This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: How to be a Homeschool High School Entrepreneur, Interview with Samantha Shank.
How to be a Homeschool High School Entrepreneur, Interview with Samantha Shank
Vicki is joined in this episode by our friend, Samantha Shank. You know Samantha from her LearnInColor.com resources website and from her lovely HSHSP interview on helping teens discover their interests.
Samantha is a homeschool graduate who has used her drive and skills to start successful businesses. She now shares these ideas with young people on her podcast: Learn In Color (on Spotify and Apple). She highlights homeschool graduates and moms of homeschool graduates. They discuss what they loved about homeschool and what they wished they had done differently.
Samantha Shank, LearnInColor.com. Photo used by permission.
Samantha is truly the go-to person when it comes to the how-to’s of entrepreneurship. She began dabbling in business when she was in fourth grade and kept expanding her resources through college. (She graduated college debt-free!)
So, what advice would Samantha Shank give to homeschool high school entrepreneurs?
Create a business plan.
Samantha got started on her entrepreneurship journey as a homeschool high schooler. She took a business start-up course from her local Chamber of Commerce. (Note: You can also find free how-to business classes through the Small Business Administration.) The business plans she learned included:
- Planning
- Marketing
- Building a website
- Banking
- Taxes
Find a business mentor.
Through her Chamber of Commerce course, she found mentors that guided her through the process of planning and starting a business. Samantha learned: Where ever you are you will find some sort of organization to help you learn about business.
Use your youth to your advantage.
When teens show their effort and ambition at high school age, people tend to go out of their ways to help them. Teens can learn a lot from “mentors”, even at a half-hour at a time. It sometimes is necessary for teens to ask for an appointment or a little time. That is good practice for life: Becoming brave enough to ask.
Learn to network.
Samantha points out that she is by nature, an introvert. Vicki remarked that when she met Samantha at 2:1 Conference, Samantha worked the room, networking like a professional business person who loves networking. That is because Samantha uses her skills and self-talk to do the tasks she does not necessarily love to do, but loves the outcome.
Remember: Be willing to go out of your comfort zone. If you end up looking like an idiot, it is okay! Next time try something new.
Smile.
Whenever teens are at a class, training or networking event, as often as possible try smiling! If they smile long enough, someone will come up and talk to them. (You can get more networking for introverts skills from Vicki’s FREEBIE download at VickiTillmanCoaching.com.)
Prepare a “Shark Tank” business presentation.
Samantha had a chance to participate in a business presentation contest after her entrepreneurship class at the Chamber of Commerce. She won and received $1200 in start-up capital and flew to Miami for a regional competition. Teens never know what similar opportunities they may run into, so have that presentation ready!
Samatha’s business at that time was creating reusable paper towels. Later in homeschool high school, she switched to webpages and digital marketing. She also speaks at schools and youth organizations on how to start a business when you are young.
Believe in yourself. Give yourself permission to explore your dreams.
Young people can be successful entrepreneurs. Give it a try!
Find a need and a target audience.
Once teens find that need and audience, it is easy to start building a business and business plan.
Interview people in your audience so that want and need.
Pivot, change, and tweak your business when necessary.
Sell your products.
Sell on Facebook, live, Pinterest, places where local people hang out who like your products.
Find someone to handle the legal and banking set-ups
Teens cannot do this on their own until they are eighteen years old.
Samantha kept building on her entrepreneurship opportunities. She now has several businesses:
- LearnInColor.com. Homeschool teaching aids and WONDERFUL blogposts. (Vicki was so excited when she met Samantha and she learned that this was the LearnInColor person that she was always sharing pins from her Pinterest page.)
- Want a discount? Samantha gave us this coupon code: LOVETOLEARN for 20% off
- Public Speaking (This year she is speaking at all the Teach Them Diligently homeschool conferences.)
- Graphic design for homeschool and educational organizations
- Library
- She is also in graduate school (using her scholarships from her beauty pageant experiences.)
Samantha Shank is a true inspiration! Join Vicki and Samantha for a helpful and friendly chat! (Also, homeschool high school entrepreneurs can benefit from taking 7SistersHomeschool’s Financial Literacy from a Christian Perspective.)
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How to be a Homeschool High School Entrepreneur, Interview with Samantha Shank
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