Nov-Dec 2009

FUTURE CEO STARS

NFTE’s National Business

Plan Competition Winners!

This Issue is Proudly Sponsored By

Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship
FUTURE CEO STARS
TARS Nov/Dec 2009
In This Issue…
4 Technically Speaking
Chip Lowe

6 A1 Recreational Rentals
The Lyles Center

8 Getting Entrepreneurial
Réseau des CJE du Québec

10 IIEE’s Winners for 2009

Illinois Institute for Entre. Ed.

12 E&D’s Lawncare
NFIByef

15 Confetti Egg Anyone?

TREP$

16 WINNERS ALL!
Messy Situation?
NFTE, Inc. Find out on page 15
20 Hanging Out
Keirsten and Ebony
Published by The Consortium
23 More Bright Ideas for Entrepreneurship Education
Marketplace for Kids 1601 W Fifth Ave. #199
Columbus, OH 43212
www.entre-ed.org
26 Win $10,000 mashmore@entre-ed.org
Think outside the BUBBLE Publisher: Dr. Cathy Ashmore
Editor: Mike Ashmore
Graphic Design: SPLASH Designs
28 CLUB CHAOS
Ignite Student Advisory Board
Chip Lowe, Claire He, Micah Toll,
Kelly Rapp, Marcus Craft
30 Dreams are Contagious
Web Page Design and Management
National Museum of Education CWD

33 The Gift of Entrepreneurial Thinking

Buchholz Academy

34 WANTED - YOU!
Advanz

37 Our Sponsors
 Technically
Speaking
with
Chip Lowe
Texting in Class
Instead of Learning?

Try Doing Both!

A re you tired of the traditional raising your hand to give

an answer? What about wasting paper to give a test or
quiz, when the teacher actually generates the material on the
computer? How about teachers… Want to instantly grasp
how many students understand what you are teaching… or
are even paying attention?

The traditional classroom setting has been gradually

advancing technologically and its time for the next big
jump – Text Message Response programs. Rather than have
students write their answers to a quiz, which requires your
valuable time as a teacher in grading them; you can now
have students text in their answers. The Poll Everywhere
program will associate the cell phone number to the student
in your grade book and automatically tabulate the grade.
“What about cheating?” is the next question that plagues
technology in the education system. This is easily addressable
through randomized multiple choice options and a varying
base of questions to make it impossible to cheat. Students
will also be limited by time for each question… so there’s
no chance they’ll have time to text a friend or parent for
answers either… or even ChaCha.
(continued on next page)
Future CEO Stars Nov/Dec 2009
4
But testing isn’t the only use of poll response text messages systems, as students are singing the
Hallelujah chorus. Poll Everywhere, a well-trusted provider of this service, also provides examples
of many other ways to integrate them in your everyday routine. You can use them to do attendance,
for example. Or you can use them in lecture to receive questions in an organized manner. You can
see how many students actually have heard that story from ages ago you have been reciting as a
teacher for years on end. The overall goal of this text message response medium is to bridge the
gap between the Baby Boomer teachers and “millennial,” or tech savvy, students. The technology
integration makes teachers lives easier and actively engages students to participate.

Since both parties might be skeptical to try this out in the beginning, Poll Everywhere has made an
offer you can’t refuse: You can use their services free forever in a class setting with 30 participants.
There are a variety of plans to suit you, your school, your school district, or even your state
education department’s needs. Log on to www.polleverywhere.com to find out more.

Together, the teachers and students in the classrooms today can unite, learn, and lead the way
to a better future. But, it starts with you, the reader, right now. Take action! Whether you are a
student, a teacher, a substitute, a parent, or someone else… If we plan to improve the interaction
in education someone has to take the initiative. Get all the facts about this text message polling
system and forward it on to someone who can take the next step.

That’s what I call Technically Speaking!

Future CEO Stars Nov/Dec 2009

5
 A1
Recreational
Rentals
by Chris Callison

W hen I was six years old I can remember being a young entrepreneur. I used to sell bags
of tomatoes to the neighbors every weekend. I would load up my little red wagon
and make my rounds around the neighborhood. Then I moved up to selling cinnamon
toothpicks at age eight. My whole life I was fascinated with always finding opportunity and
trying to solve different pains in the market. As I’ve grown older I realized that this was re-
ally the start of a young entrepreneur.

My whole life I’ve had ideas of how to make something better or bring something to market
because there wasn’t anyone else doing it. Now I find myself in the recreational industry
again trying to solve a pain in the market. For the last five years I have had a successful rec-
reational rental company by offering extremely costly equipment to my clients for a fraction
of the costs. When I was young I wanted boats, motorcycles and other toys but I didn’t have
a lot of money to buy all of these items. This was when I realized that there was a need for
a toy rental business because I was not the only person who felt this pain. Five years ago we
started out by just renting jet skis and have grown our company to offer 12 different types
of recreational vehicles. Not only water toys - now we have moved into other areas as well
like camping trailers and all terrain vehicles. Soon we will be working with California State
Parks and Recreation to put our services inside the different parks and waterways, so many
new clients may use our products.

What is unique about the recreational industry is how expensive the equipment is to pur-
chase and maintain. When I sit down with a client and explain to them the costs of mainte-
nance and insurance as well as acquiring their toy on an annual basis and then discuss their
actual usage and the actual time they get to use their toys, they quickly realize that renting
(continued on next page)
Future CEO Stars Nov/Dec 2009
6
or leasing these item saves them a lot of money and allows them to use multiple different
pieces of equipment and not just the one they could buy. Once a client has owned recre-
ational equipment and realized their actual usage they quickly see the advantages our com-
pany has to offer them. Why buy one boat when you can rent Jet skis, quads and all other
recreational items for the same cost as your one payment? It really doesn’t make sense.

Our target market is really any family or outdoor enthusiast who wants to enjoy outdoor
recreation and not bear all the costs and headaches of ownership of the equipment. The
marketing technique I have found that works the best for our company is always treating
your customers the way you want to be treated. My business has flourished because of word
of mouth. Then of course, the internet has been the biggest blessing to our company as well.
The internet allowed our company to not only offer our service in Fresno County but to
reach out all over the State of California.

