What's Entrepreneurship?

An entrepreneur is someone that starts her own business or company. This means you have an idea for a product or service that you think people will want, and you work hard to make that idea a reality. It’s like being a superhero -you have your own secret lair where you can create and innovate!

Being a girl boss can be challenging, but it can also be very rewarding. Women are great at collaborating and building relationships, which is important when it comes to running a business. Plus, because girls have faced more challenges in the business world historically, we are extra tough and can handle anything that comes our way.

Here are some basic principles of entrepreneurship:

1. Idea generation: The first step in entrepreneurship is coming up with a good idea. This could be anything from creating a new product, to offering a service that is not currently available in the market.
2. Market research: Once you have an idea, it's important to do some research to make sure that there is a demand for it. This means figuring out if people would be interested in buying what you are offering.
3. Planning and execution: After you've done your research, you need to create a plan to make your idea a reality. This includes figuring out how you will make your product or offer your service, how much it will cost, and how you will market it to potential customers.
4. Persistence: Finally, being a girl entrepreneur requires a lot of hard work and persistence. You may face obstacles and setbacks along the way, but it's important to keep going and not give up.

As for why being a female is good for an entrepreneur, there are a few reasons:

1. Diversity: Having more girl entrepreneurs means that there is more diversity in the business world. This can lead to more innovative ideas and a better understanding of different customer needs.
2. Collaboration: Girls tend to be good at collaboration and building relationships, which are important skills for entrepreneurs.
3. Resilience: Women have historically faced more challenges in the business world, which means they often have more resilience and determination to succeed.

Overall, being a girl entrepreneur can bring unique perspectives and skills to the table, and can help create a more diverse and successful business world. Think of it like a video game where you get to level up every time you overcome an obstacle! And the more girl bosses out there, the more diverse and innovative the business world becomes.

So, put on your cape and get ready to take the business world by storm!

Are you ready to learn about how entrepreneurs come up with awesome ideas? Let's get started!

You know how when you're trying to come up with ideas for a project, you might brainstorm with your friends or do some research? Well, entrepreneurs do the same thing, but on a bigger scale!

They might look at what people need or want, and then come up with a creative solution to that problem. For example, someone might notice that there aren't many healthy snack options for people on the go, and then come up with an idea for a line of delicious and nutritious snacks that are easy to take with you.

Or, they might take something that already exists and try to make it better or more fun. For example, someone might take a plain old backpack and add cool features such as built-in speakers or a solar-powered charger!

The idea for Early Entrepreneurs also came from brainstorming!! We noticed that women are underrepresented as business owners. Through interviews, we learned that an important contributing factor is their lack of exposure to entrepreneurship from an early age. So, we thought about ways on how to address that gap. A brainstorming generated the following ideas:

1. A feminist pep rally could uplift the girl’s spirits and show them how to have a positive mindset. 
2. If we had a play about entrepreneurship, it could be about a female entrepreneur's journey and the process they went through to create their business. This can be used to inform people about the struggles of women in entrepreneurship in a fun and interactive way.
3. Exposing the students to the business world at a young age by taking them on a bus ride around New York City to see businesses and meet business owners. This opportunity introduces children to the business world in a friendlier way so they aren’t intimidated by the industry when they are older.  
4. Bringing in female entrepreneur panelists to speak about their entrepreneurial journey. Aspiring entrepreneurs can have access to female role models. 
5. Creating a program to teach young girls about business, where high school students can be their teachers. This is also a good opportunity for high school students to learn more about business by teaching while taking on a leadership role. Younger students will now have role models who they can look up to. 
6. Creating meet-ups between different schools so girls can connect with other girls who are also interested in the field of business. This support will allow them to understand that they are not alone and that they are all trying to stay motivated. 
7. Have girls pitch ideas to real companies
8. Have girls create PSA videos about entrepreneurship
9. One-on-one mentorship between girls and real entrepreneurs
10. Have an entrepreneur play games with a class to make the industry seem more friendly
11. Create business challenges and competitions for middle schoolers
12. Connect students from different schools with similar interests (one on one - like pen pals)

The idea we chose was creating a program to teach young girls about business, where high school students can be their teachers and adult entrepreneurs may come as guest speakers... and this is how Early Entrepreneurs was born!

Sometimes, entrepreneurs even come up with ideas by accident! Like the person who invented the slinky - it was originally supposed to be a new type of spring for machines, but when it fell off the shelf, the inventor realized it could be a toy too!

So, the sky's the limit when it comes to generating ideas as an entrepreneur. You just have to be creative, observant, and willing to take risks. Who knows, you might be the one to come up with the next big thing!

Market research is when you find out if people would be interested in buying what you are offering. It's like being a spy, but instead of finding out secrets, you're finding out what people like and want. It's like going undercover to figure out what people are into!

