Flint’s young entrepreneurs will be out in full force on Saturday, May 5 when they begin selling their services and products as part of the first-ever YQ Inc. Business Fair in the Flint Farmer’s Market.
More than 40 young vendors in grades K through 12 will sell everything from cat toys and action figures to bath bombs and candles.
In addition to the short-term pop-up shops, there will be imagination stations featuring ideas that are still in development. Students manning the stations will share their innovative solutions relating to washing machines, social media and coffee.
The kids are well-prepared. They’ve had several weeks of entrepreneurship lessons thanks to YouthQuest’s afterschool program in Flint and Genesee County. They learned about marketing and profit-sharing, developed business plans and competed in ‘Shark Tank’-style pitch competitions.
With support from United Way of Genesee County Community Impact, students who advanced from the YouthQuest competitions enlisted their peers to assist with production and will display the resulting inventory in the market’s outdoor pavilion.
“We’re all about hands-on, interactive learning at YouthQuest,” says Cheryl Adkins, program director of YouthQuest. “What better way to teach students about entrepreneurship than by challenging them to create their own businesses.”
Fifth grader A’llysa Wallace is among the students participating in YQ Inc. Her jewelry business specializes in beaded necklaces and bracelets. She and her business partners work in pairs to create each piece – one works with the beads and the other works with the thread.
It has taught me a lot about teamwork,” Wallace says about the program. “I have a good group of partners – we support each other. I think that’s an important part of running a business.”
YouthQuest is a Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce program and is made possible through the support of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and 21st Century Community Learning Centers.
This project has inspired our students to think big,” Adkins says. “It has stretched their imaginations and built their confidence. And they’re excited to share what they’ve learned with the community.”
The YQ Inc. Business Fair will be held May 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, please click here or call (810) 600-1422.
— Lead photo: YouthQuest students share the business plan for Wired for Action, a business that creates and sells customized action figures using pipe cleaners.
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