Fitzgerald, GA |

It’s been said that if there is no struggle, there is no progress. It’s a motto best exemplified by those looking to start their own business as it takes plenty of patience, determination and support in order to succeed. And the latter is exactly what the Georgia FLEX program is looking to provide for high school students hoping to take that next step.

“As the students start their entrepreneurial journey, the community rallies around them by providing them mentors from the business community, which is really different than reading about how to run a business from a book, right? I think anybody who’s run a business can attest to that; that you just never know what each day is going to hold. So, we try to match the students with businesses that are similar or really any businessperson can give them great feedback about their business and kind of share their experience with them and encourage the students,” says Melissa Dark, Executive Director of Georgia FLEX.

Giving these young entrepreneurs a community to fall back on for advice and inspiration provides an invaluable tool during the difficult times.

“You definitely can’t do it alone. We say all the time, it takes a village, and it truly does take a village in entrepreneurship. I’m so grateful for the FLEX program and the community that it makes. So, not only do we have connections all across the state, but we also have these connections with other student entrepreneurs who are going through the same experience and it’s great to be able to build that network and be able to have supporters and know who you can get to when you have questions,” says Chloe Paulk, Owner of Cake It with Chloe.

With the focus of this program centered around rural areas of the state, it benefits not just the students and their businesses, but also the long-term health of their communities.

“It works especially well in rural communities who are trying to really create some stickiness with their students and to keep them in their community, to start and grow their own businesses. It’s also great because those communities typically only one have one or two school systems, so everybody can rally around those students,” says Dark.

That support, along with state and local competitions offering thousands of dollars’ worth of prize money, could be the push students need to chase their dreams.

“The FLEX program is great if you’re even thinking about entrepreneurship, and it’s great because it encourages you to take the leap as a student. So, you don’t have to wait until you’ve got it figured out or you’re out of high school or college. You can take the leap as a high school student, and we’re going to provide facilitated steps to help you make your dream turn into a business,” says Paulk.

“When you, as any entrepreneur I they waited until it was perfect or they had everything figured out, they probably would have never started their business. So, we encourage students to really just jump in and get started. We encourage them to fail fast, fail often and always fail forward. So, every time you have a failure, that’s just taught you one way that something doesn’t work. So, just find the next way,” says Dark.

And learning through experience is the most valuable way to gain those skills needed to thrive.

“The FLEX program was pivotal in me running my business. Not only did it teach me skills like learning how to keep track of my finances, learning how to market my business, learning how to network with people in the community, but it also made me fall in love with entrepreneurship and my business in general,” says Paulk.

By: Damon Jones