Shanice's Story

At just 17 years old, Shanice didn’t have much business experience. Then again, how many 17 year-olds do? That’s right—not many. But that’s exactly the point of Momentum’s Cool Biz* program. It’s for young people, aged 14–18, who want to learn about starting their own business. So you don’t need experience to take the Cool Biz program; instead, it’s an opportunity for youth to explore entrepreneurship as a career option, and to gain entrepreneurial knowledge.

A friend of Shanice’s had told her about the program and, because she had never taken any business-related classes before, Shanice thought it would be an interesting way to learn some new skills. “I think I might like to be a pilot,” says Shanice. “But you never know! I may end up going to work in the corporate world. Either way, I thought it would be good to gain some business knowledge, and Cool Biz seemed like a great way to do it.”

Like many people in Momentum’s various small business programs, young and old alike, the one thing Shanice dreaded was the part of the program that involved writing a business plan. “I was nervous about that because I had no experience doing that kind of thing, and while it was difficult to finally finish my business plan, I did manage to complete it, and I got so much encouragement and positive feedback along the way that in the end I ended up really enjoying the experience. It was actually kind of fun.” For Shanice, Cool Biz highlights included the diversity of guest speakers who’d come in to speak to the class each week, along with the teaching style of the instructors themselves, which Shanice said helped everyone to relax and feel at ease. “Everyone there was so great, and I can’t think of anywhere else that offers so much: Momentum helps you to get an education, they help you to find jobs, they even offer loans to help you get started. It’s just an amazing place. I would highly recommend it to anyone.”

 *The Cool Biz program closed in 2009. The capacity to serve youth entrepreneurs has been integrated into the other programs within the Business Development department.