Jaren Vessels of Berea, Kentucky, recently became the youngest Kauffman FastTrac business development course graduate. At just 12 years old, Jaren completed the rigorous, MACED-facilitated training this past spring alongside his mother, Jennifer Roberts.
Jaren and his mother completed the class with the intention of using the information they learned to start their own small business selling homemade dog biscuits. Their business, Dog Treats by Jaren, aims to launch this fall.
“Before the class, I didn’t know anything at all about what it takes to run a business, but now I know what to do, how to do it, and I have a plan,” Jaren told reporter Beth Meyers in a press release from Berea City Hall.
Jaren received his certificate for completing the course during the Small Business Appreciation event, which took place at Boone Tavern in Berea on May 3. Jaren was recognized alongside 11 other graduates, who plan to start a diverse range of businesses in the area.
Berea Mayor Steve Connelly spoke encouragingly of these entrepreneurs: “It is the breadth of our small business community that provides diversity and stability to our local economy.”
Jaren received support from local business owners Mae Suramek and Adam Mullikin of Noodle Nirvana in Berea, who donated a box of their spring roll bags for him to use to give out samples of his dog treats at the Small Business Appreciation event.
Upon graduating from Kauffman FastTrac, Jaren, along with the other 11 successful participants, is eligible for a MACED micro-loan at a special rate and terms to help launch his business idea.
MACED now offers a flipped-classroom model of the course, in which participants complete readings and course materials individually, then join in on the live discussion meetings via teleconference calls or internet connection. Individuals can now participate in the 12-part class from any location, making the training more accessible to local entrepreneurs both young and old.