Overcoming the costs of the equipment was the hardest aspect of the business because we
were a little company with very limited resources. However, we started off small and have
grown our company and will continue to grow it as we move into the different Federal and
State Parks. Enjoying the outdoors is probably my greatest motivation to continue in this
industry and allowing my clients to enjoy the great outdoors as well.

Future CEO Stars Nov/Dec 2009 7

 Getting Entrepreneurial
by Katherine Korakakis

O n November 12th, a province-wide Go Venture business simulation

competition was held. During this event our spokesperson, Tatiana
Londono, was present and inspiring the participants by sharing her story
and know-how of business. Tatiana Londono lives and breathes the world of
real estate. This dynamic young agent began her career by cold-calling her
way into the real estate business five years ago. Within a year she reached
the Top Ten Agents list, thanks to her tough persona, brilliant skills and
trademark style. With sales in the seven-figure range, Tatiana decided it was
time to set up her own agency, and take on the ‘big boys’ – the national real
estate companies. Broker’s license in hand, she launched the Londono Realty
Group (Groupe Immobilier Londono). The trials of setting up her own agency
are captured by the new docu-soap, The Property Shop on HGTV. Tatiana
lives in Montreal with her husband and two young children. Here are two
stories of students that participated that day!

(continued on next page)

Future CEO Stars Nov/Dec 2009
8

Eric Berlettano, 16 yrs old
Remix Productions
passion - listening to music
Eric and his business partner, Rocco, loved
music so much that they decided to save up
all their money from work to buy equipment
to start a DJ company. By word of mouth,
their business grew. The opportunity came
when all their friends started having sweet
sixteen parties. Their price is set based on the
size of the event. They reinvest half of the
profits to buy more materials. “It’s tough to
be a business owner and a students, but we
wouldn’t change a thing, we love it!” After
his experience, Eric decided to continue his
business after graduation this year. “I can
make it happen, just like Tatiana did”.
For more information go to
re-mixprod@live.com
Future CEO Stars Nov/Dec 2009
Robyn Orsini, 16 yrs old
Passion - writing poetry & short
stories
Robyn loves to write because she gets out “all
her stuff.” “Instead of taking it out on others,
I do it on paper.” Her inspiration is music.
She would like to write music, but doesn’t
know how, so instead she writes poetry. Her
friends don’t really encourage her, but it
doesn’t matter because she loves to do it. Her
parents, on the other hand, do encourage her
and it helps. She can count on her sister for
support as well. The topics she covers in her
poetry are peer pressure, teen emotions and
feelings. After taking part in the competition
and getting some good advice from Tatiana,
Robyn wants to learn how to write lyrics for
music and wants to put a book of poetry out
that would be geared towards teens. She tells
me that she is happy, because, she knows who
she is. From having met many students her
age, I know that this is no small thing.
9
IIEE’s Winners for 2009
E very year, The Illinois Institute for Entrepreneurship Education, (IIEE) looks for exceptional
students and teachers who show entrepreneurship excellence among their peers and
colleagues. Earlier this year, one outstanding student and teacher stood out and became our 3rd
Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award winner and Teacher-Preneur of the Year Award winner
Ariell Buckingham
is the owner of Smile
Entertainment, a party
planning company that
specializes in organizing
children’s birthday parties
and handles everything
from set up to clean up.
Smile Entertainment’s target
audience is the busy parent
who may not have time to handle the planning
and organization of their child’s party.
Smile Entertainment makes sure that time is
also donated to community service projects, as
they volunteer with three senior citizen homes
to keep seniors entertained by singing, dancing
and playing games with them. They also tutor
elementary school children in reading and math.
Ariel believed that winning the IIEE Young
Entrepreneur of the Year Award would strengthen
the mission of her company. She planned on
using a portion of her monetary prize to increase
advertising and inventory for Smile Entertainment,
produce an end of the school year party for children
for their hard work and success and purchase new
games for the senior citizens’ homes.
Since winning the Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Award, Ariell has graduated from Gwendolyn
Brooks Preparatory Academy and is now a
freshman at the University of Illinois in the College
of Business. Smile Entertainment is growing as
well. She has six part-time employees and has
grossed over $10,000.
10
Craig Lindvahl
is the instructor of CEO
(Creating Entrepreneurial
Opportunities). This
unique class is made up of
students from four different
schools in three different
communities in Effingham
County in Illinois. The
class is also supported by local business partners
who serve as mentors to the students. In just a
short period of time, the class has had nearly 50
successful business people attend the class, sharing
their stories and expertise and the class has visited
nearly 20 businesses.
Craig feels that a large part of his success in
teaching the entrepreneurship class comes from
him owning his own business. His company,
Callan Films, produces television documentaries
that air on PBS and commercial stations around
the country. In October, the students hosted the
premier of a new documentary called Cobb Field:
A Day at the Ballpark. The students handled
all aspects of marketing, ticket sales and event
planning. More than 800 people attended the
premiere and they grossed over $7,000 in profit.
The profits from this event have been used to
invest in student businesses and other activities.
Future CEO Stars Nov/Dec 2009
 Apply for a
2010 NFIB Young
Entrepreneur Award

W h a t ’s
in your
briefcase?

Are you a budding entrep

reneur?
Do you know a young entre
preneur? Do you have dreams
business? If you answered ye of owning your own
s to any of these questions
be , visit www.NFIB.com/YEA
ginning Stars
Future CEO OctobAugust
er 312009
, 2009, to apply for the 2010
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Aw 11
ard.
 E&D’s Lawncare
o.ccom
occkkphoto om

by Eddie Kramer
ages ffrrro
Images
mages
IImage
mage
mag
mag stock
om IIst

W hen I was in the fifth grade, my entrepreneurial spirit had begun in Lakewood, Ohio. I
started my own lemonade stand with a friend where I sold lemonade, cookies, and baseball
cards at the end of my street. Then, when I was in the seventh grade, my neighbor asked me if I
would like to cut their lawn for twenty dollars a week. I jumped on the offer and began passing
out flyers on my street. I gained three more lawns and a few other part time jobs. I was cutting
four lawns, making sixty dollars a week—not bad for a seventh grader.

