Hey Everyone,

This is Julene, editor of DreamerENT.com. A couple of weeks back I was able to share some entrepreneurship tips with Sunkissed Girlz, a fun site that features everything from fashion and beauty tips to advice about things young people face today. I started my own artistic businesses as a kid and later took part in a NFTE business camp as a teen that helped me to take my business more seriously. I wanted to share with other young people that you too can start a business doing something you love. Here’s part of what I shared on the site:

I was bitten by the business bug at a young age, when in elementary and middle school I started selling homemade greeting cards, magazines, calendars and other crafts to friends and family. It was fun to share my artwork and writing with others and do something I loved in exchange for some spending money. I learned about money management, finding customers and other things that most people might not learn until they are older – starting young definitely gives you a jumpstart on your dreams!

Being an entrepreneur also taught me how to interact better with others – I was a really shy little girl, but the process of selling my own products helped me be more confident in myself.

If you’re interested in starting your own business, here are some tips to get you started: (Click below to read the rest of this post on SunkisedGirlz.com)

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Here’s a great entrepreneurship opportunity for girls, the Girls Going Places Entrepreneurship Award Program. The contest is giving grants to girls who have creative business ideas. Visit http://www.girlsgoingplaces.com for more information, to see last years winners and to download an application.

Thanks to teen business coach Shonika Proctor from the Teen Entrepreneurship Blog for the heads up!

Description From the Website:

The Girls Going Places® Entrepreneurship Award Program is celebrating its prestigious 10th anniversary by opening its 2010 award program for entries.

Deadline: February 26, 2010. Submissions received after the deadline date will be entered in the 2011 competition.

See below for more info on the contest and local area conferences:

This annual Guardian initiative is designed to reward the enterprising spirits of girls ages 12 to 18. Guardian awards prizes to 15 girls who demonstrate budding entrepreneurship; are taking the first steps toward financial independence; and are making a difference in their schools and communities. Every year, prizes totaling $30,000 are granted to three top winners and 12 finalists to further their entrepreneurial pursuits or save for college.

Submissions will be accepted through February 26, 2010. Teachers, parents, and community members are encouraged to nominate accomplished young female entrepreneurs between the ages of 12 and 18. Adults can nominate girls by submitting a 750-word essay endorsing accomplished young female entrepreneurs. Nominees must also write a 250-word personal statement on entrepreneurship, leadership, financial independence, or giving back to the community.

The first, second and third place winners receive prizes of $10,000, $5,000 and $3,000, respectively. The 12 finalists are granted prizes of $1,000 each. Girls can use the award to reinvest in their entrepreneurial projects or to save for college.

Girls Going Places also has local area conferences that you can find about on the website:

Girls Going Places® Entrepreneurship Conferences. For young women today, economic independence is a viable route to the greater goal of self-reliance. To this end, Guardian sponsors one-day Girls Going Places® Entrepreneurship Conferences for girls ages 12-18, in conjunction with local agencies in various towns and cities. The conferences listed are designed to encourage financial literacy and help girls learn about starting businesses and managing personal finances. Successful local business women share their ideas and experience as mentors.

2010 Local Program Schedule

March 2010 Columbus, OH
March 2010 Pittsburgh, PA
April 2010 Jacksonville, FL
April 2010 Minneapolis, MN
May 2010 Ft Myers, FL
June 2010 Washington, DC
September 2010 Miami, FL
November 2010 West Palm, FL

See Also:

• Class of 2010 Graduation Song – From Josh Shipp
• Merry Christmas!
• Dreamer ENT “Field Trip” to the Hispanic Youth Symposium
• Cruising Along: The Today Show’s Kid Reporter on Her First Assignment
• Interview with Young Entrepreneur Jasmine Lawrence
• Inspiration On Dreams From Langston Hughes
• Young Celebs Unite As ONE Against Global Poverty
• Angela and Vanessa Simmons at the the Essence Young Women’s Conference

Jasmine Lawrence is a young successful entrepreneur who has definitely been soaring and growing toward her dreams. It all sprouted when she was 11-years-old, after she mixed together natural ingredients to create her own hair oils for her broken, damaged tresses. By age 13 her hair was flourishing, and she was selling her hair products to friends. At 15 she shared her story with Oprah and other major news outlets, and began discussing distribution deals with Wal-Mart – all while striving to get her homework in on time.

