CVC offers head start for young entrepeneurs

by Loyd Brumfield of Cedar Hill TODAY

It's never too soon to start your own business, according to Cedar Valley College.

CVC's Cedar Hill Center this summer will host a four-week Young Entrepreneurs Camp on Fridays from June 8-June 29.

“We want to bring in young people and work with them in developing their own business,” Cedar Hill Center Director Felicia Cook said.

The camp is open to students entering the sixth, seventh and eighth grades (Group A) and to those entering the ninth, 10th and 11th grades (Group B).

Students have the option of enrolling for a half day (12 hours for $60) or a full day (28 hours for $100).

The center did this on a smaller scale last year and liked the results so much it decided to enlarge it this year.

Many students use examples from their past as a seed for their business futures, Cook said.

“In the previous course, two or three actually started their own business,” Cook said. “We had one student bake and sell pastries using recipes she had learned from her grandmother, and now she bakes birthday cakes and does catering.

“Another young man went on to work with silk floral arrangements based on what his mother used to do.”

During the half-day sessions, scheduled for either 9 a.m. to noon or 1-4 p.m., students will learn how to tell if their business idea will work, how to write a business plan and learn about marketing plans and why they are important.

Full-day students (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) will learn about all of that in addition to hearing from special guest speakers, take part in money-management ideas and spend time learning to perfect a resume, create a web site and develop interviewing skills.

The camps are under the instruction of Monique Crittenden, a minority business owner who has several years of experience working with small businesses.

“I enjoy helping young people discover how to be their own boss,” she said. “The skills students learn in the Young Entrepreneurs Camp can be used anywhere, in any field, by anyone desiring to chart their own course for the future.”

Anyone who completes the camp will receive a certificate and CVC will administer a Career Choice Assessment test for free ($35 value). This test matches interest and experience with possible careers, Cook said.

“It's a really good choice if you really aren't sure what you want to do,” she said.

Students will also take part in a business plan competition judged by a panel of five. Plans will be rated based on several categories and winners in each age group will receive $100 as seed money, Cook said.

Several banks are helping to sponsor the camp, including Texas Trust Credit Union, Washington Mutual (Red Bird) and Wells Fargo.

One day will be devoted to money management - where to get capital and how to grow it - as well as management tools.

“They will learn about the importance of reinvesting their revenues back into their business, rather than just spending it,” Cook said.

Full-day students will also receive lunch courtesy of restaurants such as Pizza Hut, Dave's Barbecue (mobile catering) and Chick-fil-A.

One of the scheduled guest speakers is Dallas-based actress Naima Imani Lett, who has appeared in “Prison Break” and owns her own production company.

“We hope to use this as a model program and offer a bigger and better component next year,” Cook said. “This is kind of our pilot test.”

Last year's camp convinced the center that it should be brought back again.

“What we saw was excitement from our students,” Cook said. “One gentleman decided he wanted to do his own car detailing, and another wanted to make T-shirts with his own custom logo.”

The camp will also serve as a springboard to future education, Cook hopes.

“What we're hoping is that this taste will be enough to maybe make someone think about taking a business class or two,” she said.

Camps like this one are an emerging trend, she said.

“A lot of Texas colleges out west have introduced some full-blown programs, and we hope this catches on in the Dallas area as well.”