The next spring was the true start to E&D’s Lawncare. In the winter, I talked to my friend Dan,
who could drive, and asked him if he would like to join in on the business. We passed out more
flyers, which gained us ten more weekly customers to the original four. We started out using our
parents’ lawnmowers and Dan’s parents’ mini van. None of our clients could believe the work
ethic and gumption we had. After that summer, we used some of our profits to buy a 4x8 trailer
on EBay to carry our equipment along with two new lawnmowers, a weed whacker, and a blower.
By my junior year in high school we were cutting 28 lawns a week. We added even more jobs and
needed a larger trailer to accompany more equipment. We bought a $750, industrial grade trailer
that was much sturdier and more efficient. This was also the first year we sent out contracts to our
customers, which assured us that our clients would stay with us for the course of the year. We also
hired additional part time workers. Before we knew it, we were cutting 35 weekly customers, and
our business was making close to $700 a week. We also expanded our snow removal service as well
during the winter season. These successes enabled me to be recognized as an NFIB/Visa, Inc 2009
National Young Entrepreneur winner. I received a $5,000 scholarship from this award which is
helping to pay my college tuition at Miami University in Ohio.

Some strategies that we used to help increase our business would be handing out flyers on a regular
basis and advertising in the local newspaper. This allowed people to recognize our name and see us
as a viable company. Another strategy was to continue to do quality work at an affordable price so
our customers would recommend us to people they knew.
(continued on next page)
Future CEO Stars Nov/Dec 2009
12
Competition throughout the city has been one of our biggest obstacles. However, our affordable
prices and quality services have led us to where we are today. Other major obstacles include
scheduling conflicts due to school, extracurricular activities, homework, etc. Spring and fall are
the most hectic times because of school. Another is my departure to college. My current full time
employee, Cody, will be working for me during the months of September and October and hiring
additional workers. I also plan to return some weekends to work as well. One last obstacle was
the loss of my partner, Dan. Due to his college schedule and internships, I have now taken full
responsibility of the company.

Although the primary purpose of this company was to help pay my tuition for college, I also have
learned many lessons that money cannot buy. I have learned about the difficulties and advantages
of running your own business. The two most important skills I needed were hard work and
determination to get the company going. I also have learned personal responsibility along with
fiscal responsibility which are critical to the success of the business. I also have had to make sure
that my clients are satisfied, which has helped me to understand what it takes to maintain and add
additional business. Almost everything I have learned from running my own business will help me
in whatever I pursue in the future.

The most important advice I would give to a young entrepreneur is to be totally focused and
determined to make their business succeed. You also need to be fiscally responsible and have good
customer relation skills. You need to be able to stay composed under difficult situations and think
things through before making a decision. All of these skills are critically important to the success
of your business.

I intend to continue the business throughout my time in college, and I plan to sell the company
and business equipment upon graduating.

Eddie and his crew

Future CEO Stars Nov/Dec 2009

13
 By Jay Shechtman

See you next year in Chicago at IIEE’s Young Entrepreneur Conference!!!

Future CEO Stars Nov/Dec 2009
14
 Confetti Egg
mag from Istockphoto.com
m
Anyone?
By Max Revoredo
Images
T here is something really satisfying about
cracking an egg on someone’s head, especially
as an eleven year old boy!
My name is Max, and making and breaking confetti
eggs is one of my favorite things to do. So when
I started going to the TREP$ workshops in the
spring of 2009, and they told us to start thinking
about businesses and products that interested us, I
quickly settled on a confetti egg business!
Confetti eggs are a Mexican tradition filled with
paper confetti, but it was my idea to fill it with
birdseed mixed with a little foil confetti. This way,
kids could crack them outside without littering
because the birds will eat up the remains (and
certain birds like to collect sparkly foil in their
nests). I came up with a plan for packaging and
marketing them as party favors, for holidays, or
for after-game celebrations and pep rallies. I made
eggs in school colors, rainbow colors, green “Irish”
eggs, and even a package of “Over the Hill” eggs
(those were the last to go). The eggs are decorated
with food dye, so it is safe for the environment. The
birdseed made the eggs kind of heavy, and some
kids would throw them instead of cracking them
on the top of the head. So this year I’m going to
make them with just recycled paper confetti. Also,
winter is approaching in New Jersey, and kids will
not be outside as much. Paper confetti is easier to
sweep up inside.
At first I tried to decorate the eggs with egg
tempura made from the yolks, but that made the
eggs too slick to grip. We didn’t want to just throw
Future CEO Stars Nov/Dec 2009
out the insides, so we used them to make quiches,
which we donated for a teacher appreciation day
luncheon. This year I think I’m going to sell the
frozen quiches.
The TREP$ Marketplace was fun. It was very busy,
but I loved how everybody wanted my product. I
loved explaining how I made them, and I also sold
books I typed up about how to make confetti eggs;
but they sold out right away. I made 200 eggs and
sold them all, but the rainbow eggs packaged in
groups of six sold out first. My costs were the
eggs, confetti, birdseed, shrink wrap, and labor. I
charged $5.00 for a package of 6 eggs.
I definitely learned some business lessons. At first
making them was fun, but after about ninety eggs,
the work got a bit boring! I’m really proud that I
did it anyway. Some days, I would go to school
with my fingers dyed all different colors and people
would ask: “Have you been eating cheetos?” I used
it as an opportunity to talk up my product and tell
them to come to the TREP$ Marketplace and buy
some! Another lesson was how to attract customers.
We twirled a rainbow umbrella to attract attention,
then, once a few people were listening to me, the
crowd drew more and more curious people.
The best tip I learned was the value of family.
They helped me a lot and they work cheap!
15
 WINNERS
ALL !
The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) and
OppenheimerFunds, Inc. congratulate the top three winners of our
annual National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge! First place
winner Kalief Rollins from Carson, California, second place winner
Zoë Damacela from Chicago, Illinois, and third place winner Scott
Paiva from New Bedford, Massachusetts, competed against 25 other
NFTE graduates in an intense, day-long competition in New York
City in October. This year’s winners won an extra-special prize – a
visit to the White House to meet President Obama! Here these
three remarkable young entrepreneurs share their stories.

