OCTOBER 2007

$2.50 US

In This Issue
Playing It Forward
Illinois Institute for Entrepreneurship Education

Seeing The Light

Buchholz Academy of Entrepreneurship

An “ARRAY” of
Opportunities
Prominent Youth

Cesserly Rice, Owner of

CR Sports Management
 Is Your Invention
Sitting on the Shelf?

Take it to the

HUB!

www.YoungInventorsHub.com
 October 2007

In This Issue… Celebrating Future CEO Stars!

4 Hill’s Fabulous Bookmarks
National Council on Economic Education
5 Shaping My Future My Way
Réseau des CJE du Quebec
7 Business Ventures
Home Builders Institute
The Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education has been providing leadership for
over 25 years. Our primary focus has been assisting instructors, which has been
quite successful, but we still felt something was missing…and that something was
direct communication with the students.
Knowing that “experience is the best teacher”, we decided that who better to com-
municate with potential young entrepreneurs than young entrepreneurs themselves!
Thus, Future CEO Stars was born.

8 Emily’s Advice
9 Playing It Forward
IL Institute for Entrepreneurship Education
10 It’s October…Merry Christmas!
11 My Big Fat Entrepreneurship Competition
Arizona State Department of Education
Our mission is to create a monthly publication that features successful young
entrepreneurs from Consortium member organizations…designed to generate the
entrepreneurial mind-set!
Each issue has feature articles dedicated to stories written by students that tell
the secrets of their entrepreneurial success. Our hope is that this magazine will
motivate, educate, and stimulate young people to follow their examples and chase
their own dream.

12 Life After DECA

DECA, Inc. Founder of National Entrepreneurship
Week, the Consortium for Entrepre-
13 Building a Better Future
neurship Education is a non-profit
National Museum of Education
collaborative representing 90+ mem-
ber organizations from national, state
15 Everyone Wins!
Marketplace for Kids and local levels. Together we repre-
sent over 40,000 teachers and more
16 Entrepreneurs Through History than two million students.
18 Seeing the Light Our common bond is the philosophy
Buchholz Entrepreneurship Academy that “to be successful in the emer-
gence of a new global marketplace,
19 Island Entrepreneurs
entrepreneurship education should
NY REAL
be a critical component of the overall
21 Ask GoVenture education experience as a lifelong
MediaSpark learning process.”
Published by The Consortium for
Entrepreneurship Education
1601 W Fifth Ave. #199
Columbus, OH 43212
www.entre-ed.org
mashmore@entre-ed.org
Publisher: Dr. Cathy Ashmore
Editor: Michael Ashmore
Graphic Design: MediaSpark Inc.
Graphic Artist: Jeff MacNeil
Publishing Advisors:
Soorena Salari, Young Inventors Hub
Al Abney, Consortium Advisory Council

22 NEW Skills We invite readers to meet the Annual Subscription Available - $25.00
National Entrepreneurship Week 2008 Consortium members at: Contact: mashmore@entre-ed.org

23 A New Home…A New Perspective www.entre-ed.org/_contact

NFTE
Learn about the Young Inventors Hub Cover page background photo
©iStockphoto.com, Greg Sachs
24 What Do You Expect? at:
25 An Entrepreneur’s Life Lessons www.younginventorshub.com
Youth Entrepreneurs of Kansas
Join us!
27 Candy Kids of San Juan County
Utah State Office of Education

28 Take Note
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation

30 An Array of Opportunities
Prominent Youth, Inc.

31 Our Sponsors
 Hill’s Fabulous Bookmarks
BY MAHERA BADAT
M y name is Mahera Badat and I
attend Emmett and Sarah Hill Inter-
mediate School in the Aldine Independent
School District in Houston, Texas. My
school is a fifth and sixth grade magnet
school that focuses on economics and
entrepreneurial spirit. All of the students
in my school have the unique experi-
Mahera Badat of Hill’s
Fabulous Bookmarks
ence of learning their core subjects and
all about how to establish a profitable
business at the same time. At Hill EXCEL
Academy, my classmates and I are busy
with economic lessons and projects.
Last semester, I took an economics and
entrepreneurship class. In this class my
teacher, Mrs. Guy, taught us about
economics and how to run our own busi-
ness. My classmates and I experienced
everything about operating a business
including: product development, market-
ing, business accounting, and sales.
We chose business partners
4
to start our venture. Many different
businesses were created by my class-
©iStockphoto.com, Joe Peragino
mates. Some students started a lotion
and soap-making business and others
started a student photography business.
My partners and I decided to start a
bookmark business. We called ourselves
Hill’s Fabulous Bookmarks Inc. Hill Intermediate and the Texas
My company went through each step of
Council on Economic Education
business planning. Hill’s Fabulous Book- (TCEE) have worked together to
mark Inc. developed a written business bring resources and high quality
plan. We researched and designed the
bookmarks. We made sure that they
professional development to the
were unique and of high-quality. Next, staff at Hill. Through a three-day
we set a competitive price for our prod- economics institute and a number
uct. Then, my partners and I planned all
of the marketing for our business. We
of professional development
broadcasted catchy commercials over sessions, TCEE has worked with
the school’s announcements and we staff at Hill to develop a working
hung ads all over the place. Finally, my
school held a campus market day to sell
knowledge of basic economic
the different student-created products. principles and teaching strategies
Students, faculty and staff were invited to introduce those principles to
to go on a shopping spree at our market.
My bookmark business had a profitable
fifth and sixth grade students using
day. We sold more products than all of materials created by the National
our competitors. Council on Economic Education
The experience of running my own busi- (NCEE).
ness will stay with me forever. I gained
many valuable tools about economics
and entrepreneurship. There is a big
difference between learning from a book
and actually doing it, which really drives
a lesson home. I know it certainly did for
me! I look forward to the future and plan
to use what I’ve learned about the busi-
ness world to be successful in everything
I choose to do!
Future CEO Stars October 2007
Shaping My Future My Way
BY SAMY PERETZ

I was 12 years old when I got my first computer and right

away learned about all the wonders it held; computers have
been my passion ever since. I have always wanted to be my
own boss, but I never knew that it was possible for me. There’s
something great about being able to do what I love on a daily
basis and making a living out of it. My business idea came
to me from my friends and family. They would ask me to fix
their computers and wanted me to teach them how their com-
puter worked while I was doing it. I also discovered that many
people buy electronic devices in order to simplify their lives but
do not have the time to learn how to use them optimally. That’s
where my business comes in, it’s called Spank Solutions and it
offers training in computers and hand held items such as PDAs
and PC repair.
I started my business while I was still in school. It was hard at
first, but I found many people ready and willing to help me
get my business going. I graduated from a 3 month “starting
your own business” course with the knowledge I needed to
begin my career. I received the majority of the help and guid-
ance I needed from going to my local Youth Center (Carrefour
Jeunesse Emploi NDG). It was there that I was introduced to the
Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge. I was able to speak with an
entrepreneurship officer who steered me in the right direction. By
guiding me and asking me questions that helped me tailor my
business, I was able to get the help that I really needed. Samy Peretz
A typical work day for me starts early and ends late. Because
of the nature of my business, I have my office at home where
I do the PC repair. I also go to clients’ houses to do computer I am very excited about my future and cannot wait to see what
and PDA training. This gives me the advantage of not having it holds for me. If you dream of becoming an entrepreneur
to pay for rent or utilities. All the profit I make gets reinvested and work hard enough, you can do it; I did! You can contact
in my business so that it can grow. The days go by really fast, me by going to my blog: spankpc.blogspot.com or my email:
but because of what I do it never seems like work to me. There spankpc@gmail.com
is a lot to be said for loving your work. If you would like more information about the Youth Entrepre-
Some of the challenges I have faced include being able to juggle neurship Challenge, please consult the following websites:
my personal life with my business, and getting customers to www.defi.gouv.qc.ca www.jnce-ned.qc.ca
trust in my abilities. It’s not always easy to get customers to trust www.cjereseau.org
a young entrepreneur but when they do they don’t regret it!
Lessons I have learned:
• Believe in your business, others will follow;

• Take advantage of all the free help around you (youth

centers, after school programs, entrepreneurship centers);

• Use the internet, there’s a multitude of free resources there;

• Get a mentor.

