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 During the expo thirteen students in the program
present the business each has been working on. It is when student’s
individual business plans and dreams come to life.
A little about the LLCEO program
In the LLCEO program, a small group of students from high schools
around the area learn entrepreneurial skills from area
businesspeople. The students then develop their own business. As the
LLCEO website states, “students are immersed in real life learning
experiences with the opportunity to take risks, manage the results,
and learn from the outcomes.”
LLCEO facilitator Britta Langley says it is an incredible
opportunity for students who come in as ordinary students and go out
as mature young adult small business owners. The students work hard
and learn a lot of life lessons throughout the year. Langley says
that on day one, some are scared to shake someone’s hand and by the
end of the year, they will go up to almost anyone and shake hands.
This year’s student efforts to support the trade show
most recently included an entertaining Murder Mystery Dinner held on
Saturday, March 23.
When asked about all the work that went into preparing for the
Murder Mystery Dinner and what they enjoyed about it, students had
various responses.
Molly Schempp said the best part was all the students’ planning was
ahead of time so they could enjoy the dinner along with the
audience.
A theater group performed the murder mystery that
evening, and students said even they did not know who the murderer
was until the end.
Austin Garriott says the evening went well, though there were a few
bumps leading up to it. He was glad to see many people dressed in
the 1920s theme for the evening and he said it was a lot of fun.
Others students enjoyed seeing all the participation and said they
got good reviews on the food and how well the mystery dinner actors
did.
From this experience of working together on a big business, the
students say they have learned not to procrastinate on last minute
details they had to squeeze out. Until the week before, the students
thought everything was ready. All agreed that they got everything
done, but it was stressful.
With the dinner behind them, students are now focusing on plans for
the upcoming trade show where they will present their individual
businesses to the public.
Each student shared a description of their
business:
Lincoln Community High School senior Austin Garriott’s
business is Austin’s Auto Wash and Detailing, which has five
different packages and price ranges. The lowest priced basic package
is $60 and includes washing and drying the car, cleaning window,
shining tires, and vacuuming, dusting and cleaning the interior. The
highest priced platinum package includes all the basics plus waxing
the car, doing bug and tar removal shampooing and steam cleaning the
carpets, using a clay bar for deep cleaning the paint and removing
light scratches.
Hartsburg Emden High School junior Lily Escobedo’s
business is On Target Media Management,
which she calls a good fit for her since she enjoys writing and
designing. Since she has found many websites need to be updated to
get the names of the businesses out there and make them more
appealing for younger consumers, Escobedo will provide design,
marketing, and management for updating social media sites and
websites. She will also be designing business cards, pamphlets, and
logos. Escobedo has met with a few businesses already and has a few
interested clients. She has been doing pro bono work to get
experience.
Mount Pulaski High School junior Emma Aylesworth
business is Will’s Wax Works, in which she makes and sells soy
candles. Something unique Aylesworth says she does is taking orders
for candles with personalized colors, scents, and labels.
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She chose soy because many candlemakers use paraffin, which is
not natural like the soy dried from soybeans. Paraffin can also release
chemicals. Aylesworth says the soy candles are safer, last longer, and clean
easier, and though they are more expensive, she feels the benefits outweigh the
costs.
Hartsburg Emden High School junior Evan Rohlfs’ business is Know How, a
tutoring service for junior high kids. Right now, Rohlfs is letting people know
about the business and has people that want tutoring. Rohlfs plans to tutor math
in the summer and hopes to build up clientele next year.
Mount Pulaski High School junior Autumn Benhart’s business is Dust and
Shine, a house cleaning service she will provide at an hourly rate. Benhart says
she will clean floors and windows, vacuum, and scrub down kitchens and
bathrooms, plus work with the clients’ needs if they want her to clean something
not on her list. Benhart plans to provide the cleaning service in both Mount
Pulaski and Lincoln.
Olympia High School junior Cavit Schempp’s business is Silky Designs, in
which he makes homemade jewelry with stones. Schempp says he uses stones from
around Central Illinois. Preparing them is a four-week process that involves
rounding the stones the first week, smoothing stones the second week,
pre-polishing them the third week, and polishing the stones with water and grit
in a tumbler the fourth week. He is currently making necklaces but hopes to make
and eventually sell necklaces and bracelets together. Schemmp likes working with
math, science, and rocks, and says his business combines all three areas.
Olympia High School senior Molly Schempp’s business is Molly’s ABC’s or
‘Agricultural Boxes and Curriculum,’ which will provide monthly subscription
boxes containing ready to implement lessons, a book and supplemental materials
for first through third grade teachers. Schempp says the curriculum is like the
‘Ag in the classroom’ being taught around the area but will allow teachers to
implement the lessons over two days so grade schoolers can retain the
information better. Schempp is currently looking for sponsors.
Lincoln Community High School senior Olivia Shew’s business is Pronto
Delivery, a food delivery service similar to the delivery services Grub Hub and
Door Dash. Shew says the goal is to make foods available to people in the county
and she will deliver food or coffee from a place like Guest House to people’s
offices or homes. She says people like having food delivered to them.
Olympia High School junior Colby Burt’s business is Time Out Training,
which provides personal training to basketball players for children of all ages.
Burt plans to work on basketball fundamentals with kids under age 15 during the
summer.
Olympia High School junior Lexi Hoffman’s business is Leashed Animal
Photography, which she says is a cost-effective way for people to get photos of
their pets. Hoffman also plans to work with animal shelters and take photos they
can share in order to help increase adoption rates for the animals. Hoffman says
she recently did a photo session with five dogs.
Hartsburg Emden High School senior Brody Baker’s business is Brody Baker
Builds, an upcycling business where he hopes to take one person’s junk and turn
it into treasure and make any boring room pop. Baker likes to take old items and
either restore or repurpose these items to give them new life.
Olympia High School junior Parker Kistner’s business is On the Run, a
running subscription service for people running for health or competition.
Kistner says boxes will be shipped with goods like workout plans plus protein
bars and shakes in bulk.
Eventually, Kistner would like to add running apparel to the boxes.
Olympia High School junior Hannah Casey’s business is Little Miss Tea.
Casey started this business because her grandma babysat her and her twin sister
every day and they spent every day hosting tea party after tea party. Casey says
sweet tea is very near and dear to her heart and Little Miss Tea is an
opportunity to give back the community the fondest memories of her childhood.
She plans to host tea parties for little girls in hopes of reducing stress on
parents.
Langley says, “Logan County is blessed with opportunity and I hope the program
will continue for years to come with all the community support.”
To meet these entrepreneurs and learn more about their businesses, come to the
Student-Owned Business Tradeshow at the Lincoln American Legion from 4 - 6 p.m.
on May 1, 2019.
[Angela Reiners with photos provided by Britta Langley and Cindy Schempp] |
