Friday was one of my favorite days as a Gateway CEO Facilitator so far. Not because everything went perfectly. Actually… quite the opposite. It was pure magic.

As the Gateway CEO Class of 2027 has kicked off, our students have spent the first few weeks building the foundation for the year:
✔️ Creating our class culture
✔️ Discovering the WOW Factor
✔️ Learning how to make a great first impression
✔️ Showing up professionally dressed each day
✔️ Greeting community leaders
✔️ Leaning in and engaging in conversation
✔️ Asking questions to discover more
✔️ Being self-aware
✔️ Showing respect when they arrive at school
✔️ Showing up on time for site visits
✔️ Looking someone in the eye and shaking their hand

We've been learning the skills. Friday was the day we started DOING business. We introduced our students to their first micro-business.

Here's the challenge:
Our students will be networking in several different professional settings throughout the year. As the weather gets colder, we know there will be a temptation to simply throw a hoodie over their business-casual clothes. So this year, we're tackling professional dress in a different way.

Our students will have the opportunity to purchase a Gateway CEO name badge and branded crewneck or quarter-zip that they can wear in class and carry with them into the community. But here's the business challenge: We give them the problem. They have to create the solution. The goal?

Create enough value for a client to generate the revenue needed to purchase their own professional gear for the year.

And here's the catch:
💰 I can't pay for it.
💰 They can't pay for it.
💳 Mom and Dad's credit card is OFF LIMITS.
📅 And the order needs to be placed by September 18.

Immediately, the questions started flying: How much do we need to make? Where can we get the apparel? Who do we contact? What can we sell? How do we create value for someone else?

And my answer? You guys get to figure this out. For about 10 minutes, it was MASS CHAOS. Twenty-one students circling around trying to figure out where to start. One student finally said: “This is the worst circle I've ever seen.” And then something happened. The chaos started to settle. Students began raising their hands. Leaders started emerging. Lists were being made. Ideas were being organized. Questions were turning into action steps. They were listening to each other. They were figuring out who needed to do what.

And before we knew it… Our time was up. We didn't finish. And that's okay. Because the ball is rolling. On Monday, we'll reflect on what happened Friday, look at what worked (and what didn't!), and begin building their game plan.

This is what Gateway CEO is about. Not sitting in a classroom being told how business works. Learning by doing. Learning to work as a team. Learning to listen. Learning to research. Learning to make a sales pitch. Learning how to build relationships and contact lists.
Learning that sometimes the answer is NO. And learning that NO doesn't mean stop finding a solution. It means keep going.

Friday was messy. Friday was loud. Friday was imperfect. And Friday was exactly what we hoped it would be. Because somewhere in the middle of the chaos, we watched 21 students begin to realize: “Wait… WE have to figure this out.” And that is where the magic begins.

The doing is off to a new start, and we can't wait to see where they take it. We're not just building businesses. We're building people. 🚀#Entrepreneurship #RealWorldLearning #FutureLeaders
#GatewayCEO #GatewayCEO2027 #LearnByDoing #StudentEntrepreneurs #Leadership