Future CEO Stars October 2007

5
 Future CEO Stars October 2007
6
Business Ventures in the
Residental Construction Industry
It’s Exciting! It’s Fun! It’s Challenging!
A re you in high school thinking about graduation? Will you
be seeking employment, looking for technical training,
attending community college or headed for a 4-year college or
university? What is your unique talent? Want an industry that
is financially rewarding, gives you the option of working inside
or outside and allows you to become your own boss? It’s time
you explored the numerous entrepreneurial career opportuni-
ties in residential construction. It is well known that construction
offers more opportunities than most other industries for individuals
who want to own and run their own businesses. There is
something for everyone!

©iStockphoto.com, Kativ
What you can do now!
• Send in your entry to build your dream (play) house
for Making a House a Home by December 2007 to
win $200.00 for your entrepreneurship program.
HBI will provide the playhouse plans. Here’s how:
Ask your teacher to send the following information to
C. Deanna Lewis via email buildacareer@hbi.org or
fax 202-266-8999: The excitement continues!
• Name and address of school Experience each step of the home building process with
Building Homes of Our Own, an interactive learning
• Teacher’s name, department, phone and/or email experience from the National Association of Home
• Student’s name (names of all partners if applicable) Builders. It’s a fun and challenging educational computer
game that is FREE upon request to classroom educators.
• Participation of a Home Builder Association, builder,
Ask your teacher to get a copy. It’s easy – just log on
contractor, etc.
to http://www.homesofourown.com and make the
request. Test your homebuilding skills as a developer,
There’s more: Start a NAHB builder, general contractor, contractor, sub-contractor
Student Chapter. and supplier. It’s also an electrifying way to learn math,
science and much more.
Become a bonafide member of the National Association
of Home Builders (NAHB). Founded in 1942, NAHB is
a federation of more than 800 state and local asso-
ciations. About one-third of NAHB’s 235,000 members Answers to last month’s challenge
are home builders and/or remodelers. The remaining Custom home builders generally: 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12
members are associates working in closely related fields Production home builders generally: 3, 4, 6, 9, 13, 14
within the housing industry, such as mortgage finance
and building products and services.

Find your local Home Builder Association at Get information for Tools to Join and Starter Kit at

www.nahb.org/local_association_search_form.aspx www.hbi.org/studentchapters

Future CEO Stars October 2007

7
 Emily’s Advice
E
Q&A
mily actually represents a group of entrepreneurs and educators who are willing to answer
your business related questions. What do you want to know? What haven’t you been able to
discover on your own? Emily is up to the challenge and wants to share her experience with you.
Put Emily to the test. She is here for you!
Submit your questions to AskEmily@entre-ed.org

Q Dear Emily:
I have an invention that I am trying to refine and put on the market.
Unfortunately I need a lot of capital to make it happen. I have one
source that is a venture capitalist. Can you tell me about what I can
expect if I make this commitment?
Sincerely,
“Lookin F. Green”

A Dear Lookin:
Venture Capital, as defined by Wikapedia, is “a type of private equity capital
typically provided by professional, outside investors to new, growth businesses.
[The capital is] generally made as cash in exchange for shares in the investee
company…” Unlike Foundations and Angel Investors who typically back projects
or organizations because they believe in the cause, venture capitalists are in it for
profit (welcome to the real business world).
So the first thing you should do, just like Micah Toll who had is own lawyer at 15
(see page 9), is seek competent legal advice. You need to realistically look at what
you are getting versus what you are giving up. Having part of something is usually
better than having all of nothing but you need to be sure that the part you have
left is worth your effort. Venture capitalists are basically gamblers. In the definition
of venture capital Wikapedia goes on to say, “…venture capital investments are
usually high risk, but offer the potential for above-average returns.” These “above
average returns” are what you are giving up, so be careful!
Secondly, not all venture capitalists are the same. Some are more reputable than
others. Do some research to find out what you can about who you are dealing with.
The internet can be very helpful here. People who have had bad experiences will
surely be sharing it as a warning for those who follow.
Venture capital is not a bad thing. It goes a long way in helping the advancement
of many things that would otherwise die in the idea stage. Just like the discovery and
use of fire advanced mankind, venture capital can advance your invention. Also, as
in playing with fire, be careful so you don’t get burned!

Sincerely,
Emily the Entrepreneur

Future CEO Stars October 2007

8

©iStockphoto.com, Aloysius Patrimonio
F acing changes can be very challeng-
ing for anyone. This is especially true
for young athletes making the difficult tran-
sition from high school to college level.
Many very gifted individuals fall through
the cracks and throw away their opportu-
nity to pursue their dream. Over whelmed
by the daunting task of balancing
academics with athletics, while maneu-
vering through the “who you know”
network often associated with college
sports, they tend to lose their positive
mental outlook and give up. As an
athlete myself, playing basketball and
running track, I know that this situation
is all too true.
Cesserly Rice, owner of
CR Sports Management
Often all that is needed to turn a seemingly
hopeless situation into the start of an
amazing college career is a push in the
right direction, and that is where I come
Future CEO Stars October 2007
Playing It Forward
BY CESSERLY RICE
in. I seem to have a knack for motivating In 2006 Mr. Steward was the IIEE
athletes. So I decided to turn my gift into Teacher-Preneur of the Year. If it were
a socially positive service that prepares up to me he would win every time!
young athletes for the challenges of the
I will graduate in June 2008 and I
next level. My company, CR Sports
plan to go to the University of Illinois
Management, bridges this high school
at Chicago and major in business and
to college gap. We help our clients
sports management. For more infor-
balance academics and sports, while
maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and a pos-
mation, I can be reached by email at
ilately@yahoo.com.
itive mental outlook while they prepare
for their college careers.
I have always dreamed of working in
the Sports Management field. Until very The Illinois Institute for
recently I always assumed that I would Entrepreneurship Education (IIEE)
have to wait until I was much older to invites young entrepreneurs
be able to get my start. Well, with the
and their instructors to register
help of my Advanced Small Business
Ownership teacher, Mr. Scott Steward,
for the 2nd Annual IIEE Young
Entrepreneurs Conference to be
I discovered that there is no reason not
to get started now. Even though I am held May 1-3 of 2008 in the
currently only a senior at Gwendolyn Chicagoland area. Students from
Brooks College Preparatory Academy, I around the country participate in:
am also the owner of CR Sports Man- Business Workshops, Business
agement. I charge my customers a small Plan Competitions, The Young
monthly retainer for my services. I have Entrepreneur Expo, The “E”
3 clients with great potential to make it College Tour, Networking with
all the way to the NBA and I plan to be
adult and young entrepreneurs,
there every step along the way to help
make it happen.
presentations from nationally
known Keynote Speakers and
As I had mentioned, I doubt that I would more! For more information go
be where I am today without the mentor- to www.iiee.org or call IIEE at
ing of Mr. Scott Steward my Advanced
(312)587-9296.
Small Business Ownership teacher. Just
like I help my clients achieve their goals
through positive support he has played
a critical role in helping me make my
dream a reality. Mr. Steward is very
involved with the Illinois Institute for
Entrepreneurship Education. IIEE pro-
vides our class opportunities to network
with other like-minded students through-
out the state. It is also where I suspect
Mr. Steward comes up with some of
the great ideas he passes on to us.
9

