Early is the first program for youth entrepreneurs in Oklahoma that melds education with real world business and hands-on experiential learning to launch profitable kid businesses.
This youth generation carries an unfiltered view of the world and their ability to imagine new possibilities is unprecedented.
Here at EARLY, we help students ages 8-15 develop entrepreneurial skills through starting their very own businesses.
So how does EARLY help?
Driven by the Early Learning Management System and time-tested curriculum, students accomplish the following:
- Develop a viable product or service concept
- Create a budget and financial plan
- Craft a marketing strategy
- Do market research and product testing
- Perfect their sales pitch
- Learn to have confident communication skills
- Package their product and bring to market
We surround EARLY Students with the support and learning resources they need to get their business to start selling:
- Access to our digital learning platform
- An EARLY business start-up kit that includes a print field guide, a book resource, t-shirt, two booth fee waivers, and more that will help you get started.
- Support from our business coaches and network
- Sales opportunities
Students in the EARLY program are surrounded with the support and learning resources that you need to get your business selling.
Driven by the Early Learning Management System and time-tested curriculum, students accomplish the following:
- Develop a viable product or service concept
- Create a budget and financial plan
- Craft a marketing strategy
- Do market research and product testing
- Perfect their sales pitch
- Learn to have confident communication skills
- Package their product and bring to market
We surround EARLY Students with the support and learning resources they need to get their business to start selling:
- Weekly online training session for 5 weeks
- Access to our digital learning platform
- An EARLY business start-up kit that includes a print field guide, a book resource, t-shirt, two booth fee waivers, and more that will help you get started.
- Support from our business coaches and network
- Sales opportunities
The EARLY program at Loveworks has been a tremendous opportunity and blessing for our son. It has allowed him to learn about the many different aspects of business. He has had to found and start up a business from scratch along with all of the nuisances and work that goes into just getting ready for Day One. It has taught him real world skills such as budgeting, marketing, and interpersonal skills. Moreover, it has allowed him to develop problem solving skills as well as learning the value of money. Definitely the program has helped our son mature and learn skills that he can utilize for the rest of his life and with any future career he goes into. -Ryan Sease and Monica Suyo Mateo
The EARLY program far exceeded out expectations. It gave our daughter the motivation, guidance and exposure to the real life experience of owning a small business. It provided her with necessary tools, resources and the support she needed to turn her love for art into a thriving business at such a young age. It gave a direction to her generous and kind heart ways to give back to the community and charities.
From creating her logo, learning about sales & marketing, budgeting, developing people skills to public speaking, she has learnt a great deal about entrepreneurship. One of the best take away for us as parents was to see our daughter’s personality and confidence take a leap. Thanks to Loveworks and the entire team for helping shape the next generation of brilliant and goal oriented young entrepreneurs and leaders. -Venkat and Manjula Ramindeedi
I am a HUGE fan of what Loveworks Leadership, Inc. does for our young entrepreneurs here in Oklahoma. Their mission hits home for me, as I too was a young entrepreneur starting my first business around 10 years old. This morning at their ribbon cutting with both the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber and Norman Chamber of Commerce, they made at BIG announcement introducing a new statewide program called “Early”. – Melissa Wedman, Mollycoddled Hash Slinger
There are 3 primary ways to help the EARLY program and the student businesses.
- Consider making a donation or becoming a member of “The Village” by pledging to make a monthly gift.
- Connect us with schools, churches, business professionals, civic leaders, or local markets (like farmers markets). Contact Brent Wheelbarger at [email protected] or (405) 308-9717.
- Support our students by attending the EARLY Event.
EARLY is hosting an Oklahoma statewide Youth Business Pitch Competition and we want you to join in all the FUN!
The whole community is invited to join as a spectator and view this showcase of youth entrepreneurship in action! Students will be setting up their sales booths in our student business expo and the event culminates in a final pitch competition featuring the top 9 pitches that day.
Check out what our students have achieved…
Wristworld
REAL Kitchen
Loveworks Leadership is a youth leadership organization committed to helping middle school students develop personal character, discover their leadership skills, and learn entrepreneurship skills. Through mentorship and hands-on activities, the programs are designed to help students make positive life choices, discover career paths, and set them on a trajectory for personal success.
In 2016, Loveworks launched its first kid-run business, REAL Kitchen. The business idea was born when a middle-school career interest initiative suggested the secret salsa recipe from a volunteer chef would make for a tasty product. What a tasty mash-up!
It was a perfect pairing! We thought people everywhere would love this fresh spin on their favorite snack. The team worked hard to test, batch, and produce the first rounds of salsa products. Just in time to bring-to-market at the Norman Farmers Market. Their first sales of fresh salsa gave the team a craving for more. Over the years many professional mentors have worked alongside teams of middle-school students to teach them how to sell, market, run the financials, and expand the growing business. REAL Kitchen salsas are available in fresh and shelf stable versions with more than five zesty flavors, for sale in grocery stores across the OKC MetroPlex.
Hundreds of students have been inspired by REAL Kitchen to start their own businesses.
In 2018, fate would have it that another group of students would launch out to form another budding business. These students were participating in Loveworks Afterschool Leadership programs, when they began dreaming about what it would be like to start a Silicon Valley Tech start-up in Norman, Oklahoma?
This dream, with the partnership of Trifecta Communications, launched another kid-run business, Wrist World. These students learned the industry of augmented reality; working with mentors and professionals to learn art, design, marketing, coding, and game development. They combined technology with the accessibility of plastic slap bands to bring their product to life.
The team had the opportunity to travel to the Chicago Toy Fair, and went on to make history by being the first minors to represent their product on the floor of the New York International ToyFair; presenting to buyers from Hasbro, Apple, Amazon, Nintendo, and other Fortune 500 companies.
Seeking a way to carve an even larger niche in their industry, the team landed a licensing contract with virtual Japanese popstar Hatsune Miku. Their big sales break occurred with a distribution deal with On-Cue and the Wrist World product is available for purchase in stores across Oklahoma, Amazon, Walmart.com, and Etsy.
With each jar of salsa and Wrist band sold, other kids around the world are being given hope that their big dream can come true.
Loveworks’ next big dream is to launch Oklahoma’s first program for kids that melds the good things of education with real world business and entrepreneurship experiences.
Dreams do come true here!
Questions? Reach out to Brent Wheelbarger at [email protected] or (405) 308-9717.