After several years of teaching business and entrepreneurship classes, programs and workshops,Young & Successful Media's founders came to the realization that some of the most basic, yet critical "real world" skills were not being taught in schools. This was particularly challenging for those who dreamed of striking out with a plan of their own.

Teaming up with the leading provider of entrepreneurship education, the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), the Young Entrepreneurs Network (now Y&S Media), developed the first advanced curriculum for teaching 11th and 12th graders Entrepreneurship. This two- year, four-semester program, first introduced in Boston Public Schools, went further than any high school program ever had, teaching students about building credibility, networking, research, setting up a home office, hiring, branding, corporate identity, generating media attention, pitching ideas to investors, and institutional financing.

Rather than focusing solely on the development of a business plan, as many other courses had done, this curriculum was taught in an unconventional way: Students were exposed to real-world examples by meeting with business leaders and taking field trips to trade shows and business mixers. Classes focused on preparing them for the true challenges they would face in launching their careers as entrepreneurs, built their self-confidence, and made the very unfamiliar business world a far more comfortable place for them to venture into.