JA Company Program

JA Company Program unlocks the innate ability in high school students (grades 9-12) to fill a need or solve a problem in their community by launching a business venture and unleashing their entrepreneurial spirit. Students put theory into practice by creating, marketing and operating their own company, from concept to business plan, financing, execution, and sales. Students sell stock to raise capital, elect officers, buy materials, market their product or service, pay a dividend to stockholders, and liquidate their company. Through teamwork, students learn to understand and appreciate the responsibilities each person has in running a business. By utilizing a learning model that incorporates 21st century technology and contemporary teaching methods, students learn in ways that foster innovation and ingenuity. Volunteer role models connect with students in both traditional and digital classrooms while sharing their personal and professional experiences to further ignite students’ entrepreneurial spirit.

JA Company Program Resources

Detailed Program Summary
Program Brief (blended)
2017-2018 JA Company Program Impact Stats
Blackline Masters Packet
Milestone Chart
Read how JA Company Program correlates with Minnesota Academic Standards
JAUM Company of the Year Competition

We are seeking volunteers to mentor students in launching a company. For more information, contact your local JA team member or Charie Gill at 651-255-0469 or charie@jaum.org.

2019 JA Company Program Commercials

EcoSlurp (Mounds View High School) – 2019 Minnesota JAUM Company of the Year

Stress Less (Thomas Edison High School) – 2019 Minnesota JAUM Company of the Year second place (tie)

WriteCase (Mounds View High School) – 2019 Minnesota JAUM Company of the Year second place (tie)

Frown Less, Smile More(Humboldt School – St. Paul) – 2019 Minnesota JAUM Company of the Year – Social Innovation Award

Student Testimonials

The best part about participating in JA Company Program was learning valuable leadership skills, business ins-and-outs, and cooperative teamwork.” Joseph Craves, Senior, Maple Grove High School

Through JA Company Program, we were able to learn from each other, teach each other, and most importantly, build something we all cared about.” Maddie Wang, Junior, Mounds View High School

JA Company Program allowed me to take all the knowledge I learned from school and apply it in the real world.” Maha Syed, Freshman, Mounds View High School

My experience with JA Company Program affected my future plans by giving me the opportunity to see if I am capable to run a business.” Jamza Jamari, Sophomore, Como Park High School

Educator Testimonials

We choose to take part in the JA Company Program because of the curriculum aligned lessons. Students are actively learning through the hands-on experience. Not only are they learning the objectives of the lessons, but the soft skills that are needed for their everyday lives.” Ashley Hawker, Maple River High School

JA Company Program gives my students the ability to learn through real-life experience. Instead of learning what decision businesses make to grow sales by just reading in a textbook, they get to make the decisions and see the outcome. The students are very engaged and excited about being in this class because of the active learning that takes place running a real business.” Kari Bluth, Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton High School

Learning Outcomes

91% of students learned how to work with others on a team
77% learned how to start their own business someday
75% learned how to prepare for the future
75% learned about career options
73% learned the importance of getting a good education
70% learned how to manage money
70% were able to name at least one Minnesota entrepreneur whom they admire

Check out photos from the 2018 JAUM Company of the Year Competition
All photos on Junior Achievement’s Flickr Page are available for download.
Please give photo credit to JAUM if republishing online or in print.

Watch these videos to learn more about the JA Company Program

For more information about the JA Company Program, contact Liz Guimont at lizg@jaum.org or 651-255-0058.