Young Entrepreneurs Program

Empowering the next generation for success.

 

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Entrepreneurs

 

We believe Young Entrepreneurs exist everywhere. They are bright, hardworking, creative, and live in the same neighborhoods where we play soccer. Just as our club has partnered with educational leaders to secure community space to share our passion for the game, we are partnering with the next generation of entrepreneurs to offer a safe and welcoming space to hustle and refine business and networking skills.

 

Whether you have a million dollar idea, or no idea at all, we welcome all middle and high school students to join our Young Entrepreneurs Program.

 

Request program details here.

 

We provide guidance, space, and basic equipment to "set up shop" and pitch to customers (our players and their friends and family) at the high school fields where we play. Participation is free and we are happy to share plug-and-play business models if you don't have one yet.

 


 

"I’ve seen great ideas with a poor business plan not make a dime, and bad ideas with great business plans make a ton of money."
—Jim Beach, "School for Startups" radio show

 


 

Connect peopleConnect

 

Nothing exists in isolation, least of all entrepreneurship. By providing a pop-up space at the field to sell products directly to a daily, supportive base of SOPFC players—both new and returning—we provide the feedback students need to test their skills and products.

 

 

Arm muscleHustle

 

Actively pursuing an intrinsic goal builds a mental bridge between actions and results. This feedback loop fosters a growth mindset in young students that develops confidence and fosters a sense of grit and perseverance.

 

 

Light bulb ideaLearn

 

With years of experience mentoring local small businesses through Emory University's Start:ME business training program, SOPFC leadership and volunteers use core curriculum concepts to educate young entrepreneurs on how to build a better business, as well as help them reflect on their successes and failures.

 


 

Entrepreneurship is for Everyone: The Story of Mango Boys
By Christopher Wedge, SOPFC Co-Founder

 

Mango Boys and players drinking virgin mango mojitos at the soccer field

 

"Dad, can you buy me a gaming computer?"

 

As a parent, it can be hard to have to say "no" to our children. My first parental instinct has always been to provide for them. But like most, the pandemic had hit us hard on so many levels. Virtual learning was virtually impossible for my son, Eli, who was already struggling academically prior to the pandemic. There was also financial uncertainty, and then the isolation...

 

I knew Eli's request was the result of a desire to connect with his best friend, Aiden, through online gaming. His school-issued laptop often crashed when running Roblox, which was typically followed by extreme meltdowns—the kind that you know as a parent are about more than a single event.

 

I didn't need to look any further than my own childhood to find the solution to our problems. If there is one lesson life has taught me, it’s that there is always a win to be gained out of any loss.

 

Find out how Eli hustled his way to a new computer through the Young Entrepreneurs Program.