The entrepreneurial spirit strikes at any age. As a productive and kinetic mixture of creativity, independence, and communication skills, we should encourage younger and younger generations to try their hand at being their own boss. This is where the IUPUI BOSS (Business Opportunities for Self Starters) Entrepreneurship Camp comes into play.
Far exceeding the traditional means of lemonade stands and door-to-door lawn care services we come to imagine as foundational experiences for kids and teens, BOSS Camp teaches high school students that starting and owning a business is within their reach through out-of-the-box ideas. During the five-day experience, students gain knowledge and confidence from IUPUI faculty, college student mentors, and local business experts and owners who help BOSS students envision, research, and design a future business.
To provide ample motivation as well as real-life stakes, BOSS students are paid a weekly salary that they may use to invest in their first business with the entire camp culminating in a variety of cash awards for their business ideas at the Friday Pitch Contest.
This past Friday concluded the final week of camps for the season, with plenty of projects on display. Such projects included Thee Luxury Lash Core, which is a project based around not only bringing out the inner beauty of their client but also investing in inventive and accessible new ways to sell mink lashes like through the use of augmented vending machines.
Other products included frozen yogurt parfait popsicles that would provide nutritious and delicious ice cream alternatives to the East Washington community as well as an idea for an environmentally friendly silverware to combat the use of archaically destructive plastic.
Through these efforts to satiate the drive towards making a name for oneself in the business world as well as help one’s community at large, it is clear to see that BOSS Camp continues in its goal to help future generations find the confidence to stay forever curious and embrace trying (and sometimes failing at) new things.
BOSS is funded and supported by:
Indiana Governors Workforce Cabinet
Lilly Endowment, Inc.
Indianapolis Foundation, CICF
Fifth-Third Bank (new in 2022)
IUPUI Office of Community Engagement
Kelley School of Business, Indianapolis
Herron School of Art + Design