Now at 17-years-old, Jasmine’s natural beauty care company Eden BodyWorks has bloomed immensely, and she hopes to bring it to even greater heights. She recently graduated from high school, and is studying computer engineering at Georgia Tech. She’s also featured in the film Ten9Eight: Shoot for the Moon (that we wrote about in a previous post) featuring young entrepreneurs. Watch Jasmine below in a clip from the film:

Jasmine spoke to Dreamer ENT about her amazing experiences, what motivates her to keep going, and how other young people can bring their dreams to fruition:

Note: There are clips from the audio interview sprinkled throughout. Make sure to read the second half of the interview below.

Jasmine On How She Got Started

Dreamer ENT: So tell me a little about your business. How did you decide to develop your own hair products?

Jasmine Lawrence: It was when I was 11-years-old. I got a relaxer that was put in my hair, and it caused almost all of it to break off. So, just loosing my hair was really devastating for me… I’m really usually an outgoing person but I turned into a really shy person… I didn’t want people to take pictures of me, I didn’t want people to look at me because I was so embarrassed all the time. I tried to make different ways to make my hair grow back whether it was taking medications or using hair treatments and things like that but they didn’t work for me, and they were just using more and more chemicals that was making my situation worse.

So what I decided to do was to just use natural things, and I did research online and in books, and I eventually developed a hair oil. It was actually after I went to NFTE that I decided to start my own business.

DE: How did you learn where to get ingredients for your products from?

JL: I started just by going to different natural stores, just getting small quantities of herbs and little essential oils in the city actually, in New York. Then I actually ventured on to the Internet and my parents let me order offline, and that’s when I actually started importing ingredients from different countries.

DE: That’s cool, for NFTE was it a summer camp you attended? (NFTE, or the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship is an organization that helps young people start their own businesses).

JL: Yes, I went to a NFTE BizCamp, and it was just really inspiring.

DE: And what type of things did you learn there?

JL: Wow, I learned, oh goodness I learned so much stuff there! I learned – I learned about the different types of businesses you could be whether you’re a retailer or a wholesaler. I didn’t know that there were different types of businesses – corporations, limited liability and sole proprietorship.

I learned basically how to break down what you’re selling into units, and the difference between profit, revenue… And I learned a lot about marketing and networking. I learned about SWOT, which is Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. The three C’s which is customers, concept, and capital. I learned a lot and I still use my NFTE textbook today when I speak to other kids about entrepreneurship.

DE: You said you speak to other kids, do you have a program, or do you speak at schools? How is it?

Listen to Jasmine reflect on her speaking experiences in this clip:

JL: I do a lot of motivational speaking, not just to elementary school kids but to high-schoolers, colleges, and also adults. And I just really enjoy seeing that the adults and the children have the same responses afterwards. They’re both encouraged, they both have, you know, ideas running through their mind, and really all they needed was someone to tell them, ‘You can do it,’ you know, just a positive example of someone whose on the right track.

On Balancing The School Books With Business Books

DE: So your senior year of high school, I know it could be really crazy with senior trips and prom. How is it balancing your business with school?

JL: It’s been pretty difficult to balance school and the business. But over the – (laughs) well I can say over the years now – over the years it has gotten a lot easier. I usually try to schedule my events to be after school, over weekends or over long breaks, so I don’t miss too much of any of my years in school. I usually bring my homework with me and study on plane rides. And when I am in school, I make sure I pay special attention and take notes on whatever the teachers are saying, and even stay after school if I do need extra help. So I make sure my grades don’t slip just because I have to go to a different event or stay up late researching or something.

