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Meet Our Teen Team

We think ALL teens need biz smarts.

We wish more school classes would build our business brains.

Want to learn FUN, PRACTICAL biz skills?

Welcome aboard! Teens4Biz.org is your place. 

Elias Rosenthal

Founder & Director

     Hi, I’m Elias,

     What inspired me to start Teens4Biz.org? I discovered I needed basic biz skills in when I launched the Teens4Health.org in 2012. I didn’t know how to recruit members, attract a Board of Advisors, or find sponsors for our teen contests.

 

     Watching Shark Tank wasn’t enough. Mentors gave me hands-on-advice. They taught me practical business skills like time management; opening a bank account; Tweeting; promoting our teen contests and improving my website. An award-winning producer coached me about public speaking and directed my cooking videos (If I can cook, anyone can!).  

 

     As Teens4Health grows, I'm learning about the worlds of finance, advertising, and marketing -  how multi $ billion food, beverage, and restaurant businesses make profits. How they convince teens to crave unhealthy foods and drinks filled with sugar, salt, unsaturated fats and other harmful (usually artificial) ingredients. Some members of my Board of Advisors (thanks, Dr. Lustig!) taught me to read misleading ingredient labels and how some busnesses get us addicted to sugar. 

 

     Running Teens4Health.org convinced me that all teens need biz smarts to survive and succeed. That's how Teens4Biz.org was born. Our goal: educate you on making smart financial choices in life.  Want to learn fun and practical biz skills? Teens4Biz.org is for you! 

Miranda Billings

Younger Teens & Social Media Outreach

     Hello! I'm Miranda and I think Teens4Biz.org is a great way for teenagers to have hands-on experiences with the business world.  

 

     The mysteries of business fascinate me.  Since 14, I've worked consistently -  jobs from secretary to customer service. Working has given me valuable skills - from how to treat many different kinds of customers to making store displays look good. And I've also learned a lot by volunteering at non-profits like food banks. 

 

     It's important for us teenagers to learn how to save.  I got my own bank account at age 12.  I recently bought a car and will use my earnings to help pay tuition when I go to college.  

 

     Teens4Biz.org introduces teenagers to practical real-world skills, which unfortunately, many of us don’t learn in school.  It’s great to see close up how businesses work (like banks, farms and even Coca Cola), and discover the value of mentors, budgeting, public speaking and volunteering. 

Haley Mendlin
Tech & Organizational Mastermind

 

     My name is Haley and I’m glad to be on the Teen Team!

I discovered the fun of business at age 7, running a money-making lemonade stand. Now I enjoy sell things for good causes like Girl Scout cookies and chocolate bars for my school choir.

 

     My world opened up when I took a computer class in the 7th grade. For a year, I did chores and saved enough money to buy an IPad which I'm teaching my grandmother how to use.

 

     I went to an inspiring lecture by Steve Wozniak and got to meet him afterwards. You’ll get a lot out of his book, iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It.  My dream job? To be a biz manager at a tech company like Apple.

 

     Watching Shark Tank teaches me so much. If I can invent something , maybe Teens4Biz mentors can help me sell it, so I can get me on the show.

 

     The coach of my tennis team gave me some useful advice: “Keep your eye on the ball. Do your best, even if you don’t win. Practice makes perfect.”

Apple Co-Founder, Steve Wozniak, and Haley discuss growing Teens4Biz.org.
Jonathan Ezra

Team Leader​   & Outreach Advisor

     I'm Jonathan. Working parttime in a frozen yogurt shop is teaching me a lot about business.  I serve customers of all ages (some polite, some not); do accounting (I love math) and some advertising to get people into the shop.  I saved enough money to buy an iPhone5, Nike Hyperdunk basketball shoes and to donate to help Ethiopian Israelis. 

 

     As Captain of my high school basketball team, I learned important life skills like

 team work, motivation and dealing with defeat.  

 

     Sophomore year I took a really useful elective, Intro to Business. Our teacher told us to watch Shark Tank, which I love. I think all teens (and teachers) should learn as much as possible about business because it affects our daily lives. Most teens don't even know how a bank works or what inflation or interest it.  Outside the classroom and the basketball court, the world is really competitive. So, fasten your seat belts and join Teens4Biz. 

 

 

 

 

Ellie Petty 

Fundraising & Non-Profit Advisor

     Hi, I’m Ellie. I think it’s really great that Teens4Biz teaches fundraising skills and giving back to others through non-profit organizations.

 

     I can share with other teens what I’ve learned about fundraising as a youth member of the Board of Directors of the Rwanda School Project. We help support more

than 100 middle and high school students in Rwanda – giving them scholarships, science equipment, books, and even building dorms.

 

     I'm also glad to show members of Teens4Biz ideas about launching charity events.

In 2012, I founded Run for Rwanda, which so far has raised over $10,000. I hope other teens discover what I have -  there’s no greater joy than knowing that you’ve positively changed the lives of children, their families, and the future of their country. 

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