Though it may never appear on a resume, the very first work that a person does as a child , whether it’s a lemonade stand or babysitting or mowing lawns , can have a profound impact on their understanding of business and how the world around them works.
That is why Suzanne Robitaille and Pam Kiernan have launched the Young Entrepreneur Bootcamp in Darien to help local elementary school students develop a deeper understanding of what it takes to run a business.
Robitaille, a partner at the public relations firm Archie Group, said the idea started with a conversation about her daughter.
“I have an eight-year-old daughter and she has a bracelet making business,” Robitaille explained. “Me and Pam were talking about how these kids today are for the most part given everything. They want a bracelet making kit, they get a making kit, and then they hand it off to mom and dad. I watched my daughter have all this energy in making bracelets, but then lacking the skills to execute the plan to sell the bracelets.”
While watching her daughter try door-to-door sales and putting money in the bank instead of reinvesting it, Robitaille decided it was a perfect teachable moment. She then realized there were plenty of other children who might be excited to learn how they can build their own business.
Looking for a class that could fit the bill on social media, she discovered that none existed and realized this could be a perfect moment for entrepreneurship. Kiernan, who works in Financial Services, offered to teach the class and the two women partnered up.
“I will teach them about idea generation, identifying what is missing in the marketplace,” Kiernan said, noting that a key aspect will be getting students to ask the right questions when ideating a business. “What are they really good at and passionate about? What are their skills that they know of? Even if they don’t draw upon these skills immediately, they will be going through real exercises, not just on a video screen. They will be getting their hands dirty, doing something, doing the work, and something will stick.”
The resulting program is open to all children ages 8-12 and will be held at the Darien offices of Archie Group in Darien. The first two sessions were held July 15 and 22 and a third is scheduled for July 29 , and there has been enough interest that both founders said they were considering offering another session in the fall.
“We’re hoping to bring some of the magic of being entrepreneurs to the younger set,” Robitaille said.
Kiernan emphasized that while the lessons are intended to be fun, a basic grasp of entrepreneurship and the guiding principles of the business world are increasingly important in a world where influencers who run their own businesses , such as Jimmy Donaldson, also known as MrBeast , are serving as key role models.
“It’s one thing to watch influencers on social media,” Kiernan said. “It’s another thing entirely to make a little bit of money in a small business venture and learn how to reinvest what you’ve earned to help your small business grow. It’s a great skill to learn. The skills that we’re teaching will lay the foundation for these kids to build on over the course of their teen years and hopefully for the rest of their lifetimes.”
“There’s a lot of very good information there,” Kiernan added. “But you have to learn how to drive a car before someone gives you the keys. It doesn’t hurt to remind your kids to price accordingly on whatever they’re making and put the money back into the business. And the kids will always listen to someone else before they listen to their own parents.”