DE: So is education really important to you?

JL: Oh yeah, definitely. Education is number one for me right now. My business is great, but I definitely plan on going to college and getting a degree in engineering, and in business.

DE: That’s great, it’s great to see young people passionate about their education.

Seeds of Success…

After you started your business, how did it start picking up? Did you start selling it at your school or to your friends?

JL: When I first started I initially just sold to my family and friends, and I moved on to actually selling at my church. Then I actually went to different braiding and beauty salons and I tried to sell it to them… Eventually I got picked up by Wal-Mart, and that was, that was crazy.

DE: I read somewhere that you’re in Whole Foods?

JL: Whole Foods carries one of my lines, and I was really excited about that. And I’m just hoping to continue to expand into a lot of different major retailers so that I could be more easily accessible by everyone.

DE: Can you talk about what makes your product line unique?

JL: Well, there are a lot of things that make it different besides the fact that I made it when I was 11, but the key things that I like to focus on are the fact that my products are truly all natural. A lot of people will just state that, they’ll put one natural ingredient on there and they’ll call their product natural, but I truly, truly strive to put the most natural ingredients in there. Secondly, I try to make my products affordable because I believe everyone should be able to use natural products – they shouldn’t be 30 bucks for a bottle of shampoo. I think that’s ridiculous, it should be something that you can afford to use whenever you need it.

DE: And are they for anyone to use, anyone of any background, any type of hair?

JL: Oh yeah, that’s another thing that I’ve been trying to stress – that they’re for any age, any race, anyone out there who basically has hair. I’ve been using it on my little sister since she was born, my nephew was just born and he uses it. My grandmother whose 80 uses it. I’ve had people from all over the world, I’ve had orders from so many countries, and Europe and Asia, even to Australia, who’ve used the product and loved it.

DE: Wow that’s amazing!

Jasmine Shares Hair Care Tips

DE: So what’s your hair care regimen?

JL: (Laughs) I wrap my hair at night, and I usually wash my hair every other week. I try not to press or flat iron my hair everyday. I use my oil in the morning to get rid of any dandruff or dry scalp… I use one of my products called Hair Milk when I kind of want that natural wavy look. (Laughs) I don’t know, I’m a big fan of headbands, and side bangs.

DE: Do you have any tips for someone who wants to go natural and stop using chemicals in their hair, like what products do they use?

JL: I have a set of three products and I put them together and called it a hair care pack. It’s a shampoo, a conditioner and a hair milk, and I think those three things will definitely help anyone who wants to go natural with their hair. The shampoo and conditioner is great for helping your hair grow, cleansing it, and just restoring health back into it. The hair milk is a great moisturizer, and the shampoo and conditioner also help with dandruff, split ends, and a lot of problems that everyone has – and it’s reasonably priced. There’s two different ones that they can choose from right now, and I’m working on expanding that too.

On Her Visit to the Oprah Winfrey Show…

DE: You’ve gotten so much press from so many venues, and you’ve gotten press from where everyone wants to get press from – the Oprah Winfrey Show. How did you get to be on that show and how was your experience there? (Click here to read about the episode).

Below, listen to Jasmine talk to us about her experience on the Oprah Winfrey Show and the result it had on her business:

JL: Well, the experience was – I’ll start off by saying the experience was amazing. I had a great time while I was there, I had a great time when they actually came and filmed at my home, my family was just so excited, and Oprah and all of her people were just so welcoming, so helpful, and they just made everything so easy for me. Flying out to Chicago, and being there was just a dream – I was smiling, the whole time I was on cloud nine.

But really, I’m still even to this day not a hundred percent sure how they found me, but one of the producer’s family members, I think it was, was actually using my product, and they saw my story on the bottle, and one day I just got a call from them one day after school and they asked me to be on the show.

DE: Wow, that’s so amazing, and how was the response after the show? Did you get a lot of orders?

