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King George Inaugural Entrepreneurs Forum

King George, VA – On Apirl 11, 2023, King George County Schools and Phoenix Advantage LLC held their first Young Entrepreneurs Forum in partnership with local businesses. Attendees included Gary Butler of Exit Strategy Realty, Ernisha and Tracey Hall of NIRAY LLC and Virginia Black Busienss Directory, Victor Fuster of Riphean Investments and Rob Quartel of NTELX.

The Inaugural Entrepreneurs Forum was created to inspire high school students to think about business ownership and entrepreneurship as potential careers. Participants provided practical advice to aspiring entrepreneurs while stressing to young people that it is possible to build a successful business without having to move away from King George County. The forum aimed to inform those present about what it means to own a business by exploring various areas such as how start-ups are funded, the legal aspects associated with opening a business, methods for marketing products/services on public platforms among other topics.

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The event organizers hope that when these young people leave this program, they will be equipped with enough knowledge to share important resources amongst their peers, families, and communities thus helping create an environment of opportunity for rural areas like King George County.

The Directory of Economic Development & Tourism, Nick Minor said, “The program aims to inspire high school students to consider business ownership and entrepreneurship as pathways and to guide them in understanding what that means, how it’s done, and why.”

The hope is that when these young people graduate, they will have acquired knowledge which they can share with their peers, family, and communities. Doing so will help create an environment that promotes opportunity instead of focusing solely on getting educated/trained to find someone to employ them. Ultimately it is about teaching young people what it means to own your own business and removing the notion that you need to move away from King George County to be successful. Those behind the event want to remind participants that “capital does not attract capital, people attract capital”.

This inaugural Young Entrepreneurs Forum was a great success, as the students left more knowledgeable and confident about their entrepreneurial dreams. Though the event is over, the students will continue learning from one another and with the guidance of King George County Schools and Phoenix Advantage LLC, in this rural area of Virginia.  The questions asked by the students showed insightfulness beyond their years and the answers shared provided guidance for paving the way for success in entrepreneurship. The wisdom shared at this event will nurture growth in our communities as natural resources are shared. It goes to show that with honest dialogue and knowledge, we can open up possibilities for a better rural economy, one capable of providing opportunities for generations to come. Thank you King George County Schools and Phoenix Advantage LLC for hosting such an informative experience!

Photography by Kirk Thompson of KT_Images

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