Mindset & Milestones

We’re teaching #entrepreneurship all wrong...and that’s why most of us never start. Let me explain ?? Too often, it’s way too theoretical. We say "craft the 'perfect' pitch deck"... but they’ve never actually made a sale or even brought in a POTENTIAL customer. We teach "write a 20-page business plan"... that they won’t use because too much will change by next week (this one is changing a bit *thank goodness*, but I did have to write one on a fake business in college ????♀?) So if that's how we teach it to adults, imagine how LOST it is on kids & teens! Then we wonder why so many young people have the skills and talents to start something but DON'T! (especially those of us from marginalized backgrounds) So I do it differently with my teens. ?? They don’t need another worksheet or a long-winded lecture. They need proof that they can build something, sell something, and make money right now. I help them come up with a business they can try today. ? Using what they have now. ? Leveraging what they already know. ? Taking action with free, teen-friendly tools. Because the fastest way for a teen to believe they can be an entrepreneur? ?? Make a single dollar. That moment changes everything. The confidence shift that happens when a student makes their first sale is unreal. It’s no longer “Maybe one day I could do this.” It’s “Wait...I just DID!” When we shift entrepreneurship education from theory to action, we don’t just teach skills...We change mindsets. We show young people that they can take control of their own future NOW. Along the way, even us adults start to believe it too, right?

We should absolutely take #PresidendentsDay as an opportunity to celebrate Shirley Chisholm! She is one of my greatest inspirations (and she should be yours too) because she pursued power with a purpose. ? Not to be revered. ? Not to bully or demean. But to... ? Fight for people whose voices were muzzled. ? Demonstrate that her race and gender were assets purpose, not hindrances. ? Create a political system and country that really were better for everyone. Thinking about politics and why people choose to do it always makes me scratch my head. Frankly, it doesn't look fun. BUT if you're doing it for the right reasons, there is so much you can do with your voice there. She is a prime example, and so many of today's politicians across race and gender stand on her shoulders. Read more about her here at the National Women's History Museum website: https://lnkd.in/gNQyDga7

I love helping kids turn their business ideas into something real. Every time I realize that a kid is finally starting to get it, like really GET IT, it makes me smile... Like maybe we're doing something right ?

You can get your youth entrepreneurship program can get funded! I've learned many grant applications fail because they lack a key ingredient: Clarity. Clarity about goals. Clarity about actions. Clarity about how those actions achieve the goal. I worked with an incredible girls’ organization to design an entrepreneurship-meets-engineering program. When it came to writing the grant components, we focused on one thing above all else: clarity. Here’s the simple 3-step framework I use to design funding-viable youth entrepreneurship programs: Step 1: Define a Clear & Measurable Goal Before you write a single word of a grant application, you need to know: ?? What’s the #1 outcome this program will achieve? ?? What metrics will prove success? Common mistakes? Vague goals like: ? “We want to teach students about entrepreneurship.” ? “We want to inspire innovation.” Instead, get specific: ? “By the end of the program, 75% of participants will launch a live website or product prototype.” ? “Students will complete and present a portfolio project showcasing their problem-solving and business skills.” ? “Within 12 months, 20% of students will generate at least $100 in revenue from a business idea.” When funders can see the impact, they feel more comfortable funding the program. Step 2: Map Actions to Goals Once you know the goal, work backward: ?? What specific steps will students take? ?? What will educators, mentors, or partners contribute? ?? How do these actions directly connect to the goal? For example: ?? Goal: “Students will launch a business prototype by the end of the program.” ? Student Actions: Weekly hands-on challenges to refine business ideas. ? Mentor Actions: Guest speakers on branding, marketing, and financial literacy. ? Program Actions: Access to free digital tools for creating websites or product mockups. Every action should clearly contribute to the final outcome. Step 3: Track & Prove Impact One of the biggest reasons grants don’t get renewed? No clear way to measure success. Funders want to know: ?? What data will you collect? ?? How will you report progress? For example: ?? Pre- and post-program surveys on student confidence in entrepreneurship. ?? Tracking website launches, revenue generated, or business prototypes created. ?? Final presentations where students pitch their businesses to local professionals. When you define the metrics upfront, you don’t just win the grant—you set up your program for long-term success. A grant-winning youth entrepreneurship program is built with clarity, not complexity. ? Know your goal. ? Map your actions to that goal. ? Track success in a way that funders understand. I’ve seen firsthand how this approach works, and I’d love to hear from you: ?? What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced in designing a fundable program? Drop your thoughts below! ??