JL: Wow, I got thousands of orders after that show, and just the credibility of when Oprah says that you’re doing a good job, (laughs) a lot of people really respect that. And that was one of the boosts of respect that I really needed, someone to just back what I’m doing – not necessarily endorsing my product, but, just telling people my story and why I started this business. It’s one of the things that keeps the quality in my products, because I’m not just doing this business to make money, I’m actually doing it to help other people.

DE: Definitely, that’s that great thing to have as a mission – not only making money but also having a mission statement for your business.

Continue reading the rest of the interview with Jasmine below, where she talks about what she loves to do for fun, and shares some inspiration:

Giving Back & Having Fun

DE: You mentioned that you talk to schools, do you have any other community service ventures or anything that you enjoy doing?

JL: I’m in a club called Rebel, and its “Reaching Everyone By Exposing Lives,” it’s a youth-led anti tobacco organization, and we definitely spread the word about big tobacco, and just trying to encourage teenagers and kids not to smoke, and to also help them help their family members quit smoking. I’m in a club called Interact, and we basically just do community service, not only in our neighborhood but all around New Jersey, we do clean-ups, we do walks, fundraisers, just different things… I’d say one of those things was this past holiday season, a member of our community, their house burned down, and we collected toys and money just to help them out…

One of my favorite things is that my company does the Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk every year, it started three years ago, so that’s one of the things I love to do, we go to Pennsauken and walk around Cooper River Park, and we always raise a lot of money.

DE: Wow that’s awesome, and do you do anything for fun too?

JL: (Laughs) That is fun!

DE: (Laughs) Of course, that is fun, I mean like extracurricular activities and hobbies, do you play any sports?

Below, listen to Jasmine talk about some of her hobbies:

JL: I did play basketball, I did stop because I am ridiculously busy, but I love playing basketball. I play the harmonica, I love to crochet… I love going bowling. I’m always at the movies, whenever – every week I probably go to the movies every week. We actually have a drive-in theater near where I live, I’ve been there a few times, and it’s a really cool experience.

DE: I’ve never been to one of those.

JL: Wow, I would definitely go, because the screens are huge (laughs). But, I mean I have a big group of friends, we hang out all the time. We do lots of different things – I had a tea party in December, we do Christmas in, like October, and just lots of different cool things.

Jasmine On Inspiring Others

DE: That’s awesome. So, have you inspired any of your friends to be entrepreneurs or to start their own businesses?

Jasmine tells us about her neighbor Adele who was inspired by entrepreneurship:

Jasmine inspired her next-door-neighbor Adele, who started her own non-profit organization, Adele's Literacy Library.

JL: Actually, my next-door neighbor actually started her own business, and I’m so proud of her, and it’s called, I’ll tell you, it’s called Adele’s Literacy Library, (www.adelesliteracylibrary.org) and she’s collecting books and encouraging reading in youth, and I’m just extremely proud of her. She just had and event, I want to say in December and she collected over 180 books.

DE: Wow!

JL: Yeah, and she’s only, I want to say that she’s 13! 13, and she donated all of those books to our local school.

DE: Have you encouraged her to seek out NFTE and different types of resources?

JL: Oh yeah, I definitely want her to go through the NFTE program, since she’s next door to me I always tell her about the different events that I go through, and if I do have NFTE events then I have no problem definitely bring her with me, just to experience the networking and hopefully one day you’ll be interviewing her.

DE: Yeah, definitely, I love hearing stories about young people who are doing things in the community, that’s awesome!

DE: That’s great, and what advice do you have for other young people to start their own projects – it doesn’t have to be a business, what advice would you give them?

Jasmine gives inspiration to other young people on finding and following their passions:

JL: My advice for other teens, other kids is to just find your passion and live your dream, and I’ve really been going with this for a while now. I really think that if you find something that you love to do, you can do it for the rest of your life, you know. Whether you make money off of it or not…

Whether it’s going to college or just any goal you have for yourself, you have to have a passion and a motivation, like deep inside yourself that no one else can give you. And if you can find that about something that you really, really love then you’ll make the best of it, you’ll be amazing at it. All you have to do is just stay dedicated, stay focused and just keep your mind on what you really want to do.

