Announcing the Young Entrepreneur Scholarship (Y.E.S.)!
We are excited to announce to our friends, customers, and neighbors our newest way to give back to the community – the Young Entrepreneur Scholarship (Y.E.S.)!
But first a story…
Growing up, I was always thinking of ways to create an enterprise of some kind. Luckily I was raised by entrepreneurs, and they were happy to provide opportunities and entertain my need to understand the worth of hard work & ingenuity.
One of my first memories of this experience was spending hours with my sister picking up pecans that fell from the Pecan trees out front of our property, and then Mom bringing us to the local produce market to sell them to the owner. Walking in with my mom to trade our new commodity for hard cash, I had big dreams for the payout I was about to see for two shopping bags full of nuts.
I think we may have each earned a couple of bucks at most! Needless to say, I learned a big lesson about value and expectations that day. These days, with two kids of my own, I’ve started to think more and more about the next generation of entrepreneurs and the lessons my parents taught me. That’s why we’ve decided to invest in the young people of our community who want to learn those lessons for themselves by finding their own opportunities!
Beginning this week, we’ve begun accepting applications from young people between the ages of 8 and 20 years old who want to start or grow their own small business. The best applicant who can demonstrate a sound business plan, present it to our team, and meet a high standard of character will be awarded a grant of up to $1,000 to help plant or grow their business!
Now comes the part where I ask for your help–we need to find these young people! Please spread the word to your civic groups, churches, workplaces, ball teams, and anywhere else you have friends or families. Maybe the young man that mows lawns in your neighborhood, or the young lady that sells baked goods (any of these sound familiar?) could use a new piece of equipment for their business. Encourage and invite them to apply to Y.E.S. for a chance that could shape the rest of their life!
The process is simple–applicants go to the form below and answer questions about themselves and their business or idea. If they have a written business plan, they may email it to us as well. We will accept nominations until May 10, 2019, after which we will review the entries and invite the top applicants to meet with us in person, notifying them after May 17, 2019.
APPLICANTS APPLY HERE!
The basic questions applicants will answer include:
- What is the name of your business?
- What do you sell or provide?
- What’s cool about your business?
- How will people know about your business?
- Who are your customers?
- How much do you charge for your service or product?
- How much money do you need to get started or to grow your business?
- Why should you be picked for the Scholarship?