YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS GET FIRSTHAND ACCOUNT OF WHAT IT TAKES TO RUN THE HOME DEPOT

The Home Depot  hosted the Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) students in grades six to 12 on October 22, 2019 for a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to run a thriving retail business.
 
Peter Layne, Store Manager shared tips about breaking into the industry, how to overcome challenges, and what skills it takes to keep business growing.
 
“I’m happy to do whatever I can to help young entrepreneurs develop their leadership skills and help guide them toward the path to success,” said Peter Layne. “Our company is so excited to have these talented young entrepreneurs visit with us. YEA! provides a terrific opportunity for the young people in our community.”
 
The Home Depot offers tours to YEA! students as part of their mission to help educate youth in the community.  Peter gave valuable insight to the students as to how The Home Depot was founded. In 1978, two entrepreneurs, Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank, envisioned a superstore that would have an immense variety of merchandise with competitive prices and unbeatable customer service. With hard work and determination, they opened the first two Home Depot stores in Atlanta in 1979. Now with over 2,200 stores, their mission remains the same; to offer competitive pricing and unbeatable customer service, which sets them apart from their competition.
 
In addition to lessons inside the classroom, YEA! introduces students to all types of businesses through field trips as well as a variety of executive leaders through guest lectures and business mentorship. 
 
By engaging in this hands-on approach to learning through field trips such as this, students gain a real-world understanding of the dedication it takes to be a business owner.
 
YEA! is a 26-week program that teaches students how to launch and run their own, real businesses. By the end of class, students will be the CEOs of their legally formed businesses or social movements. For more information, visit yeausa.org.