DE: Definitely, passion and purpose are definitely two great things.

Reflecting & Preparing for the Future

DE: And is there any thing you wish you knew when you started your business or anything you would do differently?

JL: I’m actually pretty happy with the way that things went, I wish I knew more about hair care, like I wish I could go to hair care school, you know at 13 I wish I could go to college for, I guess it would be considered cosmetology. Definitely when I go to college I want to study engineering, I want to learn more about natural ingredients, just scientific things… There’s a lot I can read about in books and things like that but I want to be taught, I want to have a lab and do projects in school about it… But I definitely have a hunger for learning and it will never be filled.

DE: Definitely, and what other plans do you have for the future, do you plan on starting other businesses, or what career plans do you have?

Jasmine talks about her big plans for the future and shares her favorite experiences:

JL: I want to definitely grow the business and have a facial care line, a men’s line and a kid’s line, and I want to get into a lot more retailers, not only in the U.S. but I want to branch into Canada, and also Europe… I just want to go completely international with my business, I want to be more commonly known, you know like Neutrogena, Pantene and L’Oreal, I want to become one of those big names pretty soon… I know that it takes years but I want to do it now (laughs).

I want to not only encourage people to use natural hair care products, but I want to encourage people to just live all natural lifestyles: eating healthier foods, exercising, just lots of different things like that. I want to be really – I want to be one of those go-to people when people think about natural products and just, nature.

I want to go back to school and study culinary arts and I want to do – have you ever seen that show Ace of Cakes?

DE: Yeah, oooh I love that show…

JL: Yeah, I definitely want to go back to school and learn how to do that – I think that is amazing! And I want to get a degree in computer engineering and maybe work for the FBI or CIA doing artificial intelligence. (Laughs) All these dreams are crazy but, I don’t know, I want to do it.

DE: Yeah, I’m sure you will, it’s good to dream big. What have been the best experiences you’ve had so far in your company?

JL: Um, honestly being on Oprah was a really good one, – oh wow, there’s so many! Everytime that I get to travel somewhere and meet a new group of people, it’s just so priceless, all of the friends that I make, all of the celebrities that I’ve gotten to meet… it was a really great thing to write on your college application, I could tell you that.

DE: So what would you say motivates you and drives you to do what you do, who or what motivates you?

Jasmine shares what motivates her to keep going:

JL: It’s really what drove me was what happened to me and just not wanting anyone else to go through what I had to go through, just to be able to help other people, honestly. When I get comments on my blogs or emails from people who use my products and it really helped them because they were balding or had alopecia or they were a chemo patient and now their hair is starting to grow back healthier – just to be able to read those things and hear from those people just really keeps me going everyday.

And I spoke to my school’s middle school, and everyone in the class that I spoke to they wrote me little letters and I had them laminated and put into a book, and I like to flip through that every now and again.

DE: That’s really cool that you have a lasting impact on people. What would you say to a young person who maybe went through a difficult situation, what would you say to them about their dreams and could their dreams come true if they didn’t believe that their dreams could come true?

Jasmine gives more inspiration on reaching your dreams:

JL: I would definitely tell them no matter where you came from, no matter how old or how young you are anything you want to do is possible – anything at all. There are no limits to what people can do, they just truly have to believe in something, because if you want it enough, you’ll be able to get it. If you do everything in your power to make something happen, it will. I truly think that it will.

DE: Definitely, and is there anything else you’d like to say, or how can people purchase your products – where can they find you?

JL: Oh yeah, definitely, you can find me at EdenBodyWorks.com

DE: Thanks so much for letting me talk to you today, it was great to talk to you.

JL: Thanks, you have a good day.

Jasmine’s story is truly inspiring, and we’re sure she’ll be achieving even more of her dreams; and so can YOU!

