CANTON, Mich. (WXYZ) — A new program in southeast Michigan is pairing up teens with Ikea, allowing them to pitch their business proposals to the retailer's leadership team.
I was one of the judges, speaking with some of the ambitious high school students and advocates for the program about the opportunity for young entrepreneurs.
It is the only Ikea store in Michigan, so while it may be familiar, the reason students were there today was not to go shopping.
There's no other career for 11th grader Brendan White but than to be an entrepreneur.
"I wish to own my own real estate agency and start a multitude of passive income - such as vending machine businesses," he says.
And he knows how important it is to be in the room with people who can help make his dreams possible.
"I did a little research before I came today," he says. "I felt like I had to make an impression a big impression. I can get a little jittery so I'm still working on that."
Thursday at Ikea in Canton in front of business leaders was an opportunity he did not take lightly.
He and about fifteen other metro Detroit high schoolers got the opportunity to pitch marketing ideas to the global multimillion-dollar company as part of their Retail Business Program.
It's a partnership with the Black United Fund.
"We wanted to make sure that they learn lessons from some of the top retailers," says Carlotta Tutt Holloway, Black United Fund.
Their one-week program is designed specifically with students like Brendan in mind, by a leader who was once in their shoes.
"Being from the Detroit area originally. Being a little Black boy that did not understand the types of jobs available in the creative space. It just felt like a good thing to do," says Kevin Matthews with Ikea. "To expose other Black and brown kids to opportunities and jobs we may not know about."
Matthews is now an Area Marketing Manager at Ikea.
"I also just wanted to make sure there was representation of an African American leader, so I felt like it was important to be a part of it," Matthews says.
This is the Black United Fund's second group of students and they have no plans of stopping.
"Many students aren't actually aware of these types of opportunities, so we wanted to make sure that they can do this aware that they can be marketing experts, aware of the fact that they can start their own business," says Tutt Holloway.
After winning the competition with an idea to bring famous rapper Skilla Baby to Ikea, Brendan and his group are now headed to the top retailer's year-long program to develop their skills and could potentially win a trip to Ikea Sweden.
