YEA for Brianna
A presentation she heard over the summer so inspired Brianna Hubbard that it spurred her to act. The University View Academy senior was at her internship for Youth Workforce with Big Buddy in Baton Rouge. Various speakers were invited to address the group, and what she learned about the Young Entrepreneurs Academy of Baton Rouge or YEA BR, got her mind racing. “My interest in psychology motivated me,” she says. Her plan for college is to major in psychology with a minor in marketing. So, her brainstorming began.
YEA BR helps students transform their ideas into viable enterprises using resources from the LSU E. J. Ourso School of Business. She applied for the academy and was accepted. Brianna’s purpose is to create a place for teens to deal with depression, suicidal thoughts, and traumatic events. The 17-year-old has already shaped a business and marketing plan in her head. She says, “We discussed it at YEA BR, and I collaborated with a classmate.” Brianna’s business plan vision is “Website first, advice column, support groups, video chat and then later sessions in-person at a library room or a park setting,” she said without hesitation. Her marketing strategy is a combination of business cards, flyers, and social media to advertise the service.
Brianna says she knows what she learns in YEA BR will help her refine her business and marketing plan enough to where she can pitch it in a Shark Tank-like setting to get seed funding. “I know a lot of networking goes on,” she adds. YEA BR says she can lean on experience for help from business leaders, educators, community members, and entrepreneurs. “It’s a big opportunity,” she said with conviction.
The current class of 30 high school students in YEA BR ends in April. Brianna says she wants to launch her business “…and make a difference” by the middle of January. If it’s successful, she says, “I plan on keeping it through college and beyond, even after I open my practice in psychology.”