Friday, May 13, 2016

My Entrepreneurship Story

One of the most memorable entrepreneurship experiences I have had so far in life was in my junior year of high school. Throughout my four years in high school I was highly involved in an entrepreneurship program my school offered. During my third year an organization called “Junior Achievement” worked with my class and another to help us learn to think like an entrepreneur and raise money for our program. I was elected on the executive board for this task and together we brainstormed innovative ways to raise money. The idea we came up with was to call restaurants that do not have the typical table topper (see image below) and ask them if we can put one that was full of business cards on their table for about 6 weeks. Once we got approved by particular restaurants to carry out this plan we then began to contact local businesses that would like some cheap advertising around town! Once a business would say yes we would ask for a business card and charge them $80 for the entire 6 weeks. We gave each business 6 tables and each table topper held 6 business cards that were enlarged and laminated. The whole process taught us how to network within the local community, as well as learn about the process of entrepreneurship and advertising. Needless to say our "out of the box" idea was far more effective than the other class that just made  tie dye hoodies with their company name on them, (“fye dye”).

The main reason I chose this course is due to my past experiences in high school with entrepreneurship. Every time I would take on a new project or come up with new ideas I would always get an enormous sensation of anxiety but also excitement, which I loved. Although I feel like my entrepreneurial skills have been well developed throughout my four years in high school I believe there is always room improve and expand my skills in this field. I want to learn more about the process of entrepreneurship as well as network with other young and motivated entrepreneurs in my gator community.


4 comments:

  1. Hey Collin! Your entrepreneurship story was enjoyable and unique. Though my school didn't offer an entrepreneurship program, we did have many fundraisers in which I was required to plan and execute. Your approach was fantastic and probably would've been used at my school as well! I definitely believe that both the format and content of this course will help you improve your entrepreneurial skills beyond the high school level.

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  2. Hey Collin!
    I am very jealous that your school offered an entrepreneurship program, I would have loved that because I want to own my own business some day. I thought your idea of charging different companies advertising for 6 weeks in a restaurant's table topper was very smart and a good way to make money!

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  3. Hello Collin, I am learning a lot about entrepreneurship through the Innovation Academy. I wish I could've been exposed to it as early as you were. It's so important to hold characteristics that will help you succeed in any dream you hope to accomplish. I've done something similar when advertising for organizations and it is very helpful, I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who thought so!

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  4. Hey Collin,

    That seems like an amazing experience that you had back in high school. Even in general, you appear to a show consistent dedication with entrepreneurship through your 4 years. We won't see each other, but I can easily tell that you are going to excel in this class and the assignments. It is always good to improve, and you may even pick up a few extra tips and tricks along the way in this class. Keep on trucking!

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