HEWITT, Texas (KXXV) — “Building a business is not as hard as people may think. It's just about starting,” Midway High senior Isaac Castillo said. “Because we're all 17-18 years old, and we've all, skyrocketed in our businesses really.”
Midway High School students are learning what it takes to start their own business.
Students from the Practicum of Business Management class spent 10 weeks building their businesses from the ground up, including a tech company, clothing brand, and food service.
Brayden Fish and Lexi Diaz are on the tech team to help student-athletes and organizations showcase their talents.
“I come from a soccer background. I always wanted to make my own highlight tapes back when I used to play. So being able to do that now and help out the other athletes here who want to go to the next level is really important,” Midway High senior Brayden Fish said.
“I've always wanted to do business. It's just something that I’ve known since I was young,” Midway High senior Lexi Diaz said. “My aunt owns a restaurant and I’ve always been around it. I just think it's super cool that you get to make these decisions, and you don't have to work for someone… you work for yourself.”
The students pitched their products to Startup Waco, a local nonprofit that served as mentors and judges throughout the program.
“Fostering entrepreneurship starts early, and so by partnering with this Midway business class, I felt like we had a really incredible opportunity to inspire young minds and equip them with essential business skills,” CEO of Startup Waco Hob Howell said.
“This class has helped a lot to actually get hands-on experience with starting up a business and doing all the steps for that,” Fish said.
Startup Waco worked closely with Midway ISD teachers to cover fundamental business practices, from idea to execution.
Students had the opportunity to pitch their product to the Startup Waco team and receive feedback.
The students told 25 News they’ve learned everyday skills through the program too.
“It taught me how to do taxes and learning about different things, that's actually going on in the world business-wise,” Midway High senior Essance Johnson said.