16 Future CEO Stars Nov/Dec 2009

Kalief Rollins
Phree Street Apparel
My name is Kalief Rollins, and I am 17 years old. My passions
are football, basketball, and my clothing business. I took
this NFTE class because I’ve always been told that I was an
entrepreneur. That gave me the desire to start my own business.
I wanted to learn how to make it more legitimate so I took this
entrepreneur class my senior year in high school.

It was not really that hard to come up with a business plan. I

had so many ideas in my head; I just chose the one I thought
would do the best – a clothing line, which I call Phree Street
Apparel (www.phreestreet.com). Our T-shirts come with positive leadership themes targeted
toward youth. I came up with this idea from the help of my uncle, who told me and my older
brother Anthony that we should start a t-shirt business because my brother is a very good artist
and I’ve always been a good salesmen with anything I tried to sell. So, we came up with a t-shirts
that we would want to wear but never find.

We came up with the name Phree Street because we are posing the question: Are our streets really
free? We have been in business since April 2009 and as of right now we are operating out of my
garage at my house and are doing well as an up and coming small business. The most interesting
thing about it is that I am my own boss and get to design the images that I know people will
like.

Seeing that people actually like my shirts and buy them from me all the time is one of the best
feelings in the world for me. This has changed my life completely because now I am running
my own business and making my own money, so it has matured me in a lot of ways and made
me more responsible. The most important thing that I have learned from this class is how to
determine how much to sell your product for and how much profit you should be getting to run
a good, profitable business.

Advice I would give to other young people who want to start their own businesses would be to
never give up on their ideas because nothing is impossible and any idea could work – as long as
you put a lot of hard work and thought into it you never know what could happen. Just look at
me, coming up with nothing, really. I never thought it would take me as far as it did. I have won
competitions, I got a chance to go to New York, and last but not least, I met with the first black
president, Barack Obama. I feel that the sky is the limit for Phree Street Apparel! My plans for my
business in the future include opening my own store, starting my own clothing company where
I sell more than just T-shirts, and just basically having a very successful business. I also plan to
continue my education and get a master’s degree in business. (continued on next page)
Future CEO Stars Nov/Dec 2009
17
 Zoë Damacela
Zoë Damacela Apparel
I was first attracted to entrepreneurship when I was about
eight years old. Growing up in a single parent home, I
didn’t get a lot of the luxuries that my friends had. So,
I decided to start my own business. I started off selling
greeting cards, and I made enough money to buy myself
a new scooter and new toys at just eight years old. Over
the years, I’ve started other handmade product businesses
like jewelry, beaded bobby pins, artwork, and finally, when
I was fourteen, I started selling custom made clothing. I
called it Zoë Damacela Apparel, and things took off like
crazy. I started off just selling to my friends and relatives,
but gradually people began to notice my clothing.

Since I first started, I have sold over 350 garments, $100-$350 each. I have had a yearly
fashion show for the past three years that is always sold out with over 500 guests. Now, I
have two employees and an intern, and I’m looking into hiring a manufacturer to keep
up with the high demand. I have gotten a lot of business from my website, ZoeDamacela.
com, (sometimes too much to keep up with!). I have been featured on all types of media
outlets like CBS, NBC, ABC, WGN, BBC, various radio stations, the Chicago Tribune, the
Chicago Sun Times, La Raza, hundreds of websites, Oprah’s Angel Network website and
Crain’s Business even made a video about Zoë Damacela Apparel. I even got the chance to
meet with President Obama to talk about my business!

I love running my business, but it is definitely a challenge every day. Since I’m in still in
high school, I’m constantly juggling homework, friends, family, college applications, and
extra curriculars while still maintaining straight A’s and running my business! It’s a lot to
handle, but I just try to stay focused and keep working toward my career and my future.
And, luckily, I have so much support from my mom, my family, everyone at the Network
for Teaching Entrepreneurship, my teachers Ms. Yaneck and Mrs. Kane, my mentors Deb
Quazzo, Susan Weingartner, Matthew Pietrafetta, and Larry Levy, Pam Farley and everyone
who has donated machines and supplies, the designers who have taken time to mentor
me: Shane Gabier, Annie Novotny, Lara Miller, Maria Pinto, and Donna Karan, as well as
everyone one else who has bought garments and supported Zoë Damacela Apparel!

(continued on next page)

Future CEO Stars Nov/Dec 2009
18
Scott Paiva
Express Tax Service
My name is Scott Paiva and I’m of Portuguese-descent.
I was born and raised in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
Growing up, I was enveloped by the tax and financial
industry as my father became an entrepreneur himself
and opened his own business. As I grew, throughout my
life, I started to pick up things here and there about the
industry. In my senior year of high school, I enrolled in an
Entrepreneurship class where the semester project was to
create and build a business plan. Therefore, I sprung at the
idea at implementing my knowledge in the financial world
into a real-life business.

The first idea that entered my mind for my business was to use my knowledge and
background of the tax and financial industry, but also cater it around my specific target
market: high school and college students. Knowing that many students of that age level
were not particularly very knowledgeable about the world of taxes, I finally came up with
my business. Naming it Express Tax Services, I developed a tax preparation service, much
like that of H & R Block, which centered on high school and college students. By targeting
that market, I would be able to create an atmosphere for them where they would feel more
comfortable around someone their own age, as well as receive an educational experience
while filing their taxes, since I would explain to them the process of filing and the benefits
they are receiving. As my senior year ended and I began progressing through the rounds of
the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) business plan competition by getting
first place at the local and regional levels, I thought I ran into a major obstacle as I was
going to begin my college year in Boston and my business plan focused in New Bedford.
Only then did I realize that it was a benefit considering the vast amounts of students in that
area.

