natalya Win. They pitched an idea for a pet health monitoring device.