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• Interview: Alyson Stoner and Her Mom On Healthy Habits for Back to School
• Serving Up Style: Interview with Young Entrepreneur Raymond Lei Founder of ooShirts
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• Balancing Act – Interview With Chelsea Staub On Living Her Dreams and Her Role on JONAS
• Read ALL About It: Interview with Adele Ann Taylor Founder of Adele’s Literacy Library
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• Rising High & Staying Grounded: Interview with Actor Jason Dolley
• Editor’s Journal: My Entrepreneurship Journey

They’re bright, energetic, and blazing a trail of accomplishment by shooting toward their dreams… Check out the film Ten9Eight featuring a group of young passionate entrepreneurs…

“In America, a kid drops out of high school every 9 seconds… Imagine if they didn’t.” The upcoming documentary Ten9Eight explores this question, by telling the stories of a group of diverse young entrepreneurs from urban neighborhoods around the country who are overlooking their circumstances and starting their own businesses. The film, by award-winning filmmaker Mary Mazzio, follows the teens as they compete in an annual business plan competition run by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE). The teens are selected from over 24,000 students from across the country, and compete in the final round in New York City for the chance to win $10,000 to launch his or her business.

Here are introductions to some of the young people featured in the film:

Anné Montague, age 17, Founder of Inamoratos Dance (pictured above): Anné does it all. She dances, choreographs, and takes full charge of her dance company, which she started at the age of 10. Anné was raised primarily by her father, Purcell Montague, a truck driver, as her mother suffered from drug addiction. Anné, a focused girl with a big attitude, requires her dancers to go to class and keep their grades up. Anné’s business is a non-profit, aimed at getting inner city kids off the street. Her motto? “No shirt, no shoes, no need. We dance.” Anné will attend Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University next year, majoring in business.

Rodney Walker, age 19, Founder of Forever Life Music and Video Productions: Rodney was put into the foster care system at the age of 5 and ended up homeless on the streets of Chicago. Almost becoming a statistic like many of his brothers, Rodney was able to chart a new future – and is now studying business as a freshman at Morehouse College.

Amanda Loyola, age 16, Founder of Eco-Dog Biscuits: Amanda’s father escaped from the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, finding a job at Burger King in Brooklyn, New York. He inspired his daughter, Amanda, to think that anything might be possible in America. Amanda started her business, a vegetarian dog treat company, after her dog, Princess, died from cancer.

Anné, Rodney, Amanda are but three of several remarkably resilient kids featured in this film, all of whom are facing the most challenging of circumstances in the inner city – making their achievements all the more remarkable.

Descriptions from from the website Ten9Eight.com

Click here to read more of the teens’ stories and for more photos, and visit www.ten9eight.com to see if the film will be playing at a theater near you.

Watch the trailer for the inspiring film below:

Dreamer ENT Editor’s Note: As a NFTE alumnus I’m really excited to see this film, and encourage everyone to see it as well. To find out more about how you or someone you know can take part in NFTE visit www.nfte.com.

Related Posts:

• Interview: Alyson Stoner and Her Mom On Healthy Habits for Back to School
• Serving Up Style: Interview with Young Entrepreneur Raymond Lei Founder of ooShirts
• Monique Coleman Is Preparing To Launch Gimme MO’ Her New Talk Show For Teens
• Balancing Act – Interview With Chelsea Staub On Living Her Dreams and Her Role on JONAS
• Read ALL About It: Interview with Adele Ann Taylor Founder of Adele’s Literacy Library
• Links We Love: Teen Baker & Tween Bloggers
• Rising High & Staying Grounded: Interview with Actor Jason Dolley
• Editor’s Journal: My Entrepreneurship Journey

14-year-old Alexander Niles, a middle-school student from South Florida, is mixing his love of guitars with entrepreneurship, creating custom guitars that he will sell on his online store. He constructs each guitar from scratch, and creatively embellishes them to the customer’s liking.

