Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship students gain real-world experience
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A jovial teen CEO shared pieces of wisdom to a group of business aspiring peers during their charter school’s “Soaring Shark Tank” pitch event in May.
Cory Nieves, 15, of Englewood, N.J., advised the students and teachers to “do what you love, not for the money,” and “enjoy your life, eat a cookie and don’t care what anyone else says.”
The words landed on 30 eighth grade students from the Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship who had just pitched their business plans to a panel of “sharks,” local business leaders tasked with choosing the top three business models out of nine total.
The pitch was part of the school’s second annual event that is a culmination of students’ business education received at the kindergarten through eighth-grade school.
Nieves spoke to the crowd before the judges deliberated and awarded Aundrey Taylor with the top prize, $500 to re-invest in his business or to use for college. Taylor’s business, “The Auto Doctor,” will provide “top-notch mechanical and auto body performance services to its valued customers” and youth.
Other winners included Aneste Moore and Layla Stubblefield of “LA Hair,” which specializes in manufacturing wigs for women with diseases that cause hair loss; and Maura Wade of “M&C’s Percentages Please +,” a tech business that allows smartphone users to share battery power with friends.
Before the judges deliberated, Nieves fielded questions from the audience.
“Always respect everyone equally, because we’re all equal here. There’s no one higher than anyone else. Money doesn’t count at all – you could lose it any second,” Nieves said when prompted to give advice for what to do to own a successful business.
Nieves founded Mr. Cory’s Cookies with his mother, Lisa, in 2012 when he was 6 years old. Before that, he sold hot cocoa at a local restaurant so he could buy his mom a car, which attracted the attention of Ellen DeGeneres and other media.
Mr. Cory’s Cookies grew to sell all-natural cookies and got its big break in 2017 when the young entrepreneur was featured on “The Profit.”
Since then, the business has grown to include a monthly subscription service that ships cookies across the nation. Nieves now travels around the country for speaking engagements and models part-time.
Starting in sixth grade, students at PHCSE begin to brainstorm business ideas. In seventh grade, students are expected to construct a working “elevator pitch” for their ideas so that in eighth grade they fine-tune them into a business model they can pursue.
The school’s second-annual Soaring Shark Tank event aligns with the public charter school’s educational model, known as MicroSociety. According to its website, the Philadelphia-based nonprofit aims to equip students to succeed in the global market. The model is being used in hundreds of schools across the globe.