Summer Entrepreneurial Workshop for High School and College Students

Class of 2001. Barrett and Galant flanking graduates. Class of 2002. Galant on left. (Barrett and four students not pictured)

Huntington – The Young Professionals Chamber of Commerce (YPCC) held its second annual Entrepreneurial Workshop for high school and college students in the summer of 2002. Students learned in an informal environment how to start and run a business, from babysitting to opening a restaurant or a hi-tech firm.

The Workshop covers the concerns that affect young entrepreneurs, including finding customers, networking, forecasting, forming a business plan, financing and marketing. The course demonstrates how the stereotypical 25-cents-a-glass lemonade stand can be doomed to financial failure before the first glass is sold due to poor planning – the number one reason for business failure. The future entrepreneurs learn how to maximize their chances for success.

The course was co-facilitated by 19-year-old Gregory Galant, a young entrepreneur who started a successful, award-winning Web development firm, Halenet, Inc., while he was a high school freshman. Galant founded the YPCC with the support of the 1,300-member Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce, Long Island’s largest chamber. Galant said, “This is a huge opportunity for students to discover what they’re capable of as young people. Many people think it’s impossible for a young student to create a business, while on the contrary they have many advantages in the business world. We show them how to channel their skills to create a successful business of their own.”

The workshop and its 70-page text were created and co-facilitated by William Barrett, a successful entrepreneur and president of New Goals, Inc., which provides entrepreneurial alternatives to corporate layoffs. He has led entrepreneurial workshops for adults for over 10 years, with over 500 graduates. He co-facilitated the first YPCC Entrepreneurial Workshop with Galant last summer and played an essential role in creating the YPCC.

A graduate of last year’s course, Alex Zelenka, who runs his own prominent landscaping business based in Eatons Neck, said, “The workshop pushed me to expand on my ideas and make things a reality. The workshop teaches students how to stand on their own two feet and take action at any age.”

The group met two hours every Thursday at 7:00 pm for five weeks, July 11 to August 8, at the Huntington Public Library. The workshop has graduated over 20 students. Several schools offer extra credit to students completing the course. Any student can register for next year by contacting Linda Mitchell at (631) 423-6100.