Ultimately, I placed as a top three finalist in the NFTE national competition. Throughout
the process, I certainly learned some secrets of success. The first would probably be to
definitely have a background in the field you want to build a business around. The second
would be to always love what you do. Money is not all that defines success. Lastly, having a
strong philanthropy plan in your business is always necessary. There is no greater feeling to
have than to give back to community that helped shape you into the person you grew up
to be.

Future CEO Stars Nov/Dec 2009

19
 Hangin
g ou t w
KIERST ith
EN & EB
ONY

Kiersten Joseph Ebony Peterson

Seniors in the Academy of Finance and Business at
Howard High School of Technology in Delaware and
interns at the Delaware Financial Literacy Institute.

“Don't limit your challenges - challenge your limits.”

~ Unknown

With the holidays right around the corner, everyone could

use a little extra money. Think of a product or service that
you can produce during the holidays. Your business can be
anything that you would like as long as it’s legal.
This is your chance to bring out the entrepreneur in you!

x Keep a positive and optimistic attitude

x Have a catchy slogan or tagline
x Satisfy your customers
x Make the most out of your business
~ outthink the competition
~ minimize your costs, maximize your profit

For additional references and tips, visit: http://www.sba.gov/teens/

Kiersten J. Joseph & Ebony M. Peterson DFLI 2009

 Ca$hin’
for the
Holidays

Create a business that you

a s k : could run this the holiday

Yo ur T season. Be sure that it is

something that will benefit
others as well as your pocket.

Be CREATIVE!
x Put your best talents to good use.
x Do things that people do not like to do.
x Turn those nothings into somethings.

The best ideas are right in front of you!

All you have to do is open your eyes.

We want to hear from you! Tell us about your holiday business experience.
The person with the most creative business idea will win a $10 gift card!
Send your stories to kiersten@dfli.org or ebony@dfli.org by December 15.
 Future CEO Stars Nov/Dec 2009
22
Images from Istockphoto.com

MORE BRIGHT IDEAS

from Marketplace for Kids

M arketplace for Kids encourages youth to explore entrepreneurship and self-

employment through recognition and development of their inventive, creative
thinking, and problem solving skills. Nine Educational Days highlighting the successes
of participants’ projects are held throughout the state. These Education Days provide a
forum to present and explain their projects which are demonstrating entrepreneurship,
innovation, and creativity. Solving problems leads to Bright Ideas.
Michael Couse and Marisa Nelson, two participants in the Marketplace for Kids Bright
Ideas Showcase and Contest, took problem solving seriously.

Hi. My name is Michael Couse. I’m 10 years old and live in

Minot, North Dakota. My favorite things to do are mowing the
grass, doing any kind of yard work, and playing with tractors and
trains. Believe it or not, these things helped me to win first place
in the Marketplace for Kids Bright Ideas Showcase and Contest in
the Invention Category.
One day while working in the yard, I was thinking of a different
or easier way to water the yard and flowerbeds where my garden
hose couldn’t reach. I thought up this invention of WATER ON
WHEELS. It eliminates the need to carry a watering can.
With some help from my family, I took an empty water jug then drilled 2 holes in it. One
hole is on the top for filling the water in the jug. The other hole is on the bottom so the
water can come out of it. I put the water jug in my wagon so it has wheels.
I glued pipes together to form a “T” so they would not come apart. Then I drilled 8 holes
in the longer pipe for the water to flow out. I put the “T” pipe in the hole on the jug so the
water can flow through it and out the smaller holes. I also put in a turn off valve so that I
could turn the water on and off when I needed to. The jug is a simple way to transport the
water to whereever you would need it.
By using the WATER ON WHEELS you do not have to carry water in buckets anymore
it also saves you more time.
(continued on next page)
Future CEO Stars Nov/Dec 2009
23
 Turning ideas into
... ACTION!
I am Marisa Nelson and I am also 10 years old. I have one brother, one sister and my dog
Zoe! Plus, of course, my mom and dad. I live in Minot, North Dakota and I love to go
bike riding. I really like to fish and I get so excited when the State Fair is here. I also LOVE
to read books, dancing and basketball. I am proud of a couple of accomplishments I have
made. One of those accomplishments is the first place award I received in the Business Idea
Category at the Marketplace for Kids Bright Ideas Showcase and Contest! Another was
when I was participating on a basketball team and we won one of the games when I scored
two hoops at the end of the game. I was also a representative for my fourth grade class for
Character Counts. I have gone on two trips in two years. The first was Oregon with my
grandpa. We had a nice time visiting family and going to the beach. The next trip was to
Idaho with my grandma. We spent time with family and my uncle and grandma took me
panning for GOLD!! It was so much fun!
The invention of The Cupholder 4000 started with my friend Nicole. We discussed how
it would be useful to have an insulated cup holder that actually prevents your drink from
spilling. We started playing around with some ideas and the next thing you know we started
putting our project together. We molded a cup holder out of some clay, allowed room on
the bottom for a small hole (for a suction cup) and baked it. When the cup holder came out
of the oven and cooled we painted it, and attached the suction cup to the bottom.
We did have some troubles along the way. The clay we were going to use in the beginning
did not work, so Nicole’s grandma took us to get some clay we could shape better. Also, at
first the cup holder did not allow enough room for a variety of cans and bottles. We also
thought we could improve the cup holder in a couple of different ways. We could cut a slit
in the side of it so it could hold coffee mugs and we would also individualize the cup holder
to different colors and designs a customer might like.
The future for the cup holder could possibly be that we sell it at a store where a variety of
things can be purchased for about $5.00. Nicole and I decided on the name The Cupholder
4000 because it’s a cup holder and the year 4000 is in the future and no one has built it yet.
And finally, that’s my invention---The Cupholder 4000.

