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TRAVERSE CITY — Traverse City Central High School teacher Becky Harvey trains and inspires young entrepreneurs with her How to Start a Business class. Real skills in the real world are the basic lessons taught to prepare students for the future.
“Overall, the students are doing great,” Harvey said. “They work hard and make good choices.”
Twenty-eight students participated in the Junior Achievement School program for Fall 2022. Students were tasked with starting a business, from concept to design, product to delivery, and financial management. At the end of the January semester, classes conclude with a philanthropy lesson, with proceeds shared with the Northwest Michigan nonprofit Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Depending on the student’s interests and individual strengths, they were assigned to one of six departments: production, sales, finance, public relations, promotion, and human resources.
Founding the company began with a brainstorming session, where the class chose two products to form the basis of their entrepreneurial adventure.
“We decided on a sweatshirt and a beanie because we thought both would be great to sell in the winter,” said marketing class president Kathryn Wade.
The students branded the business “Harbour Foods.”
“Because we are located in Traverse City, we wanted to include water in our logo,” says Wade.
The front of the sweatshirt features an image of a lighthouse with the message ‘light your way’.
Each class member was responsible for selling a minimum of eight items. Promotion ranged from word of mouth, Facebook and Instagram accounts, and local media coverage.
All students met their sales targets and some even exceeded them.
“The class blew me away,” Harvey said. “Sales were low at first, but on Thanksgiving she made over $1,000.”
Wade said the biggest challenge in the class was learning to work together for the common goal of developing a successful company.
Mack Shane, vice president of public relations, said he had insight into the struggles surrounding entrepreneurship.
“As a business community, I’ve learned some of the hardships of starting a business,” he said. “It’s a lot of work and there are many decisions.”
While this class opened the students’ eyes to the ins and outs of starting a business, the essential skill Harvey wants students to acquire from the class is the importance of effective oral and written communication.
“It’s a big piece that will help them in the future,” she said. “It pushes them out of their comfort zone and develops real skills in the real world,” she said.
Harvey finds a balance between providing a backbone of support and giving students control, with the aim of helping them understand and appreciate the fruits of their labor and what it means to give back to their communities. walk the border of
A $1 donation from each item sold will be donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters for the charity of the project. Students report choosing charities that pair adults and children in need of social and emotional support. Because, like classes, organizations help young people become better versions of themselves.
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