The instant I walked into BizCamp at Rutgers Newark, I envisioned this becoming a life changing experience. As I first took the pulse of the room, I knew this opportunity would be the key in starting my own business. My heart beat with excitement just thinking of the possibilities! I am a seventeen year old senior in high school.
BizCamp fueled the many characteristics that contribute to what I call "esteem building." This program helps young girls develop a positive self-image -- a cause very dear to me. And with a strong presentation, I know I can successfully embark on my dream. The NFTE (The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship) program has equipped me with a strong foundation: a business plan, different lessons to help me develop my vision, a spectrum of possible outcomes and has given me a selection of strategies to help me plan my approach. I have no excuses now.
My confidence for launching my business plan is real. I know the nitty-gritty details of everything I will be doing, including the production process and how to target my audience. This opportunity has helped me rethink how I can be most efficacious with my dream, which is, a program to help females learn how to become the best versions of themselves. I will speak to females, ages thirteen to eighteen, from all socioeconomic backgrounds. My program will offer various topics that fall under the umbrella of self-esteem building. Each student will be charged $45 for a two hour session (ideally I will be starting off speaking to a group of 20 students per engagement). In terms of age, I have been where most of them are now, so I am able to share knowledge based on my personal experiences and those that I've noticed. I will truly be sensitive towards different situations and cherish people that I encounter while in business. And this is what I call love.
I see a greater amount of pros than cons for when I start my business, because it doesn't require much money to get it running. Contrary to other businesses, I don't have to worry about certain utilities, insurance, etc. Because as a motivational speaker I will travel to engagements. The client (i.e. school, organization) will hire me to speak on the topics I offer. Afterwards, there will be a Q&A session, which concludes an event.
Although my program is considered a service, I was exposed to all types of businesses. For the duration of the program, we went on a trip to the Wholesale District of New York, where each student was given a twenty-five dollar budget to buy any product that could be resold on the Rutgers Campus. There were various products, ranging from scarves to iPhone accessories. The excursion itself was enjoyable, but the real learning began when it came time to sell our products. We felt like true entrepreneurs! An hour before the sale, we were completing different tasks such as key stoning and creating posters to ensure that we would have the best results possible. We learned tactics that can be applied to my business, as well as many others. I was successful with selling all of my scarves at a reasonable price. This experience gave me confidence with my marketing skills. Being that most of my customers were around my age, I feel self-assured about relating to my target audience, when I launch my business. This camp has both helped me to sharpen my skill set in addition to adding new tools to my toolbox.
Because of this course, I will speak to young girls and continue to draft my book. With this said, I hope that NFTE will continue to fulfill their mission by making students dreams come true globally.
