May 2016
Friends,
Spring is a great time to make decisions about next year.  Take a moment to get inspired by the ideas and stories that have been submitted by others.   We would love to hear your great ideas too- things you've done, or think we should do!

IDEA:  Our Lady of the Lake School in Verona found a fun way to promote their TREP$ Marketplace!  They split their group of students into teams with the objective of creating a TREP$ Marketplace Commercial that is both engaging and persuasive.  Voted on by their peers, here's the winning commercial. 


IDEA: Recognize your TREP$ support system, volunteers and sponsors, by presenting them with official TREP$ Certificates of Appreciation!  Click here to request the 2015-2016 version.  You can also request the 2015-2016 Certificate of Participation for your students.

IDEA: 
Bragg School in Chester hosts a Shark Tank where the kids pitch their businesses to a panel.  It really gets the kids to think about their sales pitches well in advance.  It's also a great time for the workshop facilitators to express any concerns they may have.

IDEA: 
We've also recently heard about PARENTS who have required their kids to participate in their own family Shark Tank before considering granting them business loans. What a great way to get the young entrepreneurs to make a prototype first and make sure it's a practical idea for a product.

ANIMATED VIDEOS:
Thank you to those who  suggested topics to cover with animated videos.  We are currently working on videos to help 'treps Minimize Risk and Build their Table Display.   Have a topic you'd like us to address?  We'd love to hear your suggestions! Click here to send us your idea!

Congratulations to Hilldale School for TAKING AND CRUSHING "The TREP$ Facebook Challenge!  We loved seeing your new TREP$ banner hanging at the entrance to your first TREP$ Marketplace!

The TREP$ Website- It's really coming along... any day now!  -And it's every bit as fabulous as we've been saying!

Spotlight TREP$!  We have some great write-ups to share with you- written by and about young entrepreneurs we met this fall and winter.  Their stories are so inspirational.  Scroll down to meet Sabrina from Valley View School in Montville, NJ,  Alyssa and Elizabeth from Bragg School in Chester, NJ,  and Mackenzie from Maple Road School in West Milford, NJ.

As always, thank you for being a part of this important and extraordinarily fun mission.
 
Pamela deWaal and Hayley Romano
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What is TREP$ All About?
What is TREP$ All About?


Why is TREP$ Called TREP$ ?
Why is TREP$ Called TREP$ ?

Funny TREP$ Commercial
Funny TREP$ Commercial

Tips for Parents of 'treps in TREP$!
Tips for Parents of 'treps in TREP$!
TREP$ Music Video with Great Message
TREP$ Music Video with Great Message


 

Students Are Encouraged to Submit Stories!
We are always looking for students to tell their unique stories to our readers.
To see your students' businesses in the Spotlight 'treps" section of the TREP$ on Track, have them submit write-ups about their experiences.  With their submissions, they should include a photo of them making their product, posing with their product, or standing at their table.  Most write-ups are 250-500 words. Email submissions to [email protected].

Meet Sabrina, of "Sabrina's Pillows"
 
My name is Sabrina and I am a 5th grader at Valley View Elementary School in Montville, New Jersey.  I have been involved with TREP$ for two years.  Prior to TREP$, I was selling in local marketplaces.  When I was 8 years old, I made and sold bracelets.  At 9 years old, I made duck tape wallets in cool patterns and colors.  Both times, I donated a portion of my profits to the American Cancer Society and The Homeless Bus Charity. 

When I turned 10, I was able to join the TREP$ program at my school.  I was so excited to participate in this program!  This is when my pillow business officially began.  I called it Sabrina's Pillows and had business cards made.  I got my own sewing machine and I made smiley face pillows and sports pillows.  I sewed them together and stuffed them all by myself.  I sell my pillows from $5 to $12 depending on the size.  I think it is important to have different prices for my customers. 

