Youth Entrepreneurs, which prides itself on providing an entrepreneurial education through hands-on learning, recently held its Market Days event, an initiative providing students the opportunity to run a mini business for a day and earn real profit.
Kansas City’s Market Days started on Oct. 27 at Truman High School and concluded on Nov. 18 at Center Alternative High School, visiting seven schools in between.
Washington and Bishop Ward high school students were among those participating. Other schools in Wyandotte County with Youth Entrepreneur programs have included Schlagle, Harmon and Wyandotte high schools.
Forty-one high schools in Kansas and Missouri took part in this year’s events, garnering the following results:
• Total sales: $147,260
• Total profit: $60,193
• Average sales: $425
• Average profit: $142
• Average return on investment: 94 percent
• Max revenue: $3,573
• Max profit: $3,073
Each Market Day is a highlight for the students participating in the YE program. To prepare, students create a small-scale business plan, then take part in Wholesale Field Trips to a variety of businesses, including:
• Vita Craft
• The Roasterie Coffee Manufacturing Plant
• Best Harvest Bakeries
• Faultless Starch
• General Motors Manufacturing Plant
• Legacy Technologies
• ScriptPro
• Alphapointe Manufacturing Facility
• Tension Corporation
• Posty Cards Plant
Each field trip gives students the opportunity to witness manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers’ day-to-day operations. Students bid on venture capital provided by YE to purchase goods from wholesalers on their field trips. They then return to school and sell the purchased goods to fellow classmates at school. Once the initial investment from YE is returned, the students are allowed to keep their profits.
“Market Days is a one-of-a-kind event for YE students across Kansas and Missouri,” said Priscilla McInnes, Youth Entrepreneurs northeast region director. “From visiting local businesses to developing their business plans, students gain hands-on experience running a small-scale business and confidence to pursue their entrepreneurial aspirations.”
In addition to Market Days, Youth Entrepreneurs’ students participate in classroom competitions and work with community business leaders to enhance their business skills for future endeavors, including entrepreneurship and higher education. The goal of the curriculum is to stimulate economic thinking skills, encourage intelligent risk taking, provide practical business expertise, and instill independence and personal responsibility.