start a club

When women are not exposed to businesses at a young age, by the time they start learning about it, the field feels foreign or daunting, so they are reluctant to join it. Especially when they don’t have any female role models in entrepreneurship, it’s hard to imagine themselves in such an occupation.  By opening an Early Entrepreneurs Club, you will:

1. Inspire: you'll be showing young girls at your school the world of business and inspire them to generate ideas and turn them into reality. Your passion can be infectious!
2. Teach valuable skills: Teaching young girls how to be a business owner can give them skills that they can use in the future, regardless of whether they pursue entrepreneurship or not. These skills include problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, and financial literacy. By helping others learn these skills, you can make a real difference in their lives. Moreover, you will learn new concepts along the way and re-emphasize your knowledge about business ownership.
3. Lead: Starting a club requires leadership skills, and by taking on this challenge, you can gain valuable experience in this area. You'll learn how to manage a team, organize events, and communicate effectively with others. These skills can help you in any future endeavors you pursue, whether in business or other areas. 
4. Make a difference in your community: By starting an Early Entrepreneurs club, you'll be creating a positive impact on your school and community. You'll be helping young girls learn valuable skills and fostering a sense of community among like-minded individuals. Equally important, teaching girls at a young age about entrepreneurship will increase the amount of women’s representation in the business world. Think about it, by the time they leave for college, the girls will have 8 years of business experience vs 4 (because usually, women start learning about business as a freshman in high school).

The Early Entrepreneurs program is designed to be led by 11th and 12th graders. Ideally, you should have received some level of education or exposure on how to create a business. As a requirement of the program and before you launch an Early Entrepreneurs Club, you must attend our bootcamp. With the certificate of completion, you will be good to go!

These are the key steps to prepare and launch your Early Entrepreneurs club:

• Find like-minded individuals to co-lead: Start by talking to your friends or classmates who are interested in entrepreneurship. You can also reach out to your school's business or economics teachers to see if they know any students who are interested in starting an Early Entrepreneurs club with you.

• Get approval from your school: Once you have a group of interested students, you'll need to get approval from your school to start a club. Talk to your school's administration to find out what the requirements are for starting a new club. You may need to fill out paperwork, find a faculty advisor, and document the mission statement for your club. See the About Us page in this website.

• Customize your plan: Once you have approval to start the club, review the Early Entrepreneurs Plan section of this website and adjust it to the unique characteristics of your school setting. Be sure to set realistic goals and create a timeline for achieving them. Of critical importance is to determine when you would be able to meet with middle school girls (during recess or after school).

• Execute! Connect with us: We'll help you with resources and events to get you started. You can also reach out to local business organizations or women entrepreneurs to see if they are willing to share their expertise with your club. Your school's business or economics department may also have resources or connections that you can leverage.

• Market your club: Spread the word about your new club by creating flyers, posters, or social media posts. You can also talk to your school's guidance counselors or teachers to allow you to present the Early Entrepreneurs concept to young girls in middle school. You can also leverage our Early Entrepreneurs marketing materials on this website.