It’s October…Merry Christmas!
H alloween is here, are you prepared for the December
holiday season? How about Valentines Day, Mother’s
Day, or the 4th of July? They seem far away, right? Maybe
so, but if your business is affected by them it’s best to be
ready. Actually, if you see a Christmas boost in your
demand, and you aren’t already prepared for it, you’re late.
Have you noticed how early Christmas commercials start on
television? It used to be that you didn’t see them until a week
or two after Thanksgiving but today you might even see them
before Halloween.
Being prepared and thinking into the future are important
attributes for entrepreneurial success. This may seem obvious
but it is amazing how many new businesses fail to do it.
That is until they learn the hard way. What does it take to be
prepared for upcoming potential business surges? That really
depends on the specific business you are in but there are
some traits that are common.
It is important to know your customers buying habits.
For instance, if you create original exterior holiday decora-
tions for people’s homes, when do they start buying them?
This product certainly doesn’t fall into the category of the
“week before Christmas gift rush”. More likely peak sales
occur from late November until mid December. Now, of
course some holidays fall more into the last minute cat-
egory. Want proof? Go to any large grocery store
10
©iStockphoto.com, Lisa Thornberg
on the evening of February 13th and see how many men
are buying cards, candy and flowers for Valentines Day.
In fact, to find the guys who really fail to plan, go on
Valentines Day night. Getting to know your customer’s wants,
needs and habits takes time, experience, and perception.
Stay focused on what really happens instead of only paying
attention to what you think “should”.
Even if you think you know how and when your customers
make their purchases you have to constantly stay in touch
with trends in your market. Years ago there was a big craze
for bean bag stuffed animals. There were designer ones,
limited edition ones, cute ones, ugly ones, fuzzy ones, you
name it and it was available. People were paying ridiculously
enormous amounts of money for some of these toys called
Beanie Babies®. Well, it seems all of a sudden these doll col-
lectors woke up and the bottom fell out of this artificial market.
People were buying as a supposed investment. They assumed
that other people had value for these cute little toys; in many
cases they were wrong and paid a big price. Customers can
be fickle and markets constantly change. Staying in tune with
trends can be tricky but is well worth it.
Knowing your customers and your market can definitely take
some of the uncertainty out of predicting what will happen.
Even so, holiday surges can be unpredictable. It’s Halloween
so, MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY 4th OF JULY!
Future CEO Stars October 2007
My Big Fat
Entrepreneurship
Competition
BY HEATHER LUVISI

T hroughout my high school career I have always had

the ambition of operating my own business. I also have
always admired how weddings are presented and arranged.

Photo by Thomas Veneklasen

With the combination of these two thoughts in mind, I entered
the University of Arizona entrepreneurship contest held by the
Arizona Department of Education’s CTE division. This competition,
the Arizona Youth Entrepreneurial Awards, was coordinated
and sponsored by the First National Bank of Arizona and the
Eller School of Management (University of Arizona, Tucson).
During my senior year in my advanced marketing class, part of
our grade was to write a ten page business plan. To assist us in
the preparation of the business plan we had a business partner
work with us once a week for 8 weeks. She helped us learn
how to structure the paper and how to find the information
on the financial side for the business start-up costs. She was
very knowledgeable about businesses and her insight helped
us greatly. She then worked with us on presentation skills to
prepare us for the Entrepreneurship competition.
Once the paper was accepted, with my PowerPoint© presenta-
tion and notes, I traveled down to the competition held at the
University of Arizona in Tucson. After each presentation the
Photo by Thomas Veneklasen
Heather Luvisi presenting her plan.
judges asked questions regarding the structure and financials
of each particular business. The questions were difficult. They
required quick responses to show how knowledgeable I was
on the subject I was competing in. It was amazing the talent
level and the ideas that were presented by the final six high
school students. It was very exciting to see the other presen-
tations and competitors. I gained a lot of insight from their
experience as well.
While the judges were totaling the numbers, we got to watch
the college level presentations. They had very progressive
ideas and the competition was intense. The judges were really
grilling them about their costs and the viability of their product
in the marketplace. Their judges were venture capitalists and
the students were competing for start-up financing. It was very
high stakes and interesting to watch.
This experience has given me great interest in owning my own
business. I feel that more education under my belt will allow me
to be more successful at creating my own business. I am thrilled
to pursue my ultimate goal of becoming an entrepreneur.

This article sponsored by The Arizona Department of Education.