(continued on next page)

Future CEO Stars Nov/Dec 2009
24
 The Inaugural Bright Ideas Showcase
Participants are from left to right: Back row: John Herr, Williston; Ryan Baumgartner
and Kaleb Schaub, Napoleon; Brenden Dokken, Williston; Riley Held and Joby Walter,
Minot; Kirklin Thomas, Williston; Emilee Olson, Bismarck. Middle row: Chase Davis
and Dominic Davis, Bismarck; Hannah Sivertson, Fargo; Casondra Rutschke, Linton;
Kaydra Weigel, Jordan Huber and Marissa Nelson, Minot; Katie Nistler, Fargo; Front row:
Michael Couse, and Ty Nygaard, Minot; Jarrett Lord, Bottineau; Nicolas Curren, Dagmar,
MT; Ashley Fagerland, Williston; Courtney Smith, Palermo; Kaitlyn Kipp, Mandan. Not
pictured: Anton Skurdal

This is the final chapter highlighting the winners from the first Marketplace for Kids
Bright Ideas Showcase and Contest held at the 2009 ND State Fair. This statewide
competition encourages students who participated in the Marketplace for Kids Education
Days throughout the school year to bring their Bright Ideas forward to compete against
other students their age for prizes in a business idea category or invention category.
Winners received cash prizes for first, second, and third place, certificates, and savings
banks. All participants received a Marketplace for Kids Bright Ideas Showcase and
Contest Medallion for their participation.

Future CEO Stars Nov/Dec 2009

25
Do YOU “think outside the bubble?”
Sealed Air Corporation (NYSE:SEE), the creator of Bubble Wrap
® brand cushioning, is asking students in grades five through eight
to “think outside the bubble” for their chance to win a $10,000 U.S.
savings bond in the fourth annual

Bubble Wrap ® Competition for Young Inventors.

Original inventions must incorporate the use of clear Bubble
Wrap® cushioning, and entries must include a visual and written
description that explains the name of the invention, the purpose it
serves, how it works and how the idea was formulated.

(continued on next page)

Future CEO Stars Nov/Dec 2009
26
Three finalists will win a three-day trip to New York City,
where the Grand Prize Winner will be announced during
the Bubble Wrap® Awards weekend, May 21-24, 2010.

Grand Prize Winner $10,000

savings bond
2nd Place $5,000 savings bond
3rd Place $5,000 savings bond
The school of the Grand Prize Winner will receive a $5,000 donation. And the
teacher/mentor of each finalist will receive a $500 gift card.

Deadline for all entries is

Wednesday, March 3, 2010
For additional information on the competition, educators, parents
and students can visit

www.nmoe.org/bubblewrap/index.html

The Bubble Wrap® Competition for Young Inventors is sponsored by Sealed Air and
administered by the National Museum of Education.
Future CEO Stars Nov/Dec 2009
27
 CLUB
CHAOS!
By Kyle Bender

A s a teenager growing up in mid-Michigan, there is very little to do that keeps students my age
entertained. While surfing the Web one day to see how other teenagers occupy their nightlife,
I came upon nightclubs. The pictures looked amazing, and I wanted to be right in the center of
it all. Quickly, I researched to see where the closest teen nightclub would be for my friends and
me. Well, it happened to be an hour-and-a-half drive, but my friends and I decided to go anyway.
Once there, I fell in love with the place. The music, the people, the dancing, and the atmosphere
– I loved it all! I just wished that there would have been a teen nightclub in or near Bay City
(where my friends and I live), so we could meet people from around our area. Creating my own
teen nightclub seemed impossible.
In December 2008, I enrolled in Professor Terry Duperon’s class on Entrepreneurship and
Innovation. After taking this course, I learned to follow my dream and make it happen. I also
learned that only I could stop my dream from happening. To start, I needed a location to host my
nightclub. After speaking with my grandpa, who is a member of a local hall, I learned that I could
rent out Pulaski Hall. After booking the hall, it finally struck me that this could actually happen
and that I had a lot more planning to do. I enlisted the help of my friends for developing a club
name and a logo. For advertisement, I purchased a week of radio spot advertisements and created
a MySpace page, www.myspace.com/TeenClubChaos, to help get the word out.
Four weeks before Club Chaos started, I secured a DJ and professional security. A classmate
made some flyers, and my friend and I passed them out at six local schools the week of the grand
opening. On March 14, 2009, Club Chaos had a total of 124 teens show up! I was very nervous
because I invested $1,800 of my summer job money into this venture. Watching over as the night
progressed, I realized I made a lot of mistakes! This did not worry me, though, because Professor
Terry Duperon taught me that failure is good and without it you cannot learn. I looked at all of
my mistakes, found a way to fix them, and decided to open Club Chaos one more time to see if
I could make a profit. (continued on next page)
Future CEO Stars Nov/Dec 2009
28
August 29, 2009, was the second event of Club Chaos themed “Back 2 School Bash.” Every
expense I had, I found a way to make it cheaper or negotiate for a lower price. Advertising was
difficult because the students were not in school and radio advertisement was too expensive to get
the return I needed. A week before the show, I put up some signs around every busy intersection.
Again, my MySpace page helped out by being able to comment on all 750 friends’ walls, letting
them know about the “Back 2 School Bash.” There were only 75 teens that showed up, but they
had a great time and wanted to come back! A new DJ, new security, and new design to make the
hall smaller and give it a more “club” feeling really made a difference. Pyro Productions is our new
DJ playing the latest music on turntables. Dancing is our main entertainment just like any club
but we also have dancing silhouettes where you can dance behind a screen, which is pretty cool.
Mountain Dew pong is always a favorite; some people really get into the competition of that. We
stress teen safety by having a zero tolerance policy when it comes to drugs, alcohol, fighting or
harassment. Any teen participating in such activity will immediately be asked to leave. We have
friendly, professional security guards with experience in teen nightclubs, so rules will be enforced.
No re-entry will be allowed. Adults are welcome to tour the building from 8:00 p.m. until 8:30
p.m.
Club Chaos is Bay City’s only teen nightclub where teens can dance and meet one another. If I
keep Club Chaos going, I will exceed my start up costs. It is difficult to plan another Club Chaos
event right now because I am a full time student and I work two jobs on weekends. Once I get
a break, I plan on continuing Club Chaos because I know there are a lot of teens that enjoy it as
much as I do.

