I opened my first business right out of high school, in 2003. GiGi's Academy is still up and running today. We were even named Top 3 Dance Studios in our city. Entrepreneurship runs in my family so it wasn't a "crazy idea" when I shared with my parents that a business is how I planned to make money while in college. But, for teens who didn't grow up in entrepreneurial homes, taking the risk might seem like too much of a leap. This is where The Startup Squad comes in.
Founded by entrepreneur Brian Weisfeld, The Startup Squad book series has been hailed as “The Baby-Sitters Club” for a new generation, the books received accolades from female leaders. Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and founder of LeanIn.org said, The Startup Squad "encourages girls to dream big, work hard, and rely on each other to make good things happen. It teaches them how to succeed - and remind all of us that girls mean business!"
Check out the interview with Brian!
The 2nd in the series, Face the Music, will be available now from Macmillan Publishers. The books include definitions of terms and how-tos on the basics of revenue, profit, negotiation, and customer service building upon his first book’s lessons of marketing, sales, locations and merchandising.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
- The Startup Squad website delves deeper providing resources as “Stuff You Need” including activity kits; teacher and parent guides; and hailing back to Brian’s first foray into training girlpreneurs, AKA “his daughters”, a “Cookie Selling Tip Sheet”!
- 100Inspiring100: A program that has raised funds to donate 7,000 copies of The Startup Squad to underserved girls through Girls Inc. of NYC. The program is also providing “lemonade stand tips” from female leaders to help inspire this upcoming generation.
- Girl CEOs: an online gallery of “girlpreneurs” creating and opening businesses across the country are featured on the website and one lucky winner is chosen from the Girls Mean Business contest to be featured in Brian’s books. Sara “Sews” Robinson, who was the featured entrepreneur in Brian’s first book, The Startup Squad, recently switched her business from making aprons to making face masks that she donates to local first responders in Atlanta.
Sending love and light your way...
GiGi Diaz
PS: Let's Connect on Instagram @GiGiDiazLIVE