Heather Luvisi, accepting her big check from

Ken Zehm, Southern Arizona Market President,
1st National Bank of Arizona

Future CEO Stars October 2007

11
 Life After DECA
BY MICHELLE WALKER
H ave you wondered what happens
to DECA entrepreneurs after high
school or college? With the skills, mind
set and drive acquired through their
DECA experience many go on to highly
successful careers. Here are a couple of
examples…
1954, Inc.
Delvin Franklin graduated from More-
house University in 2002 with a major
in Business Management. Participation
in DECA further developed his interest in
marketing, networking and leadership,
and speaking skills along with confidence
©iStockphoto.com, Steve Dibblee
to do anything he chose.
Delvin started an investment holding
company with two business partners,
Nathaniel Irvin, III and Charles Joseph,
called 1954, Inc–its name being a refer-
ence to the transformational and empow-
ering decision of Brown vs. The Board
of Education. Its primary
purpose is investment and
ownership of businesses
specializing in intellectual
property. 1954, Inc currently
has 3 businesses and a non
profit organization respec-
tively called Wondaland
Productions, 1Autumn, Blak
Milk, and The Dark Tower
Project. Wondaland Produc-
tions is a music production
company that has produced
for their signed artist Janelle
Delvin Franklin (DECA Alum-
nus) -District President 1995–
1996; Texas DECA State
President 1996–1997;
Delvin, with his friend,Tamika, National DECA President
graduating from Morehouse. 1997–1998 DECA Chap-
ter – Bryan High School,
Bryan, TX 1994–1997
12
Verdict Systems
Michael Hahn is currently the Chief
Information Officer and co founder of
Verdict Systems (www.sanction.com).
Michael, along with co–founders Dan
Bowen and Andrew Carpenter, started
Verdict Systems in 1999 with the vision
to change an industry. Legal technology
was expensive and difficult to imple-
ment in 1999. They set out to develop a
software package that was easy to use
and affordable for any sized firm. Their
primary focus is the development of
Sanction, a legal presentation software
package. In its simplest form, Sanction
allows attorneys to organize and pres-
ent their evidence from a computer in a
trial. Their software is used nationally by
the United States Attorneys Office and
internationally by the United Nations.
In addition, they are used by count-
less law firms of all sizes in all types of
litigation. Currently, Verdict Systems has
15 employees and continues to deliver
quality litigation software and services
to an international list of clients.
Michael Hahn (DECA Alumnus) - District
II Vice President for Nebraska DECA
1987–1988; Central Region Vice Presi-
dent from 1988–1989 for National
DECA, DECA Chapter - Columbus High
School, Columbus, NE 1987–1989
For many more DECA success stories check
out www.deca.org/whoswho.html
Do you know an existing or former
DECA/Delta Epsilon Chi member who
has excelled in their career and should
be included among DECA’s many
successes? If so tell us about them at
www.deca.org/pdf/whoswhonomination2.pdf
Future CEO Stars October 2007
 Building A Better Future
BY MICAH TOLL
My advice for young
entrepreneurs:
1. Brainstorm — the biggest
companies started from the
smallest ideas.
2. Listen to feedback from friends
and acquaintances. They want
to help.
3. Be prepared to spend some
money before you start making
money.
4. Seek out advice from
professionals. There are small
business administration offices
located in many cities that can
give you free or very
inexpensive advice.
5. Invest in yourself and your ideas.
You never know where your
ideas can go until you try.
Micah is an engineering student at
the University of Pittsburgh and
President of Disaster Rebuilding
Solutions, LLC, an engineering re-
search and development company
that he founded to commercialize
his invention for a new portable
constructional beam. In October
2007, Micah was inducted into the
National Gallery of Young Inventors
and was a recipient of the first ever
Edison Foundation Young Innovators
Award. Micah can be contacted at
mlt34@pitt.edu
Future CEO Stars October 2007
I n some ways I think that I have always
been an inventor and an entrepreneur.
The problem was that for years I came
up with ideas that had already been
invented. It was discouraging to come
up with a great idea only to realize that
I was too late getting there!
That changed in 2002. I watched on TV the
horrific images of the war in Afghanistan
with streams of helpless refugees swelling
miserable shantytown relocation camps
into masses of people living in improvised
tent and lean-to structures. I was immediately
struck with a sense that I could do better;
I could find a way to house people in
decent shelters that would give these
people a feeling of worth and value.
After months of developing crude pro-
totypes, my design for a new type of
structural beam began to take shape.
Over the next four years, I entered my
continuously improving prototypes,
which had evolved into corrugated
plastic stress skins filled with expanded
polymer closed cell foam, in science fair
competitions. It became apparent that I
was on to something—an idea that had
not yet been invented and could fulfill an
enormous humanitarian need.
The reaction of people to my invention led
me to talk to an intellectual property attor-
ney. My parents joked that I was the only
15 year-old with an attorney that wasn’t
in some kind of trouble with the law.
Fours years later, my invention, Portable
Constructional Beams, is patent pending
and I am President of my own engineer-
ing research and development company,
Disaster Rebuilding Solutions, LLC.
The road to success was not straight or
easy. To fund the patent process and to pur-
chase the materials to build my prototypes
Micah Toll
in sufficient amounts to build and test
full-sized buildings, rafts, and pontoon
bridges, I had to find some money. I de-
veloped three businesses to raise capital.
I became a balloon twisting artist, mowed
lawns, and then got the idea to sell the
plans for the balloon pump I built to do
balloon parties on the Internet. I learned
a lot about business: marketing, shipping,
customer satisfaction, budgets, and plain
hard work. It all paid off.
I have traveled all over the United States,
presenting and defending my research.
I am enormously fortunate to be a two-time
Intel International Science and Engineering
Fair winner, I have been honored by having
a near Earth asteroid named after me,
and have won scholarships and awards
from the National Federation of Indepen-
dent Business, Intel Science Talent Search,
National Collegiate Inventors and Inno-
vators Alliance, Merit Shop, Association
of Intellectual Property Attorneys, Corvair
Society Of America, American Society of
Highway Engineers, and Junior Science
and Humanities Symposium. I am also the
recipient of a full tuition scholarship from
the University of Pittsburgh Honors College
and a University of Pittsburgh School of
Engineering Scholarship. Most of all, I
am proud to have developed a product
that will hopefully one day help people to
rebuild their communities and their lives.
13
 Does your class
need money?

Is your teacher looking for

an effective way to raise
funding for a class project?
©iStockphoto.com, Scott Hancock

Are you tired of selling cookies

or candy?

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laws, and requirements pertaining to maintaining this status.

