Chris Dillman/Bail Daly
A group of eighth graders from Berry Creek Middle School spent the school year starting their own business. On Saturday, April 6, students will join Eagle County small business owners to sell their products and services at the school’s spring market.
This is the first year Edwards Middle School has offered an entrepreneurship class, also known as the Boss Club.. Jennifer Erickson, who teaches the class, said her students spend time in the classroom learning how to run an “effective and profitable business.”
“Every day, we learn information about establishing and maintaining a business. Students learn the key elements of a good business logo, how to develop a persuasive sales pitch, and how to follow up with customers. “It’s been a long time coming,” Erickson said.
Businesses launched by students this semester range from handmade products such as candles, scrunchies, beauty products, essential oils, desserts, and crayon creations to services such as car detailing and video editing.
In addition to founding their own startups to demonstrate their hard work, students gain valuable life skills.
support local journalism
“They learn the elements of persuasion, which are extremely beneficial in interviews, work ethics, tracking finances, calculating costs, and communicating with others not only in person but also via email and social media. ”Erickson said. “Our 8th grade students say they have learned to be mature and have developed a sense of responsibility to take care of their business and customers.”
Through the class, the students said they learned about what it takes to start a business.
“If you really want to make money, you have to take it seriously, because if you just put a little time and effort into a logo or an idea, it becomes difficult,” Valeria Garcia said. “Don’t expect things to happen from day to day, because they probably won’t. It takes time and dedication to make it happen.”
Valeria is the co-founder of Taste of Garcias, a company that produces sweets and snacks. She started the business with her cousin Diego Garcia. Diego Garcia said the idea came from her love of cooking food for her family and her younger brothers.
“We needed to do what we’re good at. So we decided to draw from his experience and mine to create an easy and fun dessert,” said Valeria Garcia. . “Every Hispanic knows these desserts.”
Many of our students have spent time outside of the classroom building successful businesses.
“It can be difficult and it takes time to get up and running. If you don’t put in the time, it’s hard to make sales,” says Evan Dunn, who started a video editing business called Pieced Up Video Edits. said.
Lizbeth Escobedo learned how to sew for her business, LizTrentz Hair Scrunchies. She now makes scrunchies in a variety of styles and patterns, “so people can find their favorite scrunchies that fit their personality.”
Fabian Castillo said class time is not enough and he spends a lot of time working on his essential oil business (Misty Essential Oil Diffuser Blends) at home. She Castillo has created several essential oil mixtures that have a variety of benefits, from her skin health to stress and anxiety relief.
Deleann Douglas founded Crystal Scrubs, which sells sugar scrubs and other beauty products. Douglas chose this idea because of her love for spas and beauty products, but she also learned the importance of respect in business.
“You have to respect your business and respect the decisions of your customers,” Douglas said.
These skills come at a critical time for 8th graders.
“Most middle school students are at an age where they are very self-conscious and shy about presenting in class or interacting with strangers,” Erickson said.
She added that through this class, the students gained confidence in “talking about their products, giving sales presentations, and talking about their business.”
“Students are able to understand that what they are learning in this class has a very direct relationship to their lives, and we are able to connect them with other important subjects such as math, social studies, and language arts. You can make connections between the content and how that learning is relevant to this context,” Erickson said.
Want news? Get the top stories delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up here: VailDaily.com/newsletter
In addition to developing these skills and businesses, students held two “Entrepreneurship Fairs” at the school, practiced selling their products to students and staff, and made their first sales. Students keep all proceeds from sales.
Around Valentine’s Day this year, Juan Carlos Jaquez said he made about $300 by selling heart-shaped crayon art from his business, JC Crayon Creations, to his classmates.
The upcoming market will provide students with an opportunity to practice what they have learned in class with a broader community.
“We were able to use vendor fees to develop start-up funds for students to borrow to purchase materials to start their businesses,” Erickson said.
“We sincerely hope that our community will visit our local small businesses for year-end school gifts, teacher appreciation gifts, Mother’s Day products, and graduation gifts. , our vendors will continue to support this event as well.”
