High School and College Students Learn to be Entrepreneurs in Summer Workshop

For the third summer in a row, Long Island students have an opportunity to see what it takes to start and run a business. Past graduates of the program have already been successful in running businesses and scored highly in national business competitions. The Workshop shows aspiring entrepreneurs how they can make money on their own before theyve even graduated.

For the third summer in a row, Long Island students have an opportunity to see what it takes to start and run a business. The Young Professionals Chamber of Commerce (YPCC) is holding its third annual Entrepreneurial Workshop for high school and college students starting July 10. Past graduates of the program have already been successful in running businesses and scored highly in national business competitions.

The Workshop shows aspiring entrepreneurs how they can make money on their own before theyve even graduated. The skills learned include finding customers, networking, forecasting, business plan writing, financing and marketing. The course demonstrates how the stereotypical 25-cents-a-glass lemonade stand can be doomed to financial failure before the first glass is sold due to poor planning -- the number one reason for business failure. The young entrepreneurs learn how to maximize their chances for success, even in a bad economy.

The course is being facilitated by 20-year-old Gregory Galant, who was recently named Entrepreneur of the Year" by the Chamber of Commerce Regional Business Partnership. He started his own Web development firm, Halenet, Inc., while he was a high school freshman. Galant said, Many people think its impossible for a young student to create a business, while on the contrary they have many advantages in the business world. We show them how to hone their skills to create a successful business."

The workshop and its 70-page text were created by William Barrett, a prolific and successful entrepreneur. He has led entrepreneurial workshops for adults for over 10 years, with over 500 graduates, and will introduce this summers workshop.

A graduate of the Workshop, Alex Zelenka, who runs his own prominent landscaping business based in Eatons Neck, said, The workshop pushed me to expand on my ideas and make things a reality. The workshop teaches students how to stand on their own two feet and take action at any age."

Other past graduates include Matthew Moore and Kevin Rauseo of Walt Whitman High School who took second place in a national DECA competition. Finley Middle School students Maddie Warlan and Tessa Coneys started a line of hand-made scented soaps that was sold at Scentsational in Huntington Village.

The group meets for two hours every Thursday at 7:00 pm for five weeks, July 10 to August 7, at the Chamber of Commerce in Huntington. View more information at www.ypchamber.com or students can register by contacting Linda Mitchell by phone at (631) 423-6100 or e-mail at linda@ypchamber.com.