Everyone Wins!
BY KALEENE GRUNEFELDER
O n July 25th 2007 during our State
Fair in Minot, North Dakota I
had the distinct honor of interview-
ing the Region 2 Minot Marketplace
for Kids Entrepreneurship Project winners.
During these interviews I expected to
learn a lot about the student’s products.
I was pleasantly surprised to learn a lot
about the students in the process. The
following are samples of what was shared
that day.
Taylor P. of Bowbells, N.D. made the
Cookie Clam. She said the most unique
thing about her project was that it’s small
and easy to use. Taylor also loves that it
deals with cookies, who wouldn’t? Her
plan for the future is to sell it in stores and
hopes to some day see it on T.V.
Taylor P. of Bowbells, ND
Devin S. of Minot, N.D. made See Salt.
She started thinking about her project when
her dad put too much salt on his food. “It
was disgusting! Then he started to have
problems with his cholesterol.” She said it
took her about a month to make it because
she had to find a way to make colored salt
without getting someone sick.
Shania M. of Minot, N.D. made the
Laundry Lifter. Her project is unique and
socially conscious because it is designed
to help people who are injured or im-
paired. One of her motivations is that it
Future CEO Stars October 2007
©iStockphoto.com, Ryan Burke
will actually help her
own grandma. Due to
her physical condition
Devin S. of Minot, ND
she can’t bend over.
Using the Laundry
Lifter, she won’t have to! She has no
plans to sell it in the future although she
is sure it would sell easily.
Ashley W. of Minot, N.D. made the
Ez-Slide. She thinks it’s unique because it’s
the only invention she knows of that deals
with making a mailbox more accessible.
She says it is very user friendly and plans
in the future to sell a lot of them.
Jonas and Kailan H. of Minot, N.D.
made the Solar Mower. This very en-
vironmentally friendly product cuts the
grass using purely solar energy. Their
future plans include selling the actual Shania M. of Minot, ND
product on their own but will keep the
rights to the idea
Tessa W. of Makoti, N.D. made the Dog
Mat. This unique product makes wiping
your dog’s feet as it comes into the house
obsolete. One problem she notes is teach-
ing the dogs to remember to use it!
Tiana D. of Minot, N.D made the Back
Seat Sun Visor. Her project is unique
because you can use it anywhere and
there aren’t a lot of them available
currently. She loves that you can put it
anywhere in your car and would like to
Some of the day’s winners.
sell it in the future.
Brittany K. of Minot, N.D. made Choco-
Bites. Although her product contains an
already famous candy that could cause
her difficulty in actually selling it, she can
always eat her inventory!
This experience at the fair was great for
everyone involved. Marketplace for Kids
does a lot to encourage these young
inventors. In fact, they weren’t the only
ones who were encouraged; I left with a
few potential ideas myself!
15
 Entrepreneurs
Through History
©iS
tock
pho
to.c
om,
Bud
zik
Fill in the blanks with the names
provided on the next page.
H ave you ever thought about where
mankind would be today without the
help of innovative thinking from aspiring
entrepreneurs throughout history? With
the way that one thing leads to another,
it’s hard to say what the world would
be like if just one of our key early pio-
neers had decided to be a goat herder
instead.
For instance, would Hungarian born
_____________________1 and his
brother Georg have invented the ball
point pen in 1938 to be sold in Gimbel’s
Department Store in New York City if
_____________________2 had not in-
vented his printing press to create bibles
around 1440 first? His movable type
printing press is attributed to bringing
man into the modern age. It made writ-
ten material accessible and affordable
for everyone. Without its creation would
we be reading like we do today? And
if we couldn’t read, would we really
need ball point pens?
16
0s 0s
41040
Taking this idea one step further would
__________________3, the force behind
“user friendly” computer operating sys-
tems, be where he is today if our reading
hadn’t improved through the need to find
a more efficient way to produce Bibles?
There was a shortage of professional
copiers, known as scribes, because
they were wiped out by the Black
Plague. This shortage made the press’
invention a necessity for book makers to
be able to stay in business. It might be
a bit of a stretch to say that the Black
Death (aka the Bubonic Plague), that
killed between one third and one half
of Europe’s population in the 1400s is
responsible for Microsoft Word©, but it
is safe to say the connection is there and
Entrepreneurs made it happen.
Another far reaching example is the re-
lationship between the German Adolph
Hitler’s attempt at world domination in
the 1930’s and 40’s and the large variety
of delicious pizzas we have available to
han
ne C
om, Ire
to.c
pho
tock
©iS
be delivered to our homes today. During
World War II many American men were
sent off all over the world to defend
against German and Japanese aggres-
sion. This left a void in the American
workforce which was temporarily filled
by the women they left behind. Prior
to this period women didn’t typically
work outside of the home. This solution
worked fine until the war ended when
the soldiers returned and wanted their
jobs back. Many other issues arose from
this situation but the bottom line here is
many women continued to work. Since
they weren’t staying home and cooking
meals from scratch anymore there was
now a void in the kitchen.
An aspiring entrepreneur came up with a
solution designed around the current fad of
watching a new invention, television. The
entrepreneur _____________________‘s4
solution in 1954 was Swanson TV Din-
ners. This was the start of a myriad of
“heat and eat” meals that we still see
Future CEO Stars October 2007
 and use today. In fact, his inspiration for
these meals came from the mess kits he
himself used in World War II. After a few
years of these “tasty” meals Americans
grew to depend on the convenience
but wanted more variety. In 1960 an-
other Entrepreneur came up with a plan.
___________________5, the founder and
co-owner (with his brother Dominic) of
Domino’s Pizza of Ann Arbor Michigan
saw an opportunity for their restaurant to
sell more pizzas by expanding their ser-
vice. They offered free delivery instead
of the typical carry out and dine in
options of the day. Within 10 years this
became the industry standard but back
then they were the first. Therefore World
War II started the chain of events that,
inspired by enterprising entrepreneurs,
provides us all with a variety of “home
cooked goodness” at the touch of our
finger tips.
n
inze
Ahe
om,
to.c
pho
s
tock
©iS
900
1
Answer Order
5. Tom Monaghan, 6. John D Rockefeller, 7. Henry Ford, 8 John Jacob Astor
1. Lazlo Biro, 2. Johannes Guttenberg, 3. Bill Gates, 4. Gerry Thomas,
Future CEO Stars October 2007
Another example of the long reaching
effects of entrepreneurial decisions is
the case of the world’s first indepen-
dent billionaire and founder of Stan-
dard Oil, _______________6. When
___________________7, founder of
Ford Motor Car and father of mass pro-
duction was designing his first car he
had to make a decision on what fuel it
would use. Prior to his fateful decision
to select gasoline, cars ran on a variety
of fuel types including kerosene, alco-
hol/ethanol and even steam. Our future
billionaire convinced the car manufac-
turer that a by-product of the kerosene
he produced for lamp oil, called gaso-
line, was a great option. It was plentiful,
cheap, and could be standardized for
consistency across the nation. The rest
is history and today our dependence on
outside oil sources for gasoline produc-
tion is at an all time high.
Multiple Choice List
John Jacob Astor
Johannes Gutenberg
Tom Monaghan John D. Rockefeller
Finally, not all entrepreneurial successes
©iStockphoto.com, Emrah Turudu
come from world changing events or
have long lasting effects. Such is the case
of __________________8, a German im-
migrant to America in the 1780’s and
the world’s first independent millionaire.
There was a demand, especially in Eu-
rope, for the skins of animals from exotic
lands. Top hats made from such pelts
were highly prized. America, being the
New World, was the current source of
these stylish treasures and this entrepre-
neur satisfied the need. So in the end the
first millionaire entrepreneur made his
fortune because people thought it was
cool to wear beavers on their heads!
These are but a few examples of the
roles entrepreneurs have played in the
history of mankind. To find more you
don’t have to look very hard. On the
other hand, name me one rich or famous
GOAT HERDER!
Lazlo Biro Bill Gates
Henry Ford
Gerry Thomas
©iStockphoto.com, Cory Thoman
17

Three key ideas
that have helped me
toward success are:
I became interested in being a business-
directed student through joining the
Academy of Entrepreneurship at Buch-
holz High School, Gainesville, Florida.
Of course, the school itself is one of the
top schools in Florida, but the Academy
was something that stayed constant
through my experience in high school.
In the beginning I was shy and not sure
of myself. During the four years I spent in
In any business there are always prob-
lems or “bumps in the road” along the
way to success. One obstacle that I
ran into was just getting my name out
to people. Already having a part-time
job and being a full-time student, it was
difficult to promote that I was a Partylite
Consultant as well. Fortunately I have
found that just having more and more
Partylite parties helps to expand my net-
work through word of mouth. A person

1. Never be afraid of stepping

out of your boundaries.
I had to get over my fear
of talking to new people in
order to succeed. Being able
to accomplish this has helped
me in every aspect of my life.
2. Take risks. As shy as I was
I never pictured myself in a
career where making new
friends and having parties
played a big part in my
success. Had I never taken
the risk I would have never
seen the opportunity.
3. Always have goals. If you
don’t have something to
shoot for your business will
be no more stable than a
candle in the wind.
Sara’s candles from Partylite
Seeing The Light
BY SARA CLARK
the Academy that changed dramatically. who attends a party ends up wanting to
I came to know, understand and enjoy host her own and so it grows.
business, in all of its aspects, which defi-
I have many plans for the future. I hope to
nitely brought me out of my shell. In fact,
expand my business even more by having
my senior year in the Academy took me
more parties every month than I currently
further than I ever expected I could go
do now. I plan to hold a community show
- straight to DECA Nationals! My hard
for people to walk in and look at the
work, perseverance and intelligence
Partylite products and sign up for parties.
brought me and my team all the way
This I know will help expand my business
to Nationals in Dallas, Texas. After my
even more, because, like I said before,
senior year I had higher goals and
the key to being successful is having more
aspirations for my future
and more Partylite shows.
Because of my successful experience
with DECA throughout my years in the
Academy of Entrepreneurship, I decided
to take on my own business. Today, I
am a Partylite Candle Consultant. It is
important that I make the distinction that
I work with Partylite, not for them. I sell
candles to my own customers and I own
every aspect of my business. I have total
control and make all the decisions. Par-
tylite is merely, in a sense, my wholesale
supplier. It is the perfect business for me
because I can either make it my hobby
or do it full-time.
Through my business not only have I
expanded my network of friends, but I
have also put the lessons I learned from Sara Clark
the Academy to practice. I feel success-
ful just knowing I was able to take the
first step to having my own business.
I am still in the process of expanding my
customer base in Gainesville, Florida
where I currently live. I started my Par-
tylite business in November 2006, and
have been growing ever since.