The #1 skill employers want isn't what you think. According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Survey, the most commonly cited desirable skill amongst employers is #CreativeThinking AND 73% of employers said creative thinking skills are increasing in demand ?? And right behind it? ?? Analytical Thinking. ?? Technological Literacy. ?? Curiosity & Lifelong Learning. (See the full list in the image below ??) So here’s my question: How many of our teens are learning these skills in meaningful ways? ?? How many teens are asked to think creatively on a regular basis? ?? How many get real practice analyzing and solving problems that don’t have clear answers? ?? How many learn to be flexible and adapt when things don’t go as planned? The truth is, most aren’t. That’s why I love entrepreneurship education as a powerful tool we can give teens. ?? It forces creative thinking—students build something from nothing. ?? It develops analytical thinking—they test ideas, pivot, and solve real-world problems. ?? It teaches resilience—because every entrepreneur has to learn how to fail forward. Whether or not they ever start a business, teens need these skills to thrive in an unpredictable job market. So the real question isn’t "What career path should we prepare students for?" It’s "How do we prepare students for anything?" What are your thoughts? How can we ensure students graduate with the skills that actually matter? Drop your insights below! ??

My heart is SO full! Please watch this incredible #kidpreneur so that your Monday can come to the start that mine did! #entrepreneurship #teenpreneurs #mondaymotivation

Most people think starting a business takes months. One of my high school students did it in 8 weeks with these free tools and made $500! Vy joined the 8-week summer program for Mindset & Milestones. She loved making hair scrunchies and had been doing it just for fun. But when we started working together, she had a new goal: turning her hobby into a business. So I gave her one piece of advice: ?? K.I.S.S. – Keep it Simple, Silly! (And most importantly, have fun with it.) Then we laid out a plan and here's what she did next: ?? Instead of just selling single scrunchies, she added scrunchy jars. ?? She grabbed her camera and her friends for a DIY product photoshoot in the park. ?? She built a free website on Wix to showcase her products. https://lnkd.in/g5MJnVrU ?? She accepted payments through Venmo and had her parents drive her to deliver orders. And in just 8 weeks? ?? ? She made $500 in revenue. ? She donated her net profits to her local Girls Inc. organization. ? She gained the confidence to see herself as a real entrepreneur. Her biggest takeaway? Hear from her ?? "The program really changed my perspective about being a young entrepreneur. I learned that all of us, no matter our age, have the potential to start our own business or non-profit to make an impact in the community." This is why I love teaching #entrepreneurship. It’s not about waiting for permission. It’s about giving teens the tools, mindset, and real-world opportunities to take action. ?? If you could go back to your teenage years, what business would you have started or did you start? Drop it in the comments!

It's tough when you don't want to be a founder, but you determine it's your best shot at solving a big problem. Know what I mean? The bug bit me when I watched Reshma Saujani’s incredible talk, “Brave, Not Perfect.” The words still come straight to my head like I heard them yesterday... "Boys are taught to master their environment. Girls are taught their bodies are endless projects to perfect." It had me in an absolute shock because she was so right it literally hurt. When I first started Mindset & Milestones, I wanted to use entrepreneurship training to push girls out of their boxes. It was about all those “fluffy” but important things—confidence, empowerment, and courage. Then graduate school happened and I got hit with the facts. The world was and is changing FAST and education wasn't always great at keeping up: ? The gig economy is skyrocketing. ?? College costs are outpacing salaries. ??? The skills kids actually need to succeed aren't always 1st priority in classrooms. And the worst part? Teen had been fully checked out because they couldn't see how their classroom is connected to their future...still fighting that battle. I had to see that it wasn’t just about helping girls. EVERY kid needed something different. We started offering our programs in schools and sometimes we still do (shoutout to John Pellman, Ed.D at CCCA—you guys amazing!), but overall we got a lot of pushback with slim class time and test scores. It took some trial and error to see #afterschool programs were the best fit. They have the most SPACE to try new things with their teens, especially if it means driving attendance and retention. And that’s what we gave them: entrepreneurship programs that help teens do real stuff, build real skills, and even make real money ?? We've still got A LOT of work to do. But this journey is the joy and pain of a lifetime, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Isn't it funny how it's the little moments that change your life? ??

