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Student Profile - Kim
Latorre |
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Click on any image to see a larger version of the image. |
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I’m a fan of
E CITY
because…
…I think it’s a positive program
for youth.”
During the 2003-2004 school year,
Kim Latorre was a junior at East Tech High School in Cleveland
and winner of the E CITY business plan competition. She heard about
the E CITY after school program through a friend, and approached
teacher Sylvia Randolph to ask if she could join in. Kim had always
dreamed of owning her own business and found that she was very curious
about what the program might teach her. |
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Kim at the
E CITY
graduation |
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Kim attentively listening in class |
Before the 70-hour program had even
concluded with its business plan competition, Kim had “Miss K’s Candy
Thang” under way and was selling candy for a profit at her school and
in her neighborhood. "The
E CITY program taught me to observe people’s lives and behavior and look
for spaces where I could fill their needs. I noticed many of my
friends leaving school to buy candy at the |
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corner store. They would come back
25 minutes later and get in trouble for being late to class. I also
studied their likes and dislikes and then knew that I could sell them
the candy they wanted, at better prices, much more quickly, and save
them from being in trouble at school.” |
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Kim exercises her creative flair by
packaging the candy in decorative bags. It’s a touch that she says
makes it more fun and more of a surprise for her customers. “They
know what kind of candy they’re getting, but they don’t know what the
bag will look like. Plus, the bags catch other people’s eye and help
me make more sales.” |
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Kim's products for sale |
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Kim’s bigger dream is to own and
operate a salon and barbershop. She sees “Miss K’s Candy Thang” as a
training ground for that vision. “Scott Arthur at E CITY taught me
about ‘KISS’ (“Keep it Simple, Silly”). I decided to begin with a
very small business idea and get bigger later. E CITY teaches us to
be leaders too, and I want to be a role model for younger kids. One
day they will look at my salon and remember that I started out with a
little candy business. Then they’ll know that they can do this,
too.” |
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Kim working on her business plan |
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Kim knows that the traits and
discipline of an entrepreneur that she has absorbed through the E CITY
program will have application in school and nearly anything she does.
“You don’t leave a job half done,” she says with conviction. When
asked what skills are necessary to be successful in business she cites
among others: a willingness to be a risk-taker, discipline, confidence
and perseverance. “I set short-term goals for my sales every day and I
know I have to be persuasive and yet understanding in order to reach
those goals. The two most important characteristics I feel I must
have as an entrepreneur are optimism and adaptability.” |
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Kim demonstrated all of those traits
in January when she prepared an entry for a national business plan
competition. On top of school assignments, extracurricular activities
and her job, Kim pushed herself to write, edit and edit again her
business proposal. She took several buses on cold winter nights to
meet with E CITY staff. She persevered through the frustrations of
lost data and failed email. |
Kim receiving her first place prize |
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The E CITY staff was glad to note the Kim has continued her interest
in business and being an entrepreneur. One April 24, 2004 when E CITY
hosted the Youth Conference with Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Kim was
one of the students who participated in workshops relating to being an
entrepreneur. |
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