Future CEO Stars October 2007

18

Island Entrepreneurs
BY SARA PANCIO
M y unforgettable journey began in
January of this year when I was given
the opportunity to travel from St. Bonaven-
ture University, NY to Grand Bahamas
Island to complete a seven-week student
teaching practicum at St. Vincent De Paul
Primary School. Along with my teaching
responsibilities, four other student teachers
and I engaged in social entrepreneurship
projects through after-school and commu-
nity service projects at the Young Men’s
Training Association (YMTA) building in
Hunters, Grand Bahamas.
During those seven weeks, we served as
mentors, tutors, and supervisors for the
local youth. Due to the impact that the
children had on us, and we felt we had
on them, we had high hopes of coming
back during the summer to organize
a summer camp at the YMTA building.
Our main goal was to provide a safe,
educational and enjoyable facility for the
children.
We used skills developed through our
work in St. Bonaventure’s Students in Free
Enterprise (SIFE) organization to design
our plans. Our vision became a reality
with the assistance of the Rotary Club of
Freeport, GB. The Rotary became a large
Future CEO Stars October 2007
Sara, Bethany, and Colleen with
their Island Entrepreneurs
factor in providing resources needed
to return and run the camp. Generous
support was also provided through
concepts was introduced to the campers
as they split up into groups to create their
very own lemonade stand. They created
community leaders in Hunters. posters advertising their business, came
up with a slogan to help sell their prod-
In June 2007, I and two other St.
uct and decided on a price. The campers
Bonaventure students, Bethany Ryan and
then ventured out into their community to
Colleen Irving, began week one of the
sell their product. The project was a huge
six week summer camp we had hoped
success, as the students profit doubled
for. We quickly organized several
what they had invested.
educational and recreational activities
for the broad age range of campers. It’s safe to say that I am going to truly
Activities included math and writing miss the students’ smiling faces running
exercises, science experiments, computer through the doors of the YMTA building
training, character education and the each and every day. Thanks to the Rotary
Rotary four-way test. The four-way test Club of Freeport, NY REAL, Cattaraugus
was developed for employees to follow County BOCES, and St. Bonaventure’s
in their business and professional lives. SIFE organization for their continuing
It is a guide for sales, production, adver- encouragement and for helping make a
tising, and relations with customers. better tomorrow.
Our primary focus for the first hour and a
half of camp each day was preparing the
campers for their upcoming school year.
Students then engaged in activities such
as basketball, relay races, scavenger
hunts, water activities and various outdoor
games. Students were also given the op-
portunity to experience what it is like to
run a small business through Operation
Lemonade. A short session on business
19
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“ I’m having an important business
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H ere are some customary protocols:
be punctual (not too late and not
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as soon as you sit down and stays
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GoVenture Activity
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Circle these words ANALYTICAL
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Future CEO Stars October 2007
FAST FACTS
10 occupations projected
to grow fastest in the United
States from 2004 to 2014
”
1. Home health aides 56%
2. Network systems and
data communications, analysts 55%
3. Medical assistants 52%
use cutlery from the outside in (furthest
from the plate first). Don’t order diffi-
cult-to-eat foods or the most expensive
4. Physician assistants
5. Computer software engineers,
applications
50%
48%
6. Physical therapist assistants 44%
meal on the menu. Start eating only 7. Dental hygienists 43%
after everyone is served. If you need 8. Computer software engineers,
systems software 43%
to cut your food, cut three bites at a 9. Dental assistants 43%
time. Warm up the conversation by 10. Personal and home care aides 41%
trying to make a personal connection
Source: America’s Career InfoNet
before you discuss business. The per-
son who suggests the dinner meeting
usually pays for the meal (unless they
are your customer).
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21
“What’s NE W?”
Do You Have The Skills You Need?
Becoming a successful Entrepreneur requires
mastering a large variety of skills.
Even if you are a “Natural” in the service you
provide, that’s only part of the job. There is still
a lot of other business that needs to be done.
Cesserly Rice (see page 9) is naturally good at
motivating athletes. What about what it takes to
promote her service to new customers? How about
keeping track of the accounts receivable depart-
ment? These are skills that need to be acquired for
long term success.
Sometimes even the most basic of skills needed
to perform the job must be learned to get started.
Overcoming fear can be a big part of the challenge.
For example, just look at what Sara Clark (page 18)
faced. Overcoming shyness to being able to host
parties for complete strangers is a big feat! Not only Put your skills to work - get involved with National
did she learn this skill, she has mastered it to the
point that each candle party she has brings her new
friends and new business.
Sometimes, when going into a new business, the
skills that you need to get it done don’t even surface
until you are well underway. In cases like these the
only place to learn these skills is on the job.
To get a feel for on-the-job skill mastering, take the
case of Carra Abbott (see page 30). The “arrayKC”
team had to learn a lot about promotion, distribu-
tion, page design, and generally putting a magazine
together, before they could even think about
meeting deadlines.
It is important to know what skills you have, what
skills you need, and to stay alert for needed skills
that haven’t even surfaced yet.
Entrepreneurship Week in your area today!
To learn how, go to:
www.nationalEweek.com
Feb 23 to Mar 1, 2008
 A New Home and
A New Perspective
BY OLEKSANDR V. MALYUGIN
T here is no suchthing as a free lunch,
but who cares? As long as you can
get something for free you are happy!
That is one of the essential ideas of Long
Range Communications, Inc (LRC). LRC
(www.lrcommunications.net) provides
free wireless Wi-Fi internet to residential
buildings. No, we are NOT a not for profit
corporation so we DO charge the landlord
for having this luxury in their buildings, but
the price of the service is so small that land-
lords are happy to pay!
My name is Oleksandr V. Malyugin,
and I started LRC in 2003. I started this
company because changes in my life al-
lowed me to see a different perspective.
Almost a year before I opened LRC
my family moved to America from the
Ukraine. Moving to another country is a
huge challenge! You have to learn the
language and at the same time adapt to
the new environment.
It was during this process of adapting,
that I came upon my big idea. I noticed
that many of my friends were still
using dial-up to gain Internet access.
I had been following news about wireless
technology even before I left the Ukraine.
The idea hit me to get an expansive line,
split it apart and distribute it over a wire-
less network within a building.
I decided to start by setting up this type
of wireless network in my house. Once I
Future CEO Stars October 2007
knew it worked, I started planning my busi
ness model, transforming my hobby into
an actual company that could
busi-
ould sustain itself.
But that all was just a beginning!
eginning! I spent
weeks and weeks of improving
proving business
concepts, developing a state of the art
technological base on thee equipment, and
finally I focused on building
ng my network.
I would not say that I know
now everything,
so I went and registered for entrepreneur-
ship classes with an organization
anization called
National Foundation for or Teaching En-
trepreneurship (NFTE). They helped me
improve my model and get legal help.
I won the NFTE Entrepreneur
neur of the Year
award for my progress.
As time has gone on, my company has
gotten better and better. I am at the point
where I can go to a landlord,
dlord, open my
laptop and show them how it works,
and they’re convinced they
hey cannot have
their building operating ng without our
Wi-Fi service.
Entrepreneurship is contagious.
agious. When I
opened my business allll of my friends Olexsandr V. Malyugin
thought I was crazy. Now, w, most of them
have followed my lead d and opened
their own! If you have ann idea you can’t
let fear, obstacles, or other challenges
get in your way. Use the resources avail-l
able to you. In the United States they
are plentiful so there is no reason not to
go for it.
23
 What Do You Expect?
I mage is a critical element to any busi-
ness’s long term success. Have you
ever decided not to eat at a specific
restaurant because you did not like
the way it looked on the outside?
How about not even looking in a
certain clothing store because you
knew they wouldn’t have anything
you wanted - the décor didn’t reflect
your style? If so, you aren’t alone.
Many people say they don’t
judge based on appearance
but their actions definitely tell
a different story. They say they
shop based on value alone and
all their purchases are based on
logic. Well, if that were true thrift
stores would be all the rage and
malls wouldn’t exist.
Regardless of the business you’re
currently in or are planning to start,
the image you portray is criti-
cal for long term success.
The thing about image is
it has to match what your
target market expects. If you
are too far outside of their expec-
tations you won’t get a second look
©iStockphoto.com, Milorad Zaric
regardless of the quality of your product
or service.
For example, and it’s a ridiculous one
but it proves this point, let’s say you have
invented the world’s best orthopedic sup-
port shoe. Your grandma’s feet were
your motivation, and you succeeded
24
brilliantly. So you get your start up capital
from a wealthy backer whose feet you also
saved. Where are you going to open your
shop? How about that trendy little building
in the artsy section of the local campus?
You could hang out in all the coffee shops.
Or you could browse the other curio shops,
book and music stores. You’d have plenty
of time to do it too, because you won’t be
selling shoes! Even if you called it “Gran-
©iStockphoto.com, Julie Felton
ny’s Sole” it isn’t going to work because
the area’s image doesn’t fit your market.
So let’s say you find a good location
near an aging middle class neigh-
borhood situated well between an
orthopedic hospital and a whole lot
of churches. Perfect, right? Not if you
stick with that trendy name. Nobody
is going to trust “Granny’s Sole” with
their feet. You need to portray an
atmosphere of safety, security, and
medical experience if you want to get
your hands on granny’s feet. Other
good ideas include playing soft music
from your audience’s generation and
putting emphasis on good quality
service. It would also pay to be pre-
pared to patiently listen to long stories
about grandchildren and pets because
that comes with the territory.
Image doesn’t happen by accident.
Many companies have either adapted
their look or perished from their own rigid-
ity. You have to match what your customer
expects if you want their business.
Future CEO Stars October 2007
An Entrepreneur’s
Life Lessons
BY JENNA SAVILLE

