Hello all! My name is Jae Winchester. I have a bachelors in Entrepreneurship with a cognate in accounting from Western Carolina University. I am currently in my last year of obtaining my Masters’s in Innovation Leadership in Entrepreneurship. I am currently the Community Affairs Coordinator at Cherokee Central Schools and have been with the organization for six years. Today, I will talk about the importance of sparking the inter entrepreneur in children.
I am the afterschool coordinator for the Cherokee Central School district. This year our students participate in a local Smark Tank competition. This is a spin on the Shark Tank show on television. This year I was tasked to help with this year’s competitors. I met with the students every day after school to help them prepare for their competition. Let me tell you, I leare3nd a lot. Seeing these children’s spark for their new “Venture” was life-changing. It was refreshing to see them interested for someone unable to work in their much-loved field. We worked on the entire process—the idea, the product, how and where to sell their product. We talked about their target audience and how to sell to these folks. With minimal prompting, they could develop an entire business plan and produce and sell their product.
These tools are so crucial for the up-and-coming generations. The way we do business is changing, and giving these students the tools early in life will only help them succeed in their dreams. I make these suggestions to all business owners. If you ever have some youth member ask questions about running/starting a business, make sure to take the time to speak with them. You could be the one person who drives them to make their business dreams come true.
Truly Jae 