My name is Mahera Badat and I attend Emmett and Sarah Hill Intermediate School in the Aldine Independent School District in Houston, Texas. My school is a fifth and sixth grade magnet school that focuses on economics and entrepreneurial spirit. All of the students in my school have the unique experience of learning their core subjects and all about how to establish a profitable business at the same time. At Hill EXCEL Academy, my classmates and I are busy with economic lessons and projects.

Last semester, I took an economics and entrepreneurship class. In this class my teacher, Mrs. Guy, taught us about economics and how to run our own business. My classmates and I experienced everything about operating a business including: product development, marketing, business accounting, and sales. We chose business partners to start our venture. Many different businesses were created by my classmates. Some students started a lotion and soap-making business and others started a student photography business. My partners and I decided to start a bookmark business. We called ourselves Hill’s Fabulous Bookmarks Inc.

My company went through each step of business planning. Hill’s Fabulous Bookmark Inc. developed a written business plan. We researched and designed the bookmarks. We made sure that they were unique and of high-quality. Next, we set a competitive price for our product. Then, my partners and I planned all of the marketing for our business. We broadcasted catchy commercials over the school’s announcements and we hung ads all over the place. Finally, my school held a campus market day to sell the different student-created products. Students, faculty and staff were invited to go on a shopping spree at our market. My bookmark business had a profitable day. We sold more products than all of our competitors.

The experience of running my own business will stay with me forever. I gained many valuable tools about economics and entrepreneurship. There is a big difference between learning from a book and actually doing it, which really drives a lesson home. I know it certainly did for me! I look forward to the future and plan to use what I’ve learned about the business world to be successful in everything I choose to do!