Future CEO Stars Nov/Dec 2009

29
 Dreams
Are
Images from Istockphoto.com
ockph
stoc

Contagious
T here are many young people whose dreams have actually become a reality. Through the
efforts of an organization called, “Dreams Are Contagious”, they have had the opportunity to
fulfill their dreams. These young people include inventors, musicians, writers and students whose
efforts have resulted in creations which benefit others.

Adrian Lindsey is the catalyst behind “Dreams Are

Contagious”, and his All Net Sak, which is a carrier for
basketballs, soccer balls, and volleyballs, is being sold at the
Team Shop for the Cleveland, Cavaliers. Adrian’s own invention
and desire to inspire and encourage others has been a critical
part of the success of this organization.

Dontez James is an aspiring author. As a ninth grader at

Ravenna Senior High School, he maintains a 3.0 grade average
and is a member of the Junior Varsity football squad. This year
he was honored by his classmates and elected to represent the
Freshman Class as the attendant for the Homecoming Dance.
Dontez enjoys his family, friends and writing. He has completed
one book, “We All Do Dumb Things”, and is currently working
on “Seventy Pages about My Life”. In addition, he has written a
book of poetry, “The Rising of a Young Poet”. His goals include
completion of high school and college, and hopefully playing
football for the NFL. Last year Dontez was accepted in the TRIO Upward Bound Program at
Kent State University. He is a rising star! Dontez states, “I dream of being an author/poet one
day, and to encourage other young people to make good decisions on how to handle situations. I
would like to become successful enough to be able to pay for my mother’s kidney transplant.”
(continued on next page)
Future CEO Stars Nov/Dec 2009
30
Jennifer and Jessica Macklin are twin sisters,
best friends and creators of The Tymes 2Collection” What
started out as a hobby quickly turned into a fundraising
opportunity. The company specializes in personalized
gifts and designs. The duo has always had a passion for
creating smiles on faces of others by inventing experiences
unlike any others. Whether it’s through their generous gift
giving, personal encounters, services, or advice, the twins
aspire to make a lasting impression.

“The Tymes 2Collection” believes that no two people are exactly alike, not even twins. With this
in mind, the young ladies began creating personalized creations for friends and family that would
make the gift truly their own! After all, gifts are usually given at special times in a person’s life.
Why not present a gift just as special, they felt.

The objective of their company is quite simple. The client informs “Tymes 2” of all the unique
interests of the recipient. “Tymes 2” then creates a desirable, hand-crafted, custom-themed gift
design that is typically arranged in a gift basket! The recipient receives a collection of all their
favorites.

Jennifer and Jessica are first generation college students and are recent graduates of Kent State
University. Each of the young ladies earned a BS in Molecular Biology. The petite pair is using all
proceeds from “The Tymes 2 Collection” to assist with pharmacy school admission fees/expenses.
As you can imagine, the fees get expensive when it’s “Tymes 2”. As the ladies continue their
journey on the path of following their dreams to become Doctors of Pharmacy, they sincerely
appreciate and truly thank all of the generous people that have supported, will support and those
who continuously support them, both morally and financially.

These are only two of the many success stories which are the result of “Dreams Are Contagious”.
As the efforts continue to expand, we can only hope that the ripples of caring, altruistic young
people like Dontez, Jennifer, and Jessica will inspire those around them.

Future CEO Stars Nov/Dec 2009

31
 Future CEO Stars Nov/Dec 2009
32
Images from Istockphoto.com

The Gift of
Entrepreneurial thinking
by Lauren Allen

M y mom and I love a company named Strawberry Tree Farms, so we

thought that we should find a way to get more people to fall in love
with it, too. Strawberry Tree Farms is a packaged food company that sells
pancake mixes, soup mixes and seasonings, among other items. Decorating
and packaging is a passion of mine, and I love to add my special flair to
everything I decorate. My mom and I decided to make gift baskets that include food from Strawberry
Tree Farms. Once we found an investor, my dad, we began researching where we were going to get
the baskets, merchandise, and supplies to start our company.

The biggest challenge we have faced is making the purchasing decisions of buying retail or wholesale.
Retail would cause us to charge higher prices to our customers for our gift baskets. Wholesale would
cause us to get large quantities of everything we purchased. It is also difficult knowing that we will
not receive much of a profit after our first party since we have to first pay back our investor before we
share the profit. It might be a while before it becomes worth it.

I have grown up in a house of entrepreneurs—my mom is a director for Mary Kay cosmetics and my
dad has a consulting business with his friend. My dad has given me a lot of advice on how to run the
business. My business, Gifts & Gourmet, is still just starting out. We are in the executing stage where
we are getting all of the products and accessories that we need to put the baskets together. We have an
open house on December 5th that is going to show off all of our hard work and we hope it will be a
good start to our business. I do not like planning anything; I would prefer to act rather than thinking
and deciding on all the details. My mom and I are perfect business partners because she would plan
for months if she could and I am fast to rush into things. I plan to have this business on the side to
do when I get the chance. School and swimming take priority at this point in my life. That is one
reason why it is great to be an entrepreneur.

My website, laurenallen.com, is being used for Gifts & Gourmet to showcase products, baskets, and
gift ideas for all occasions. My dad is using his consulting ideas to put my website together and have
a place to order online before the open house. We plan on sending out emails every six weeks to
customers, telling them of more gift ideas and current holiday gift baskets. My mom has found that
it is good to keep the product in front of them so that they do not forget about it. However, there is a
fine line to not bombard them with information and scare them away. I am hoping that this business
teaches me a lot of life skills and hope to benefit greatly from the opportunities it hands me.