To do market research, you can start by talking to people and asking them what they think about your idea. You can also look online to see what people are saying about similar products or services. This can help you figure out if there is a need for your idea, and what people might be willing to pay for it. It's like being a secret agent, trying to get information without blowing your cover. 

For example, let's say you have an idea for a new type of toy that is eco-friendly and made from recycled materials. You could start by asking your friends and family if they would be interested in buying a toy like that. You could also look online to see if there are other eco-friendly toys on the market, and read reviews to see what people like and don't like about them. 

Another way to do market research is to set up a survey or focus group. You could ask people to try out your toy and give you feedback on what they like and don't like about it. This can help you make changes and improvements to your product before you start selling it.

An example of market research is how we look into Early Entrepreneurs as an idea:

• We visited middle school classes and gave them a brief presentation about entrepreneurship before asking them to fill out a survey
• Our survey asks questions like:
  • Have you ever heard of entrepreneurship?
  • Are you interested in entrepreneurship?
  • Did you enjoy learning about entrepreneurship?
• They filled out our survey and it turns out…

Before our presentation, some students had heard about entrepreneurship and some hadn't. However, those who had previously heard about it tended to have little to no concept of its definition. From our market research, we found out that 82% of middle school students are interested in entrepreneurship! In fact, the majority enjoyed learning about it! They even pointed out specific things they thought were interesting! Therefore, even though many middle school students don’t have previous knowledge of entrepreneurship, they would be interested in learning about it. This goes to show that they are not too young to understand the concepts and that they are missing out on educational opportunities.

So, market research is all about figuring out what people want and need, and using that information to create a product or service that people will love. It's like solving a puzzle, and it's a really important part of being a successful entrepreneur!

Planning and execution are like the two sides of a coin - they are both essential to be successful in business.

Think about it like baking a cake. Before you start, you need to plan what ingredients you need, what tools you will use, and how long it will take. Then, you have to execute your plan by actually measuring the ingredients, mixing them together, and baking the cake in the oven. Without planning, you might forget an important ingredient or not have the right tools. Without execution, you might have a great plan, but no cake to show for it!

Similarly, as an entrepreneur, you need to plan what you want to achieve and how you will achieve it, and then you need to execute your plan by taking action and making it happen. For example, if you want to start a business selling handmade jewelry, you will need to plan what kind of jewelry you want to make, how you will make it, and where you will sell it. Then, you will need to execute your plan by actually making the jewelry, setting up a website or shop to sell it, and promoting it to potential customers.

Here are some examples of how you can succeed as an entrepreneur by planning and executing:

1. Set goals: Write down what you want to achieve with your business and set specific, measurable goals to help you get there. For example, if you want to sell 100 pieces of jewelry in a month, you can plan how many pieces you need to make each day and where you will sell them.
2. Research: Learn about your market (see section above about market research), competitors, and potential customers. This will help you plan what products to make and how to market them. For example, if you find out that there is a high demand for personalized jewelry, you can plan to make more of those and market them to people who like unique and customized items.
3. Take action: Once you have a plan, take action to make it happen! This means making the jewelry, setting up a website or shop, and promoting your products to potential customers. You can also ask for feedback from your customers to help you improve your products and services.

Remember, planning and execution are important for any goal you want to achieve, whether it's baking a cake, playing a sport, or starting a business. By being a good planner and executor, you can achieve your dreams and create a successful business!

Being an entrepreneur can be really exciting, but it can also be challenging at times. That's why it's important to be persistent - to keep going even when things get tough.

Think of it like climbing a mountain. You start at the bottom and look up at the peak, which can seem really far away and daunting. But if you keep putting one foot in front of the other, keep pushing through the difficult parts, and keep going even when you're tired, you'll eventually reach the top.

Being persistent means having that same determination and perseverance in your business. Here are some examples of how persistence can help you succeed:

1. Overcoming obstacles: As you start your business, you may face obstacles such as funding, competition, or finding the right customers. Being persistent means not giving up when faced with these challenges, but instead finding ways to overcome them. For example, if you're struggling to find customers, you might try reaching out to more people or offering a promotion to get people interested.
2. Learning from failure: Failure is a normal part of any business journey, but it's how you respond to it that makes a difference. Being persistent means using failure as an opportunity to learn and grow, instead of giving up. For example, if a marketing strategy doesn't work, you can analyze why it failed and adjust your approach for next time.
3. Building relationships: Building relationships with customers, partners, and other entrepreneurs is an important part of growing a successful business. Being persistent means continuing to reach out and build those relationships, even if you don't see results right away. For example, if you reach out to a potential partner and don't hear back, you can follow up with them to keep the conversation going.

Remember, persistence is key to achieving your goals and overcoming challenges. Like climbing a mountain, it may not be easy, but the view from the top is worth it! 

We are here to help you! Join an Early Entrepreneur Club, participate in our Webcasts or come to one of our events.