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News July 18, 2010 Camp fosters entrepreneurs Kathleen Carey Delaware County Times CHESTER — Widener University accounting and economics major Tom Hunter walked up to the group of high school students at University Center last week and made them work for their sale. “OK guys, talk to me,” the Garnet Valley High School graduate said in front of a table filled with $5 and $8 baskets of candy and hair items. “What do you get?” The exercise for the 20 high school students was part of the Widener School of Business Administration’s four-day summer camp, which teaches young entrepreneurs the basics of developing a product and a sales strategy. The camp was a joint venture between the university and the TD Charitable Foundation. “We try to give them the basics of business — accounting, marketing, corporations, just the basics of everything,” said Widener taxation graduate student Rob Hayelin. Hayelin, who is studying taxation at Widener, assisted in some of the week’s programs and said each of the three students were sent to local Dollar Trees armed with $50 each to cull together items to make a product. “Some of them look nice,” Hayelin said. “You would never guess where they’re from.” Hunter was a little tougher on the students, having shared that side of the table previously in former Future Business Leaders of America ventures. “What did you do — get this from the dollar store?” he said. “Did you guys steal the fruit from the cafeteria?” Part of the ribbing stemmed from their persistent calls as he walked the gauntlet earlier eating an ice cream cone. Hunter said they taunted him, saying he should buy the candy because he obviously liked sweets. “They were really aggressive about it,” he said. Part of that may be from what they learned. Dymond Scott, who’ll be entering 10th grade at Academy Park High School, said she wants to own her own child-care business. From Widener’s camp, she learned “that it’s a lot of work. It’s all about marketing.” She was a part of the group, “No Monkey Business @ the 1 Stop Shop,” as was Sara Nance, who’ll be a senior at Archbishop Prendergast High School in the fall. “I’m liking that I get to make my own business and make my own profit and work with my own team,” Nance said as she hawked $5 baskets stuffed with mini-planners, candy and cuddly toys, $1 water bottles and $3 trash cans. “It’s really fun. I got to meet new people.” Two tables away, Jordan Ballew of Penncrest High School was busy selling the beauty and candy baskets. “We didn’t want to make it too gender specific,” she said, pointing out the two available varieties. The rising senior said her group bought cellophane to wrap the baskets and used the material around the tissue paper to create accent bows. “We thought it would be appealing to the customer to see things in the basket,” she said. Near the end of the two-hour event, she said it was worthwhile. “I wanted to get a better idea of what a business would be like,” she said. “I’m surprised at how logical it is.” The students also got to meet Jesse Wyatt of Prospect Park’s Synergy. The 33-year-old began the business as a promotional item manufacturer and while it retains that base, he expanded into selling BMX bicycles and skateboards after neighborhood kids kept asking him about the skateboard in the window. He told them about the risk it takes, having opened the store just as his second child was born and he was about to get married with a mortgage to pay. “It was sink or swim,” he said, adding that the odds more than likely made him work harder under the pressure. Accounting professor Joseph M. Hargadon said exposure to real-life business applications and to the collegiate campus was the purpose of the experience. That’s why they were given a limited budget and told to work together to produce something. “If they’re interested in business, they have to understand it’s a team concept,” he said, adding that the groups all developed a rapport by completion. “I’m very, very impressed with the enthusiasm and cooperation.” Hargadon said the camp was also meant to guide the students toward business and entrepreneurial careers. “It’s hard for them to know what they want to do with their life,” he said of the high school students. “This will open their eyes to the sacrifices they have to make. They also see the passion these people have.”

News
July 18, 2010

Camp fosters entrepreneurs
Kathleen Carey
Delaware County Times

CHESTER — Widener University accounting and economics major Tom Hunter walked up to the group of high school students at University Center last week and made them work for their sale.

“OK guys, talk to me,” the Garnet Valley High School graduate said in front of a table filled with $5 and $8 baskets of candy and hair items. “What do you get?”

The exercise for the 20 high school students was part of the Widener School of Business Administration’s four-day summer camp, which teaches young entrepreneurs the basics of developing a product and a sales strategy.

The camp was a joint venture between the university and the TD Charitable Foundation.

“We try to give them the basics of business — accounting, marketing, corporations, just the basics of everything,” said Widener taxation graduate student Rob Hayelin.

Hayelin, who is studying taxation at Widener, assisted in some of the week’s programs and said each of the three students were sent to local Dollar Trees armed with $50 each to cull together items to make a product.

“Some of them look nice,” Hayelin said. “You would never guess where they’re from.”

Hunter was a little tougher on the students, having shared that side of the table previously in former Future Business Leaders of America ventures.

“What did you do — get this from the dollar store?” he said. “Did you guys steal the fruit from the cafeteria?”

Part of the ribbing stemmed from their persistent calls as he walked the gauntlet earlier eating an ice cream cone. Hunter said they taunted him, saying he should buy the candy because he obviously liked sweets.

“They were really aggressive about it,” he said.

Part of that may be from what they learned.

Dymond Scott, who’ll be entering 10th grade at Academy Park High School, said she wants to own her own child-care business.

From Widener’s camp, she learned “that it’s a lot of work. It’s all about marketing.”

She was a part of the group, “No Monkey Business @ the 1 Stop Shop,” as was Sara Nance, who’ll be a senior at Archbishop Prendergast High School in the fall.

“I’m liking that I get to make my own business and make my own profit and work with my own team,” Nance said as she hawked $5 baskets stuffed with mini-planners, candy and cuddly toys, $1 water bottles and $3 trash cans. “It’s really fun. I got to meet new people.”

Two tables away, Jordan Ballew of Penncrest High School was busy selling the beauty and candy baskets.

“We didn’t want to make it too gender specific,” she said, pointing out the two available varieties.

The rising senior said her group bought cellophane to wrap the baskets and used the material around the tissue paper to create accent bows.

“We thought it would be appealing to the customer to see things in the basket,” she said.

Near the end of the two-hour event, she said it was worthwhile.

“I wanted to get a better idea of what a business would be like,” she said. “I’m surprised at how logical it is.”

The students also got to meet Jesse Wyatt of Prospect Park’s Synergy.

The 33-year-old began the business as a promotional item manufacturer and while it retains that base, he expanded into selling BMX bicycles and skateboards after neighborhood kids kept asking him about the skateboard in the window.

He told them about the risk it takes, having opened the store just as his second child was born and he was about to get married with a mortgage to pay.

“It was sink or swim,” he said, adding that the odds more than likely made him work harder under the pressure.

Accounting professor Joseph M. Hargadon said exposure to real-life business applications and to the collegiate campus was the purpose of the experience.

That’s why they were given a limited budget and told to work together to produce something.

“If they’re interested in business, they have to understand it’s a team concept,” he said, adding that the groups all developed a rapport by completion. “I’m very, very impressed with the enthusiasm and cooperation.”

Hargadon said the camp was also meant to guide the students toward business and entrepreneurial careers.

“It’s hard for them to know what they want to do with their life,” he said of the high school students. “This will open their eyes to the sacrifices they have to make. They also see the passion these people have.”