Who gave you your first shot as a #founder? I vividly remember my first 3 sales because I couldn't believe someone gave me money for my idea. Here's how it went! ?? Sale #1 - My Old High School My old high school economics teacher, Giff Asimos, started teaching entrepreneurship and I asked if he'd take a look at my first prototype. He turned a few pages and said "You should be teaching this class." He asked me how much they cost and I just threw out the number I had floating in my brain... and he bought 13 copies. I got in my car and did a little happy dance to myself because WHAT?! ?? Sale #2 - A Well-Researched Cold Email I emailed the awesome folks at Women Founders Network, including the incredible ? Darya Allen-Attar ?, because they were publicizing an entrepreneurship and investing course for girls. I showed them the books, and they asked for the price. I said the price then panicked and offered a volume discount. At which point I had to then invent a discount percentage and volume threshold of 50 books??They said yes, sent me the money for 50 books and I cried for at least 15 minutes. I didn't even tell anyone I had made the sale for about a week because I needed to sit and enjoy that moment for myself. ?? ?? Sale #3 - A Shot in the Dark Cold Email AND Follow Through I was listening to a podcast about teen entrepreneurship at 3am in my dorm room bunk and heard Regina Rosi Mitchell talking about her work. Realized she was in LA and emailed her immediately! We set up a meeting, and I didn't even really have anything yet so she told me to come back when I did. After I had made some updates to the book, I emailed her and showed her what I'd done since our first meeting. She got 50 copies for her school (with that volume discount ??) and I was in disbelief! Getting to work with all of them, to see real kids holding and using something that came from my brain was so surreal. Everything that Mindset & Milestones is and will become is built from the foundation of the first chances they gave me. To the people who give founders a chance, THANK YOU for being our first "yes" and our first evidence that maybe we have something worth fighting for ????? If you've never given someone that first "yes" for somebody, you should try it out!! ? If you have had your first "yes", tag the person who gave it to you as a "Thank You"!??

Moment of transparency ?? I've been TERRIBLE at tracking my impact with Mindset & Milestones during all of our pivots. So I finally sat down to do it ?? When you're early in your journey as a #founder, despite being a social entrepreneur, sometimes tracking impact can feel secondary to getting the business "going". Who's been there? ????♀? I never felt like I had my feet under me, so having systems for tracking how many people we've reached when I felt like I wasn't doing "enough" honestly scared me...like maybe the numbers would prove my fears right. But I had a call that really forced me to think about it and realize that (despite my duck-tapped systems) I could still figure it out. I cracked open a spreadsheet and I went back into every platform we've ever provided anything on...Free (probably too much sometimes??), paid, trial, discount, full-price, all of it. We've had a lot of pivots ??. Thankfully, these platform systems are pretty good. From Thinkific to Stripe to Shopify to QuickBooks Online to Teachers Pay Teachers and also YIPPEE (special shout out to the Young Entrepreneur Institute at University School)! I aggregated duplicate organizations, I listed everything out, and finally got to real numbers! Was it fun? No. Am I glad I spent the 7 hours to do it? ABSOLUTELY! ?? I was able to identify trends for the types of organizations we've been able to serve in what ways, and with what products. It's been HUGE for assessing my outreach and impact strategy. Plus having a firm grasp on our impact is pretty cool ? Sidebar: Thank you to every team member, intern, contractor, mentor, or supporter who has ever contributed to Mindset & Milestones. I appreciate you ???? Rarely do I take any time to reflect on everything that we've done (even if it doesn't always feel like much), and how many organizations and students we've reached with our work. So if you are worried you haven't done "enough", but you don't actually know...this is your sign to find out. #entrepreneurship