NFTE blog

My name is Jessica Cervantes and I am the founder of Popsy Cakes, the 2008 NFTE National award winning company. NFTE changed my life. They didn’t just teach me how to operate my own business, but they taught life skills. I am able to communicate with others and I can even stand and speak in front of an audience, and although I am still terribly nervous, I have conquered my fear of public speaking. NFTE has also in many ways funded my company and my education. I am now a senior at the University of Miami. I am a Microbiology major and hope to attend Med School in the Fall of 2014. My business is thriving, thanks to the help of many, notably Bill Hansen, Craig Edelmen, and Stewart Merkin. Popsy Cakes is now in over 50 locations including Miami International Airport and Bongos in Downtown Disney.  We are now expanding our company, looking for investors, and trying to meet our high demand.

My story began about 6 years ago when I was a junior at John A. Ferguson Senior High School.

How I found my NFTE business idea.

By Maxine Colon
NFTE New England Student

My name is Maxine Colon and I'm currently a NFTE student, attending the BusinessTechnology Program at Keefe Tech in Framingham, MA. During shop, my NFTE teacher Mrs. Ellis introduced the NFTE Business Plan and encouraged us to start thinking of business ideas which was not as easy as it sounds! I started talking with friends and I hadn’t even connected my real life to this course. Yet!

By: Keon Massey, 12th Grade NFTE Student

I didn’t know anything about the fundamentals of business when I was first introduced to the entrepreneurship class at my school, but I knew that I loved marketing. In September, my NFTE class went on a field trip to the Philadelphia Convention Center to meet and work with professionals from Ernst & Young. At the EY Connect Day,  I was introduced to Mrs. Sylvia McKinney, the executive director of NFTE Philadelphia, and the business world. We all had an assignment to develop a better business plan from a business assigned to us at random. The group that I led performed perfectly, and we won the competition that day.

That was just for starters

Written by: Kate Materese

One of the most interesting parts of my NFTE experience so far has been being able to host a variety of volunteers from both the corporate and the entrepreneurial world at my classroom sites. These volunteers come in for a variety of purpose. Some act as motivational speakers, sharing their own stories of trial and triumph, some act as coaches, helping students work on projects and business plans. Students, reticent though many may be to partake in class on an average day, generally perk up when volunteers come in. Suddenly, entrepreneurs become real people and having a career in business seems achievable. 

Today at 9:00 AM ET (Tuesday, November 27th) the Microsoft Giving Tuesday begins! This is your last chance to Double Your Impact and your gift to NFTE through the generosity of the people at Microsoft. Matches will be made up to $1,000 per donor, per project on the Give For Youth website, and funding is limited. 

By Edgar Ocana, NFTE New England graduate

By Kate Materese

Hello again!

Carlos and I underwent training at NFTE U-- a warp speed experience that compressed what children in program classrooms across the country will learn through NFTE into a four day seminar for adults.  Teachers and program managers in attendance were asked to create business plans based on NFTE’s new business plan template for students.

Intro by: Sylvia McKinney, NFTE Philadelphia Executive Director

NFTE Philadelphia is busy getting back into the routine of school, but last year’s regional challenge winners are also busy. They’re prepping for next month’s NFTE National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge. Both young entrepreneurs who will represent the Philadelphia program office, Raleigh Russell and Dominique Hughes, share their paths to success.

By: Estelle Reyes, NFTE Greater LA Executive Director

As we begin our 2012-2013 school year, we are excited about the new opportunities the school year brings to spark our students’ creativity and imagination about their future. We are continuing to see the impact of our students discovering entrepreneurship and pursuing opportunities that help them realize their full potential.