I started my entrepreneurial career at a

very young age. I was the type of child
who grew up running several businesses
out of my parent’s home. I once had a
pizzeria in my basement, along with a gro-
cery store and a lemonade stand on my You can never be too ready!
street. The stand was only marginally suc-
With the companies I have actually Jenna Saville
cessful because we lived on a cul-de-sac,
but it taught me the importance of having started, three out of six have failed.
a good location. I guess I am a bit unusual I have written business plans for eight
because, at the age of 10 when other kids others that most likely will sit in my desk drawer because something
were asking for bikes and toys, my Christmas is missing, the market is not ready, or there is no desire for the product or
present was my first real cash register. service. Failing in a business venture is obviously the last thing you want to
Needless to say, business is in my blood
happen. From my education I have learned it is still something that I need to
and I love everything about it.
incorporate into my business model. If you assume that everyone will want
While growing up, there was not much your product or service and that sales are going to sky rocket you could
emphasis on business or entrepreneur-
be setting yourself up for disaster. There are always pitfalls and unforeseen
ship in the basic education offered in
my school. The question on the school challenges.
counselor’s career survey was always,
“What do you want to be when you
grow up?” but there was never an
Use Available Resources!
option for “business owner.” My formal Contacting local business owners, past teachers, non-profit organizations
background in entrepreneurship began and small business support organizations, definitely is very helpful. Also
my senior year when someone told me use the library as well as the internet. A key point here is to validate your
about a class being offered called Youth sources. Not everything you read is true, especially on the net.
Entrepreneurs of Kansas. The YEK class
was described to me as a fun course
where you sold stuff during lunch breaks Know Your Product!
to make money and went on a lot of field Another area to look at is the actual need or desire for your product or service.
trips to buy supplies. What the course Is it a fad, is it a onetime purchase item and is it cost effective? I had a very
turned out to be was much different. elaborate and desired product that was extremely labor intensive and costly
to make. It forced me to either price the
Creating and starting a business from
product at an amount beyond what the
an idea is hard work. It requires a lot of
customers would pay or break even every
planning and research which is exactly
time I sold one. Even though the demand
what YEK taught. I learned important les-
was high it was pointless to continue.
sons that, to this day, I still use. In fact, the
support I received from my teachers and
the YEK staff didn’t stop when I graduated.
Even through college they were there to
Love Your Work!
help with my entrepreneurship classes. In the end it is important to find something
I have found that this camaraderie and that makes you happy. Entrepreneurs
willingness to help is also quite common spend a great part of their lives devoted
among entrepreneurs in general. It seems to their careers. It is very important, at
to come from the common bond of facing least to me, to love what I am doing.
similar struggles and not wanting others to I have found that if I don’t, I don’t do it
make their same mistakes. for very long!

Future CEO Stars October 2007

25
 What’s Your Idea?
Do you want to get your
story in this magazine?
How about a chance
to WIN FREE STUFF?
We know that sometimes
students make the best teachers.
Gaining knowledge off another’s experience is so much
better than trying to learn from reading a boring old text
book. And that’s why we want to hear your stories!! Do
you have a product, invention, or business idea that you
know the world needs? Or a story of pure success?
Well…let us hear it!

We want to print your stories in this magazine! For your

effort you could win prizes including magazine subscrip-
tions, cash, or even the Grand Prize of a trip for two
to the ‘08 National Consortium for Entrepreneurship
Education Forum (location to be determined in November
07) to receiverecognition for your achievement.
Sound Good?
What are you waiting for? No idea is too big, or too crazy!
Big Dreams Lead To Big Results! We look forward to read-
All we need is 300 to 500 words telling ing and sharing your future success story, so get started!
your story. Here’s some of the information
we’re looking for: Also remember that all submissions could be printed so
don’t share anything that you want to keep to yourself.
* What is your GREAT Business Idea? Our goal is to help make your plan a reality, not to spoil
your competitive edge. If you want to keep it secret,
* How do you plan to tell the world keep it to yourself until you have a patent, copyright, or
about it (Marketing Plan)? trademark.

