The end of Minnesota Business Venture is approaching. Tomorrow the campers will be presenting their business plans to judges to see if they can secure a loan for their companies.
Today started off with a shareholder’s address by Jerrid Sebesta. Jerrid posed the question, “What is your why?” and talked about how managing his money effectively and becoming debt-free helped him quit his job as a Meteorologist at Kare 11 to follow his passion. He also explained to campers how his past 15 years of success was achieved through putting himself “out there” and not being afraid to be bold. Jerrid encouraged people to think about why they are working where they are. Is it because you want to show up to work everyday, or is it because you have a debt to pay off?
Campers also attended several break out sessions today. Stan Winnie from Allstate Insurance came to talk about car insurance, Trysh Olson from Wings Financial talked to campers about buying a car, Sara Croymans came out from the University of Minnesota to talk about renting an apartment, and Ann Erickson of Wolters Kluwer discussed why credit matters. The campers were fully engaged during the presentations and had tons of questions about insurance costs, the best way to save money for buying a car, and how to fix a low credit score.
Later in the afternoon, campers chose breakout sessions focusing on philanthropy. Amy Hanson from Affinity Plus, Jackie Berry of 3M, and Julie Rethemeier from Federated Insurance shared their knowledge about nonprofit organizations and philanthropy. Dave Irvin came in to talk about ethics. Dave’s story was emotional and moving for the campers. Dave talks about his 1% life style that he lived before he became addicted to cocaine. This was a turning point in Dave’s life. He began dealing cocaine to his friends and became their suppler. After being arrested and spending time in jail, Dave works to share his experience with others to prevent them from making the same mistakes.