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Friends,
Summer offers great opportunities for young people who are smart enough to take advantage of them! 
SIX TIPS FOR TREP$
TO MAKE THIS THE BEST SUMMER EVER!
1 Hit the flea markets and craft fairs to see what is selling that you could imitate or improve upon at your next TREP$ Marketplace. While you're there, notice the table displays. What catches your eye? What props did they use display their products to get height? What about price-tags and signs?
2 Consider renting your own space at a craft fair or flea market if you feel your business is ready to take that step. To minimize risk for this first experience, ask the organizer for a reduced rate given that you are a student. If the space is larger than you need, ask one or more other people to share the space and divide the cost.
3 Visit garage/tag sales with an open and creative mind. Often people sell items that, with a little work, can be turned into saleable products for TREP$. After a wedding, the bride might sell the candle holders that were on each of the tables....
4 Clean out your basement or garage and you many find some inspiration in these free, raw materials! -and maybe the act of cleaning and organizing might make you a few $$ too! You might find: abandoned craft projects, left over wood from years ago, jars of buttons, etc.
5 Use this FREE-TIME to actually make some products if you know what you plan to do. If you want to start selling, use social media to get the word out about your products. Start with some different variations, only making a few of each kind. Once you have a few sales, you'll know which design is more successful. Making products to order is another option.
6 Learn a new SKILL that you could use to make a great product when it comes time for TREP$! Who can teach you? Ask your grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors and family friends what they like to do. Set up a plan so that you can learn to sew, work with wood, carve, build, paint, draw, knit, crochet, make jewelry, cook, bake, or craft!
Spotlight TREP$! 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 Emma from Chester M. Stephens School in Mount Olive, NJ, Sophie from Hilldale School in Montville, NJ, and Caroline from Valley View School in Montville, NJ.
As always, thank you for being a part of this important and extraordinarily fun mission.
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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 pdewaal@trepsed.com.
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Meet Emma of "Book Buddies"
Chester M Stephens School, Mount Olive, NJ
My name is Emma and I am in 5th grade at CMS Elementary School. After I went to the TREP$ Marketplace last year, I couldn't wait to participate this year. After all of the bookmarks I had that fell out of my books, I decided to make bookmarks that couldn't fall out of your book. I found my idea by talking with my mom and looking on Pinterest and we found this super cool idea. I named my business Book Buddies.
My business included different ribbon styles to make the bookmark look cool and different sizes for different size books. I thought it was fun picking out different ribbons for boys and girls. When I first started this project, I didn't really know how to sew. I got frustrated with threading the needle and tying knots at the end of the thread. After my mom showed me a few tricks, I got the hang of it and now I can sew in a straight line and even sew on a button. My mom and I worked together to get everything measured and pinned so all we had to do was sew.
Each Book Buddy was $2.00 no matter what style or size. We sewed 86 Book Buddies to sell at the TREP$ Marketplace.
During the Marketplace, everybody thought that my product was a great idea. I ended up selling out and even have a couple of orders on the order form that I came prepared with. I made a trifold board with pictures of examples, my logo and slogan. I laid out all of my products, separating them by size with a book next to them as an example of what bookmark would fit with each book size. I made a $129 profit.
I loved participating n the TREP$ Marketplace. I wish that we could do it every year because it was so much fun and I learned a lot.
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Meet Sophie, of "Sophie's Bag Tags"
Hilldale School, Montville, NJ
 My name is Sophie, and I am a fifth grader at Hilldale Elementary School. My company is Sophie's Bag Tagz. Sophie's Bag Tagz is a personalized nametag that you can put on your backpack, lunch box, or suitcase. It's a great way to make sure things don't get lost. On the tags, you can put your name, number, address, and also a cool design, from a baseball to a smiley face! When I found out that Hilldale was starting the entrepreneurs club, I just knew I was going to do it. It sounded like so much fun! And when we were starting to think of ideas, my mom said that it would be great to do something related to my peanut allergy. So I thought about the many name-tags that have an allergy alert on them. So I decided that I would imitate this idea, and call it my own. The reason why these are special is because all of the money made by the sales of the tags is being donated to FARE for Food Allergy Research and Education. This is a program where their mission is to help all the people who suffer from food allergies. So I bought the materials that were needed to create Sophie's Bag Tagz. Then, I had realized that I couldn't make everyone at the TREP$ Marketplace a bag tag! So instead, on the night of the TREP$ Marketplace, I took orders for the people who wanted one. Once I made them, I delivered them to their houses. But for the Marketplace I had \samples for people to look at! That night I was one busy girl. Everyone loved the idea! And the best part about it, was that this product was for both girls and boys! Since everyone loved my product, I started selling Sophie's Bag Tagz outside of TREP$. It was a great experience, and I wished that I was able to do it next year! I think that I will continue selling Sophie's Bag Tagz because it was a great experience!
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Meet Caroline, of "Button Bracelets"
When I was an entrepreneur, I learned a lot and had a lot of fun. I learned how to be a good sales person, how to advertise, get people to come to my station and that making a product takes time.
I enjoyed this wonderful experience, even if I had a couple of problems. For example, sewing is hard! I realized that I bought too many materials or at first purchased the wrong materials; but, I figured out a solution. Doing t  his program taught me how to solve problems, deal with money as well as how to come up with an idea and create a product. M y favorite part was selling my product at the TREP$ Marketplace. I was happy at the end that I was done making bracelets, but sad because I couldn't sell anymore. It was cool when you could convince someone to buy my product! I love being an entrepreneur.
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