Y.E.S. for Arkansas 5th-8th Grade Business Plan Competition

Why is Y.E.S. important to 5th-8th graders and to Arkansas?

• It builds a pipeline of future entrepreneurs for the state.

• It benefits all students – whether or not they become entrepreneurs – because they gain learning experiences that will likely serve them well in their future careers.

• It’s real-world, designed to mirror the same steps the grownups have to go through if they want to launch a business idea or improve upon an existing one.

• It’s hands-on. Students are responsible for writing the business plan. They have to figure out how their idea will work, how it can be brought to market, do the math to see if it can make money, and more.

• Students must engage their core reading, writing, and math skills to write the business plan.

• Students must also use their soft skills – creativity, critical thinking, communication, problem solving, teamwork, responsibility to others, and more as they move through the competition process.

Y.E.S. is a fantastic way to invest in

Arkansas’s future innovators and entrepreneurs!