Our Experience with the Youth Entrepreneurs Academy
Sometimes the most rewarding experiences have nothing to do with business at all.
Over the past two years, one of the most meaningful things we’ve had the opportunity to be part of has been mentoring students through the Youth Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) Philadelphia. The program helps middle and high school students transform ideas into real businesses by teaching entrepreneurship, business planning, pitching, and leadership.
For us, this experience has been incredibly rewarding.
But like many good things in life, it started through relationships.
A few years ago, Jon met Ellen Fisher at a networking event.
As conversations often go in Delco, it quickly turned into:
“Wait… do we know each other?”
It turns out Ellen grew up with Jon’s mother, and their families were incredibly close.
They vacationed together.
They shared history.
In true Delaware County fashion, the world suddenly felt very small.
That relationship eventually led to an invitation to become involved with Youth Entrepreneurs Academy Philadelphia, and it is something we are incredibly grateful for.
For anyone unfamiliar, YEA! is an incredible program that gives students the opportunity to take an idea and turn it into a real business through mentorship, business planning, CEO roundtables, investor panels, and live product launches. Students write business plans, develop financial models, build prototypes, and ultimately pitch for startup funding.
And honestly, the level of talent these young people bring to the table is unbelievable.
This year, alongside fellow mentor and friend Brian Dilsheimer, we had the privilege of mentoring two incredible young adults behind a business called OdorKick.
Their idea?
A product that combines an air freshener and air deodorizer into one compact device designed to be tossed into a gym bag, sports bag, or locker.
Simple idea.
Real problem solved.
Great execution.
But what impressed us most was not just the product.
It was the work.
These students built:
- a business plan
- a business model
- a working prototype
- investor presentations
- real-world pitch experience
They participated in a CEO roundtable, pitched to an investor panel, secured startup funding, and recently held a pop-up event where they sold approximately $300 in product.
Watching young people go from an idea to execution has been inspiring in ways that are hard to fully explain.
As business owners, we spend so much time talking about leadership, work ethic, communication, and problem-solving.
To see high school students embracing those things at such a high level gives us a tremendous amount of hope for the future.
Programs like this matter.
Mentorship matters.
Giving young people opportunities matters.
And seeing the confidence these students build throughout the process is something special.
For us, being involved with YEA! has become one of the most rewarding experiences we’ve ever been part of.
And if we’re being honest, we probably get just as much out of it as the students do.
It has been incredibly fun rooting for our mentees as they finish high school, prepare for college, and begin chasing big dreams.
The future is incredibly bright.
And after spending time with these young entrepreneurs, we can confidently say it is in very good hands.
If you are a local business owner, entrepreneur, or community leader looking for a meaningful way to give back, we could not recommend the Youth Entrepreneurs Academy enough.
Whether through mentorship, sponsorship, or donations, programs like this only grow stronger when the community gets involved.
This is exactly the kind of community investment that changes lives.
And we are incredibly grateful to be a small part of it.
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