Future CEO Stars Nov/Dec 2009

33
 Wanted - Entrepreneurial Teens Who Believe
They Can Become Business Standouts
By Kelsey Merryman and George Cravitz
I f this “call to arms” interests you, then you can
mobilize your talents, interests, and passions by
taking advantage of opportunities that will lead to
entrepreneurial stardom!
That is the perspective taken by the Susquehanna
University’s Students in Free Enterprise as they
have partnered with an entrepreneur in a series of
initiatives that nurture the development of programs
for high school students who have aspirations to
become entrepreneurs at this time in their lives,
and not wait for the future.
Students can jump start their entrepreneurial
interests by participating in a number of programs
offered throughout the United States. One
such opportunity is called the “Entrepreneurial
Teen,” and it encourages students to propel their
entrepreneurial visions, to escape the ordinary
and have fun working in a team, and to unleash
the entrepreneur in themselves to show the world
that tomorrow’s business leaders aren’t necessarily
today’s bookworms.
This program, in particular, is a spin-off of the
Leadership Institute for Entrepreneurship, a
summer program held at Susquehanna University,
a liberal arts school in Pennsylvania. Working
with the summer entrepreneur-in-residence at the
Institute, the SU SIFE Team believes that young
entrepreneurs don’t have to wait for an out-of-
school, summer experience to follow their dreams…
why not provide an entrepreneurial opportunity
that will become part of a school’s program? That
idea was the birth of the “Entrepreneurial Teen”
concept.
What has driven the development of the concept
is the response of those who have attended the
Leadership Institute and who believe that this
34
experience has influenced their lives in so many
positive ways, according to Reid Jaco, a senior at
Bellaire High School, Houston, TX, “What an
awesome experience the LIFE entrepreneurial
opportunity was. My dad is an entrepreneur, and
my first real job was working for a start-up business.
However, it wasn’t until I had the LIFE experience
that I began to understand how all the decisions
have to be fit together to impact the outcome of
your business venture.”
Rutherford New Jersey High School student Emily
Murawa, another senior who believes in the benefits
of the pre-college entrepreneurial opportunity,
agrees with Reid. “An entrepreneur must always be
aware of the current situation and make decisions
which could ultimately create a huge impact later
on. Since taking part in the LIFE program I found
out that even the smallest choice while managing
our business could have led to future problems
or dilemmas. As a result, I now try to weigh all
options and choices before deciding on a specific
action. I found that if an entrepreneur makes even
the slightest fault, his/her career and lifestyle could
take a slide.”
Cory Thomas, of Poolesville High School in
Damascus, Maryland highlights the effects of
an entrepreneurial challenge this way. “In the
(continued on next page)
Future CEO Stars Nov/Dec 2009
academic perspective, I am taking an AP Economy
class this year and much of what is covered in
microeconomics is included in the LIFE program.
While many others in my AP class have been left
behind, I have not had any problems keeping up
with the ideas and concepts. But the real value of
this summer was that I think about the whole life
cycle of business, and how - in this case - economic
principles I learn in school impact the business life
cycle. As for the career-path perspective, the camp
opened up my eyes to the possibilities of starting a
business. I use to think, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to own
your own store? Not just another franchise, but an
actual company started by me!’, but I looked as
that more as a dream than a real possibility. After
this entrepreneurial experience, I look at that more
and more as an exciting possibility to possibly
pursue in college and the real world.”
Robin Carey, from Sherman,CT, is a sophomore
at Susquehanna University. She participated in an
entrepreneurial teen program and is now applying
those skills in college. According to Robin, “Having
the chance to participate in the Leadership Institute
for Entrepreneurship changed my outlook on my
future and on my educational experience drastically.
Through this program, I was shown that there is a
way of learning that caters to my needs. Having
this knowledge helped me to look for a collegiate
program that could provide me with the same
kind of “hands on” practical experiences. Having
this entrepreneurial experience has given me an
Future CEO Stars Nov/Dec 2009
advantage in life that I would not have been able
to obtain otherwise.”
The benefits of the entrepreneurial teen experience
are also noted by a college graduate who previously
served as program assistant and worked with the
young entrepreneurs. Megan Neff, an accounting
and economics major who now works for Herbein
and Company, Wyomissing, PA, strongly advocates
teens participating in such programs. According
to Megan, “As a two-year program assistant for the
Leadership Program at Susquehanna, I was both
amazed and inspired by the endless number of
creative ideas, dedication, and willingness to work
hard that our LIFE participants showed each year.
The weeklong LIFE program is not like any other
business camp – from the time the students receive
an early wake-up call from the counselors to the
time their heads hit the pillow (which is often
very late at night or even early the next morning),
the students and the program assistants are living
the life of an entrepreneur. Through sharing this
experience, they not only learn valuable business
lessons, but also valuable life lessons about
teamwork, responsibility and accountability.”
The SU SIFE team believes that “entrepreneurial
teens” are a vital part of America’s rise to economic
stardom. For America’s teens, now is the time to
become engaged in programs or in schools that
implement exciting new learning experiences,
expand curriculum to include hands-on business
experiences, and embrace entrepreneurship
educational experiences.
Students and their parents need to initiate their
own searches for opportunities that will lead to
becoming an entrepreneurial star in the near, not
distant, future.
For more information go to
www.susqu.edu /sife website
35
 Friends of
FUTURE CEO STARS
This Publication is made possible through the Generous
Contributions and efforts of these GREAT Organizations

The COLEMAN FOUNDATION www.colemanfoundation.org

Advanz and PA Leadership Team www.advanz.biz
Buchholz Academy of Entrepreneurship www.spiritspotbhs.com
Delaware Financial Literacy Institute www.DFLI.org
IL Institute for Entrepreneurship Education www.IIEE.org
Marketplace for Kids www.marketplaceforkids.org
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation www.NFIByef.org
The National Museum of Education www.NMOE.org
Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship www.NFTE.org
USA TODAY www.USATODAY.com
CWD www.CWD.ME
Ignite - MI State University www.primacivitas.org
Georgia REAL Enterprises www.gareal.org
TREPS www.TREPSED.com
Empower Youth Entrepreneurs Inc.
Quebec RCJEQ