Entrepreneurship at its Finest Andrew Motey

For the last three years, a friend and I teamed up to lead Spartan Swipe, a school fundraising program that raises scholarship money for students in need. Leading this program has been very important to me. Not only does it feel great to help others achieve their dreams, but I’ve also learned many practical business skills along the way.

At the heart of the Spartan Swipe program is a discount card that we sell to consumers who use it to save money at local restaurants and businesses. The money raised from selling these cards goes towards a scholarship fund for underprivileged students at my school. At the end of our sophomore year, we learned that the leaders of the program were graduating seniors and that if there was no one to lead the program, it would be discontinued. As soon as I heard about this opportunity, I had an epiphany of sorts. If these high school students were able to implement such an effective program, so could we! My friend Eli and I then decided to take over. We were confident that if we collectively brought our skills to the table we could support these students in need.

Like most teens, Eli and I had never run a business before. However, we came up with an intricate plan to promptly get the cards on the...