Gene Griffin will never forget the email he received from his daughter Emma’s third-grade teacher. It said that Emma created a play store at school, making products like keychains and bracelets to sell to her classmates for real money.
“She knows that I will support her future endeavors 100%, and I saw this as an opportunity,” says Gene. “I have always been an entrepreneur, and I knew this entrepreneurial spirit needed to be nurtured.”
This drew the Griffins to Start-Up Kids Club, a non-profit with a mission to bridge the classroom and the real world. After speaking to Founder Amber Wakem, Gene partnered with Wilco WorkSpaces to kick off his 14-week Cedar Park Program in August 2022.
“We start with ideation, then go into marketing, customer service, finance, and so on. The curriculum is very well done and peer-reviewed by university professors,” says Gene. “We do a field trip each semester to see commerce in action, and sometimes have guest speakers in to speak on the topic of the week.”
What has made Start-Up Kids Club especially incredible for Gene is doing it alongside his daughter. Following a semester as his student, Emma took on the role of assistant teacher.
“I have never walked out of class without a smile,” says Gene. “It has been such a rewarding experience and we’re looking for more people in the community to help us grow this program.”
startupkidsclub.com