BOCA RATON – Middle and high school students from the Boca
Chamber’s Young Entrepreneurs Academy were educated on
franchising by Subway of South Florida CEO Larry Feldman.
“One of the greatest pleasures for me is to speak with and teach
young entrepreneurs about the opportunities to create businesses for
themselves. The ability to grow a company as a ‘labor of love’ rather
than having a J-O-B is truly the wave of the future. Growing up, I
was taught that you should try to be a doctor, lawyer, or accountant.
Now, those doctors, lawyers and accountants are encouraging their
children to become entrepreneurs.”
“As an entrepreneur, I want to congratulate the Boca Raton Chamber
of Commerce for supporting and encouraging this type of program.
For a young teenager to spend 33 weeks creating an entrepreneurial
concept, combined with the prospect of getting financing for their
concept and possibly securing scholarship funding for college is
something that every community should initiate.”
He added: “It is an opportunity I wish I had when I was growing up.
Thank you for giving me the forum to help educate and excite our
next generation of business leaders.”
The Young Entrepreneurs Academy, or YEA!, is an educational
program that takes students in grades six through 12 through the
process of starting and running real businesses over the course of
a full academic year. Students work in close cooperation with local
leaders of industry, community members, and educators to develop
ideas and objectives, write business plans, pitch potential investors,
obtain funding, register with governmental agencies and develop their
brand identity, among other things.
By the end of the class, students own and operate fully functioning
businesses that can be carried on after graduation. Students learn to
make a job–not just take a job!
The Boca Chamber’s YEA! Program is facilitated at the
Adams Center for Entrepreneurship on the campus of Florida
Atlantic University and is sponsored by FPL, an “Endeavors
in Excellence” contributor. For more information about the
Young Entrepreneurs Academy, call 561.395.4433 ext. 236 or
visit www.bocaratonchamber.com/yea.