Students from Spencer and Okoboji High Schools are participating in an Entrepreneurship Academy. Since January, the students have explored entrepreneurial curriculum and have read startup books, including "The Lean Startup" by Eric Ries, "The Ultimate Sales Machine" by Chet Holmes, and "Who: The Method for Hiring" by Geoff Smart & Randy Street. Students also met with successful entrepreneurs in the Corridor, and they are currently starting their own real businesses through developing a business plan, securing funding and meeting with mentors.
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Back Row L to R: Stacie McCreary, Ayrial Schnell, Hunter Hurst, Seth Hill-Anderson Front Row L to R: Mallory Gibson, Karlee Schnell, Hannah Grimm |
Currently, the students are working on their MVPs (Minimal Viable Product). They are to create their business on a small scale to gather information on their product concept and to research customers. Students could work in pairs, or they could start their own independent business:
Ayrial Schnell & Stacie McCreary: creating a laser tag facility in Spencer. They are having a 2-day outdoor laser tag event on April 23-24.
See flyer here.
Hunter Hurst: has begun his landscaping business and is working on extending his customer base.
Karlee Schnell: opening a pet store with homemade dog and cat treats. Karlee is currently exploring different recipes and plans to sell the treats at the upcoming homemade market on April 23rd at Gary's on the River.
Mallory Gibson & Hannah Grimm: both are interested in creating a high-end fashion boutique. They are exploring options of possibly organizing a Corridor fashion show.
Seth Hill-Anderson: starting a brewery in Spencer. Seth has traveled Iowa visiting with many brewery owners to learn more about the business and how to enter the market.
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The Entrepreneurship Academy is sponsored by the Iowa Lakes Corridor, IowaWORKS, Alliant Energy, Dickinson County Endowment Fund, Iowa Lakes Community College, and Black Hills Energy. For more information about the Entrepreneurship Academy, contact Jonna Garrett at
[email protected]