Alexander received his business training from the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship NFTE, a great program for elementary to high school students that helps them build their own businesses. You can learn more about his company in this article in the South Florida Business Journal. Watch Alexander rocking out on his own custom guitar in the video below from the upcoming documentary Ten9Eight: Shoot For the Moon, which features several other young entrepreneurs. For more information about NFTE, visit http://nfte.com.

See Also:

• Class of 2010 Spotlight: Congrats Ashley Argota!
• Merry Christmas!
• Dr. Maya Angelou Speaks About Finding Your Creative Voice
• Girls Inc. Girl’s Rights Week
• Links We Love: Teen Baker & Tween Bloggers
• Tribute to Sojourner Truth by Ron Clark Academy
• Motivating Young Women: Faithful Sister Magazine
• Youth Venture Spotlight: Oakland Teens Planting Seeds of Change

Dreamer ENT’s founder Julene is featured in the upcoming entrepreneurship education textbook from the Network Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, or NFTE. The feature is about cultivating relationships to help your business succeed. The textbook entitled Entrepreneurship: Owning Your Future is used in the NFTE curriculum to teach high school students the art of starting and running a business. NFTE is the program that enabled Julene to start her own marketing business when she herself was in high school.

Read a portion of the feature below:

Relationship Building: The Art of Success
When Julene Fleurmond was in the tenth grade, she entered a Web design contest at her South Miami high school. “I began teaching myself how to use different Web-design programs,” she said. “I didn’t think I would win, and I won first place.”

Relationships Lead to Business
Along with being awarded a scholarship, Julene also impressed one of the judges, who asked her to work with his organization, the National Urban League, on other projects. Julene began doing community service projects. She researched how to operate a creative graphic design business, took on internships at other firms, networked with professors and mentors, and made sure her work was on a professional level.

After two years of freelancing, Julene started Envibrance Studios, a media and promotional company that creates Websites, multimedia, creative content, and publications. Envibrance’s motto is “Envision the possibilities; we’ll bring them to life.” Julene was confident about providing her services, but she didn’t feel confident about pricing them…

Relationships That Count
In the beginning, Julene tried to do everything herself. Eventually she found that “Asking for help is not some thing you should be afraid of. Sometimes I would ask other designers I knew to do part of a project. Or we would collaborate if I didn’t know how to do something. They would do one part of it and I would do the other.”

Julene also learned how to take on projects that she’s passionate about. “My genre now is mostly youth-oriented organizations or organizations that cater to youths. Having a genre or an audience that I’m very passionate about really helps me to be more passionate about my work.”

Her advice to other entrepreneurs is to make sure they’re passionate about whatever they do, even if others say it won’t be profitable.

“I think that if you pursue what you’re truly passionate about and what you were made to do, financial benefits and everything else will follow naturally.”

More About the Textbook Entrepreneurship: Owning Your Future
Written by Steve Mariotti, NFTE Founder

The 11th edition of NFTE’s text book on entrepreneurship is a student-friendly, comprehensive guide to developing a business plan.

• Focuses on critical basic business skills including business communications, negotiating, business ethics, social responsibility, time management, and goal setting.
• Examples of three types of businesses – manufacturing, retailing, and service – run throughout the text.
• Integrates workplace-relevant activities to meet academic standards.
• Features profiles of 22 young entrepreneurs.

To find out more and to order visit the NFTE website at http://nfte.com/news/entrepreneurship.asp.

See Also:

• Dreamer ENT Site Launches Officially This Fall
• Shooting for the Moon: TEN9EIGHT Film Features Young Entrepreneurs
• Do Something After School Grants
• Inspiration On Dreams From Langston Hughes
• Opportunity: Get the Gig – Nike Field Reporter Contest 2010
• Happy New Year!
• Monique Coleman Is Preparing To Launch Gimme MO’ Her New Talk Show For Teens
• Cruising Along: The Today Show’s Kid Reporter on Her First Assignment