* What problem are you solving?
* How do you plan to get the money
you need to make it happen?
* Would there be any problems in
making it happen?
Send your story, name, grade, school, and home ad-
dress to Mike Ashmore, editor of “Future CEO Stars” at
mashmore@entre-ed.org (please use the words “Student
Submission” in the subject line) or mail it to Consortium
for Entrepreneurship Education,
1601 W Fifth Ave. #199, Columbus, OH 43212.
 Candy Kids of
From left to right: Jordan Dayish, Andrew
San Juan County
Dayish, Shelby Yellow,Tya Manygoats,
Creedence Sampson and Nicole Keith
S top by any day after school and you will find a little candy
store in Blanding, Utah, packed with students filling their
mouths with sweet treats made and sold by the kids of Lickity
Split Chocolate. The best thing of all…the store hasn’t even of-
ficially opened yet! Our grand opening will be on November
10th, but we have a great location and kids like to stop here
after school,” says Andrew Dayish, one of the youth owners
of Lickity Split.
Andrew is a sixteen year old high school student and CEO of
the company. He, with his youth board of directors, has been
working to build this kid-owned and operated company for three
years. And build it they did! The gross sales of this little business
are expected to exceed $25,000 this year alone. Up until this
point Lickity Split has only been an internet business. They make
and sell chocolate in Native American designs on their website
www.lickitysplitchocolate.com. The kids come up with product
ideas, create molds, make chocolate, package and sell the candy.
Andrew boasts that they have customers all over the world from
Europe to New Zealand. He also employs adults to keep up
with production demands when the kids are in school.
According to Andrew, “We started out as a small internet busi-
ness, and have bloomed into a company that is changing the
world.” The kids did it all on their own without major funding of
any kind. “We were just a group of kids who wanted to earn
money to go to the movies”, says 14 year old Tya Manygoats
who is the Production Manager. Tya, Andrew and four other
Lickity Split kids make up the Board of Directors. They make all
the important decisions about the company on their own.
Recently, Tya told the following story about Lickity Split to a scientist
at a regional candy convention. “It all started three years ago
when a number of neighborhood children knocked on the door
of a community volunteer, Elaine Borgen, who later became
Future CEO Stars October 2007
BY ELAINE BORGEN
our business mentor. We wanted to borrow money from her to
go to the movies. Little did we know she was a business execu-
tive who didn’t believe in short-term solutions. She helped us
identify what kind of business we could do and then did all
the legal work with the state and federal government to get our
business registered.”
She went on to say “We didn’t know anything about making
chocolate so we used the internet and researched what we
needed to do. We had fun learning. At first we made simple
chocolate lollipops that anyone can do. We sold these to family
and friends. Little by little we learned more and gained more
customers. Elaine helped us make a website and our business
began to grow. We became more experienced at chocolate
making and purchased our first machine from the profits of
a big sale. Now we are opening a store. It will be a good
investment we can tell already.”
The only condition to remain being one of the “Lickity Split Kids”
is they have to do well in school. They can’t continue as owners
of the company unless they have a 2.8 or better grade point
average. The youth board of directors must keep a 3.0 GPA. Just
like with their business, they take their school work seriously.
They pay themselves through profit sharing. They add up
their sales for the month, pay taxes, subtract
expenses, and what’s left over they divide
up. According to Andrew “Sometimes
we have good months and get a
lot of money and sometimes we
make very little. But, we always
have fun making chocolate, and
being with friends!”
This Article Sponsored by the Utah State
Office of Education
27
 Take Note!
BY MICHAEL KURLANCHEEK

W elcome to the American Dream. I am the 20 year old

co-founder and president of operations at IUNotes, Inc,
a nationwide academic support company that sells midterm
and final exam review packets to college students. In 2005,
I was awarded the National Federation of Independent Busi-
ness Free Enterprise Scholars Award to aid my pursuit of be-
coming a small-business owner and entrepreneur. Currently, I
attend the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.
The idea to start a note-taking service came on a whim, when
two of my best friends and I began to discuss how frustrating it
can be to study for exams when information is missing or inaccu-
rate in lecture notes. With no help in site, we decided to create
a solution to our own problems. Later that night, we purchased
the URL to www.IUNotes.com and a dream was born.
The company’s business plan is simple: hire reputable students
to take high quality notes, upload the notes to a master server,
market them to students taking those courses, and distribute
them over the internet in protected PDF files. An online interface
would allow us to minimize costs. If we were feeling frustrated
with academic pressures, surely other students were too.
After countless months of coding, the website was complete
with a sophisticated credit card payment option and order pick
up system. Next, we hired several note-takers and began to
run trial advertising campaigns to see if the notes would sell.
The response was overwhelming.
IUNotes now employees over 100 note-taking employees
per year and sells hundreds of notes in just about any subject
you can think of. Notes sell anywhere from $4.99 per test to
$24.99 for a full course review packet. Through marketing and
word-of-mouth, the site has grown and at a phenomenal rate
and gained the admiration of universities across the nation.
To give back to the University, IUNotes donates free lecture
notes and exam review packets to the Indiana University Michael Kurlancheek
Department of Disability Services for Students. This allows
students with disabilities to have free access to the IUNotes.
com database. Recently, IUNotes opened its first franchise,
www.UMDNotes.com, based out of the University of Maryland.
We are currently in negotiations to open at several additional
universities.
Finding success requires perseverance and a lot of hard work.
To future business owners, I would recommend that you treat
your environment as a valuable asset to be utilized. If you have
a dream…there is a way.
You can contact me at Michael@IUNotes.com

Future CEO Stars October 2007

28
 y name is Carra Abbott and I am a high school
M senior at Platte County High School in Platte County,
MO. We came up with the idea for array KC magazine
almost two years ago in my then mentor’s kitchen. array
KC would be a magazine that was put together, from
beginning to end, by high school teens with a target
audience of girls and guys from 14-22. This is something
An Array
that Kansas City doesn’t have, that is to say until now.
In the first days, we met at my mentor’s house every week
of Opportunities
and discussed story ideas; it all seemed far-fetched to BY CARRA ABBOTT
me then, but super-cool. We asked Mr. Scott Beeson,
the President of Prominent Youth, a program thathat pays
students to develop their own business and
gives actual entrepreneurship opportunities,
to fund our operation. He sought out finan-
cial backing for all of our computer programs,
computers and the printing of the magazine.
He helped us get our business up and running.
Today we are creating our fifth issue. Working g
at array KC is my dream job. I make my own n
hours—which are normally still every day, y,
because I love it that much. Before I took the job
b
at array KC, I had no idea what I wanted to do o
with my life. Once we finished our first issue, and
nd
I had the satisfaction of knowing that I created ed
something that cool, I decided that I wanted to be
a journalist for the rest of my life.
I am the Layout and Design Editor and of course rse
it’s not easy. I am in charge of making sure all of
the stories are handed in on time and for laying ing
out each and every page in each issue. There are
always stories that don’t get turned in, and last
minute glitches that make me want to pull outt my
hair, but I have to understand that this is part off the
job. Journalism isn’t all glamour, it’s hard work.
The feeling of completing an issue is a natural high.
It’s great to look at all of the endless hourss I’ve
spent for the past two months, constantly fixing g and
owing
reworking stories to make them perfect, and knowing
that it paid off. The best feeling I get is when
people actually pick up a copy of the magazine. azine.
eading
I get a great feeling knowing that they are reading
what I have to say.
Creating array KC has changed my life. I could have
worked at any fast food joint in town, but instead I
decided to use my creativity in a way that was produc-
tive. I have found my career as a seventeen-year-old
student, which not many people can say. I couldn’t ask
for anything more.

Future CEO Stars October 2007

30
 Our Sponsors
W e would like to thank the sponsors of Future CEO Stars whose forward thinking, support, and
generous contributions made this publication possible. It is organizations like these that keep your
education focused, moving forward, challenging, and potentially profitable. To learn more about what they
have to offer please feel free to visit their websites listed below.

When an organization really cares,

it shows!!!
Appalachian Regional Commission www.arc.gov
Arizona State Department of Education www.ade.az.gov/cte
Buchholz High School www.bhs.sbac.edu
The Coleman Foundation www.colemanfoundation.org
Distributive Education Clubs of America www.deca.org
Home Builders Institute www.hbi.org
Illinois Institute for Entrepreneurship Education www.iiee.org
Junior Achievement Worldwide www.ja.org
Marketplace for Kids www.marketplaceforkids.org
MediaSpark www.mediaspark.com
National Council on Economic Education www.ncee.net
National Museum of Education www.nmoe.org
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation www.nfib.com/yef
NFTE www.nfte.com
NY REAL www.nyreal.org
Prominent Youth, Inc. www.prominentyouth.com
Réseau des CJE du Quebec www.cjereseau.org
The University of Florida www.cei.ufl.edu
Utah State Office of Education www.schools.utah.gov
Youth Entrepreneurs of Kansas www.yeks.org
Yourhomework.com www.yourhomework.com

Future CEO Stars October 2007

31