May 16, 2022- Grade 5-7 students from Spring Creek Community school in Whistler B.C. were enrolled in their first ever JA program, Business of Our Own, this spring.
These students spent five weeks building their business plan and preparing for their big showcase and sales day. The passion in these young entrepreneurs went beyond the classroom as some of these inspired students are now determined to grow their business outside of school.
One creative start-up is Cake Walk, a baked goods delivery service, run by Lexi and Adela. With a delicious menu of sweet treats, they take local orders and deliver them directly to customers.
While building their business plan, they- like any other entrepreneur- hit a road bump. They didn’t have their Food Safe certificates, a necessary requirement to work with food. But after some creative thinking, these students got permission from the cafeteria staff to bake in the school’s kitchen with the supervision of a certified food safety instructor. Before the program was completed, they had multiple orders and a plan to invest their profits back into the business and donate to a local charity.
Their advice to other young entrepreneurs: “Do your research but also know challenges will always arise so just persevere. Overcoming challenges is part of business.”
Great job Spring Creek! Check out these images from the four volunteer-led in-classroom sessions plus the showcase and sales day:
Business of Our Own helps students identify the key success factors needed to turn personal and team performance into profit. Learn more at jabc.org/boo.