NATIONAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP MONTH | NOVEMBER 2026
An idea can become a business when a young person has the skills and support to act on it. This November, National Entrepreneurship Month offers an opportunity to recognize how Junior Achievement helps students explore business ownership and practice the decisions that turn an idea into something real.
Across the Junior Achievement network, entrepreneurship education gives students a chance to learn by doing. Through JA Company Program, high school students identify a community need or problem, develop a business venture, and work together to bring it to life. Volunteers and mentors guide them as they make business decisions, collaborate with teammates, and communicate with the people involved in their company.
These experiences make entrepreneurship tangible. Students can begin to see themselves as people who have something valuable to offer, while practicing skills that matter whether they eventually own a business or contribute to someone else’s.
The long-term potential is reflected in national alumni research. In a December 2025 Ipsos survey of 1,005 Junior Achievement alumni ages 22 to 44, 59% said they had started or owned a business because of their Junior Achievement experience. In the same survey, 90% said Junior Achievement helped improve their critical-thinking skills. These are alumni-reported outcomes, offering a view of how former students connect their experiences with their adult lives.
For alumnus Mike Prior, that connection began in high school. Prior built and sold solar-powered music boxes through a Junior Achievement program as a freshman. Soon afterward, he started his first business at age 15 with the goal of buying a car. The business eventually employed four people, and he sold it for a profit during his senior year.
Prior later went on to establish his own financial advisory firm. He credits the financial education and business skills he learned through Junior Achievement with helping spark his entrepreneurial ambition. His story shows how an early opportunity to practice business can become a starting point for pursuing it beyond the classroom.
For our South Florida community, the opportunity is to help more young people recognize their potential and develop the preparation to pursue it. Supporting entrepreneurship education can help students explore another path toward economic independence, while encouraging the problem-solving and initiative that communities need.
Help a student’s business idea take its next step. This National Entrepreneurship Month, volunteer with Junior Achievement of South Florida and share your experience to help young people build the skills and confidence to become tomorrow’s entrepreneurs. Explore volunteer opportunities.
