A.C.E. Academy fosters entrepreneurial skills in students from Kindergarten onward

Twelve-year-old Camil Himes has always known that she would like to one day be her own boss and run her own business. And thanks to a unique approach offered at a Charlotte-area charter school, Himes is well on her way to making her dreams happen.

A sixth grader at A.C.E. Academy, Camil is a creative spirit with a flair for fashion and style who has been making and selling jewelry since the second grade. She began attending A.C.E. this past school year and learned how to write a business plan. She’s been taught the importance of investing in her business, and her teachers are advising her about the need to have enough product in inventory to meet customer demand.

“I’ve never wanted to work for anyone else,” says Camil, who makes jewelry and crochets items for her business, Coco’s Peace. “The school teaches you everything. How to own your own business. How to reinvest your money properly. I had an idea of what I wanted to do, and they helped me write it out and put it on paper instead of keeping it in mind.”

A.C.E. was founded 10 years ago by Laila Minott Laila Minott, Shawn Smalls and Shannon Martin with the goal of teaching students to succeed in college and careers by helping them achieve academic excellence, develop strong character, and adopt an entrepreneurial mindset.

The school’s name stands for Academics, Character, and Entrepreneurship, and because it is a public charter school, it is free to attend. Currently, A.C.E. Academy serves 450 students in grades K-8 at its campus in Harrisburg.

All students, starting in Kindergarten, are taught entrepreneurial and financial concepts. In addition, the school has Young Moguls, a club for students who have been invited to join by the Young Moguls committee. Students are encouraged to start their own businesses, and Minott supports them by helping young entrepreneurs find vendor opportunities. The school invests in the Young Moguls’ businesses, providing $100 to $300 after a student completes a business plan.

Camil started attending A.C.E. this year, and she says she loves the environment. She says her experience has reinforced her interest in being CEO of her own company someday.

“A.C.E. has made me want to do my own thing and own my own business,” she says. “The school has a homey feel. It is just really good to find a comforting and safe environment. I blossomed immediately after being here.”

Creating a sense of purpose

Minott’s interest in creating the school stems in part from how lost she felt as a middle schooler. She says she didn’t have a strong sense of direction as a child and describes herself as an average student who didn’t excel in any particular area. Her mother, a teacher, encouraged her to go into teaching, but Minfott didn’t feel teaching was her calling. She did feel a compassion for serving people, however, and that led her to earn a degree in social services.

Minott worked in the nonprofit field and spent years writing grants and helping adults learn skills to become employed or find new jobs. One year, she and Smalls were asked to teach entrepreneurship at a summer camp. They fell in love with the work. They taught entrepreneurship together for 10 years. However, as independent contractors whose projects depended on variable funding, the teaching opportunity was unpredictable.

Minott researched charter schools and applied to open one. Opening a school allowed her and Smalls to deepen what they had previously taught.

“The passion is teaching our kids to monetize what they like to do,” she says. “This gives you a sense of purpose and a sense of belonging and direction that no one can ever take away from you.”

Minott says initially there were many naysayers who thought Kindergarteners could not be taught entrepreneurship, something the school’s experience has proven not to be true.

“If kids can learn how to trade their cookies at the cafeteria table, they can be entrepreneurs,” she says.

In 2022, the school created the Young Moguls program, described as an elite entrepreneurship club. Students meet outside of school once a month on Saturdays. The school invests in students’ business – between $100 and $300 after they’ve written a solid business plan. The school has a store that sells student products. Minott scouts for opportunities for students to sell at community events, such as festivals and sporting tournaments. Examples of items sold by the students include jewelry, clothing, desserts, phone accessories and cosmetics.

Young Moguls also attend a free weeklong summer camp and participate in a Shark Tank-style competition, and have the chance to earn prizes worth $1,000, $500 and $250.

Students are handpicked by school faculty, who consider a variety of factors, including enthusiasm in class, behavior and parental support. Personalities range from outspoken leaders to quiet thinkers. The club has about 40 students, who this summer will participate in field trips such as going behind the scenes at a catering company, talking with people who sell and manage retail kiosks, and visiting the Apple store to learn how to best use phones to take photos of their products.

Michael Alston has taught entrepreneurship to Kindergarteners through 4th grade at A.C.E. Academy for three years and is heavily involved in selecting students for Young Moguls. He says he has been thrilled to see how interested his students are in learning about business.

One way Alston inspires his young students is by asking what they enjoy doing instead of what they want to be when they grow up. Students then start believing that they can earn a living by embracing what they feel passionate about if they have the necessary skills, he says.

“I point out their school is a business and once was nothing,” he says. “They see this as proof that you can do anything you put your mind to. It’s magical inside these four walls.”

A young entrepreneur

Laraneo Smith wasn’t surprised when his family received the letter from A.C.E. informing them that their son Xavier was selected to join Young Moguls. Smith says his son, 13, has shown an interest in business since he was young. Xavier, his twin brother Rajan, and Graeyson, 9, all attend A.C.E.

Xavier Smith working on prints for National TShirt Print

Xavier runs a t-shirt business, National Tshirt Print, that prints custom t-shirts. He recently sold t-shirts at his first pop-up during Juneteenth.

Smith says so many orders have come into Xavier’s business that Xavier is looking to upgrade his equipment so he can complete the work faster. Xavier has also learned to communicate more confidently after initially struggling with being outspoken. Smith and his wife help Xavier complete the orders, and the couple helps buy some of the raw materials. But Xavier has insisted he will reimburse them, his father says.

“He is wanting to take ownership,” Smith says. “He is taking the information he has learned and incorporating it into his business. He is trying to expand his business by investing back into it and upgrading his product. He is really motivated.”

“It’s the best thing in the world as a father of three boys to see all of my kids be really in tune with education and also trying to accomplish their goals.”