I learned how to sew in 4th grade by watching YouTube videos and have loved it ever since.  My sewing skills keep getting better!  I make bags, pants, shirts and even coats!  
At the TREP$ Marketplace, a lot of people came over to my table.  People were impressed that I did all the work myself .  I brought 60 pillows with me last year and sold out!  I did very well this year also.  I even took orders for some of the pillows that sold out and my mom and I delivered them when I finished.  Thanks to TREP$, I now have a real business!
Meet Alyssa and Elizabeth of "A&E Factory"
Bragg School, Chester, NJ  
 

TREP$ is a wonderful program because it is fun, but you can also definitely learn a lot about running your very own business. At the TREP$ Marketplace, we sold bookmarks, s'more pops and bottled water. We named our business A&E Factory after our names, Alyssa and Elizabeth. If I could go back and do TREP$ all over again, the one thing I would change is our product quantity. We made a lot. We sold a lot too, but we did not sell out like many of the other groups. Figuring out how much of your product to make is always hard because you don't know how many people will buy it!

We learned a lot from TREP$. We never knew how much preparation and planning you have to do to sell a product. For us, coming up with a product to sell was the hardest part, but pricing can be tough too. Sometimes your products don't even work out, which happened to us. Instead of bookmarks, we were originally going to make and sell popsicle stick bracelets. We had it all planned out, but it did not work out well because too many sticks were breaking and they were not bending like they were supposed to. So we decided to do bookmarks instead!

The TREP$ Marketplace is very busy. Time goes by quickly and you will probably get turned down a lot by customers. You can't let that make you sad, you always have to smile! It definitely helps attract customers if you look happy and nice.
We did make some profit, so we decided to donate some of it to the senior center in our town because their apartments were flooded. So we bought them a meal from a local restaurant and served dinner to them. We also donated our extra bookmarks to them. You can learn so much about the world in such little time!
Meet Mackenzie, of "Serendipity"
Maple Road School, West Milford, NJ
 
My name is Mackenzie and my business is called Serendipity!

When I finally hit fifth grade, I couldn't wait to create my business! My mom talked to me about how I can start a successful business so I could be inspiring as well! So when I went to the TREP$ Workshops I listened to some older kids explain what it is like at the Marketplace. So then I realized I had a lot to think about!

Then the day came when we had to share what we were planning to do, I shared some of my plans for packaging and some ideas for labeling. My teacher and the business expert shared information with me about how beauty products can be popular for ladies and girls, so I was excited and started thinking! When I got home that day I shared with my mom what we had learned and we put our ideas together!

That Saturday my mom took me to her store where she makes lotion, body mist, lip balm, and lots of other goodies.  We talked about a deal where she would supply all of my supplies in exchange for me working at the store - she understood that I wanted to keep all my money! That day I started picking the scents that I wanted to use and all of the sizes.  Then I started making lotion, room spray, lip balm, body mist, soap, and mystery boxes! I decided to do mystery boxes because they are fun - you don't know what you are buying - it is a surprise!

Finally, after a few weeks of hard work, TREP$ was in one day!  I had to make sure I had everything ready and made sure that I had my display planned and packed up. At last, it was the night of the big event, The TREP$ Marketplace!  I was so excited! I got there and set up my table. On my table, I put soaps in the front and small lotions behind that. Then I organized all of my other products covering my entire table.  I also included a gift basket giveaway, where everyone was invited to write their name and phone number on a small piece of paper and put it in a basket for a chance to win my grand gift basket. When TREP$ ended that night, I picked a name and then let the lady know that she won!

As a marketing idea and a way to encourage people to make a second purchase, I handed out coupons with special offers and free gifts. For example I had a coupon that said buy a small lotion and get $1 off a lip balm or something else sweet like that! People seemed to make purchases because they knew they would be getting something else or another special deal. I think this idea added to my sales and my success!

My business was very successful and my mom and dad are very proud of me! I felt so great that I completed such a huge task and that I received so many compliments! I made quite a few bucks - too much to count! In conclusion, what I am going to say, TREP$ really inspired me a lot and if you think you want to do it, please listen... TREP$ is not as easy as it looks! You need to ask yourself, Is this idea going sell? Is this going to be popular? Do I like what I am selling? Did I do a good job? You might think it is easy to talk about your product, but it can be hard. You also have to believe in your business and have lots of good things to say to make sure you sell as much as possible. If you don't believe in your business, other people won't either! Doing TREP$ has now inspired me to know what I would like to do when I am an adult.