The 2024 YEC Trade Show is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.  Friday, December 6, at Sidney High School.

SIDNEY -- Avery Lawson and Kobe Peterson recently talked about their experience in the 2023 Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge.

The program is a semester course with juniors and seniors at Sidney High School studying what it takes to develop a business, leading to a "Shark Tank" style pitch opportunity, and finishing with a trade show open to the community. 

Lawson and Peterson graduated from Sidney High School in May, and also were part of the first semester course on entrepreneurship in 2023.

Lawson is the owner and founder of Evergreen Design Company. Peterson pitched the concept of a men's formal wear store. He is currently working as a funeral home director apprentice.

"It was crazy. I had no idea I was going to go into my senior year taking this class. I really was just trying to find some electives, kind of fill in some different things. It ended up being probably one of the highlights of my senior year. Ashley (Fehringer) is great at leading all of us, and going into the field of entrepreneurship and guiding us in that way. I think that was the biggest way I was able to get started," Lawson said. 

She said she comes from a history of entrepreneurs so the class did pique her interest.

Peterson said business has long been a part of how he thinks.

"I've always had an entrepreneurial mindset. In middle school, I owned my own lawn mowing business, and was fairly successful in that. Entering high school, actually the class is taught by my aunt, and so I was kind of forced into the class. I wasn't really given an option. I was told I would be really good at it and that it would be a great experience for me. And now that I have completed the class and the competition, there's no doubt that it was a great experience and I'm very, very, very fortunate that I was able to be part of that," Peterson said.

Peterson said the class started with learning what an entrepreneur is.

"It all started learning about being an entrepreneur, what an entrepreneur is. We all sort of have this definition of what an entrepreneur is, but I think we now know what a true entrepreneur is. There's more to opening a business, and that class taught more behind the scenes of opening a business. You know, you have to have a business plan so we were taught how to write a well-constructed business plan. And then in talking with all the local entrepreneurs like Sara Kaiser and Cory Keen and Sarah Sinnett, they shared their insight to what being an entrepreneur is, and we were open to a bunch of grants that were available too. I would never have known that there are grants available to new business owners," he said.

Lawson said they spent the first quarter learning what it takes to become an entrepreneur; "the logistics, the marketing, all the boring stuff." The second quarter was actually doing the work, she said.

"Being able to do that was such an empowering thing that I never thought I would be able to experience my senior year. You feel like you're part of something bigger. You're looked and seen as an adult and not just a high school student," she said.

She recently celebrated her one year anniversary of her business, Evergreen Design Company, and is working with at least 15 clients. 

"I just always cannot get over the amount of support, not only from my classmates because I received more support from my classmates than I think I ever have in my all 12 years of schooling, but also from the community," Lawson said.

This year's trade show event, organized with the assistance of the Sidney/Cheyenne County e3 group, is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Friday, December 6 at Sidney High School. 

The program has 16 students, all seniors. Business ideas students are promoting in the class include a marketing company, custom apparel, a nail salon, auto detailing, auto window tinting, welding, sports store, a pet store - featuring food and accessories, a food Truck, library with cookies, daycare center, flower shop, tattoo shop, fishing gear shop, custom furniture, and hunting apparel and accessories shop.

This year's event is sponsored by Nelnet, Sidney Regional Medical Center, Hometown Liquor, Safe at Home and Jeff Klare and Amy Kitching.