Feature image above: Mentorship is a key focus of 100 Black Men of Greater Little Rock. (Photo provided by 100 Black Men of Greater Little Rock)
When Marcus Johnson, chapter president at 100 Black Men of Greater Little Rock, asks young men what they want to be when they grow up, the answers he hears most often are athlete and entrepreneur.
“Most of them playing sports, they see the glam life of celebrities or athletes, and they want to do that,” he said. “With entrepreneurship, I think most of them are getting to the point in their life where they don’t want to work for anyone. … Most of them say, ‘I don’t want to work for anybody. I want to work for myself. I take pride in owning something.’”
Marcus Johnson
It is a far cry from when he was growing up, he added.
“I think it’s a different generation now,” he said. “I think when I was coming up young, it was always, ‘Get a job, get your 401(k), and work,’ but now it’s like, ‘Produce, and make your own money.”
Serving young men ages 13 to 18, the mission of the chapter is to improve the quality of life within the communities it serves through mentoring, education, health and wellness, and economic development. Johnson said mentorship is a hallmark of the organization.
“One of our mottos is, ‘What they see is what they’ll be,’ so what we try to do is gear each one of them up,” he said. “We try to find a career that they are excited about, that they want to do. What we try to do is each member has a particular mentee, and that mentee kind of wants to go toward that career field, so we’ll come in, let them do small internships, create avenues for them if they want to do something bigger.”
That mentorship not only helps young entrepreneurs gain practical skills such as marketing but also helps them develop their confidence, communication skills and professional network, he added.
Little Rock philanthropist Rush Harding, a longtime supporter who was honored by the organization several years ago, said 100 Black Men of Greater Little Rock does an outstanding job of mentoring African American youth.
Rush Harding
“To see the impact 100 Black Men is making in our community was impressive,” he said. “They are teaching discipline and responsibility to generations of young Black men, and the adult mentors exhibit those same attributes as they lead their families and their community. I am honored to support their meaningful effort, and I have seen firsthand the good work that they are doing.”
Meanwhile, at Jacksonville High School, senior Stacy Holt is closing in on his dream of becoming a professional chef by getting hands-on experience at the school’s student-run cafe, Simply Delicious.
“I always wanted to be a chef,” he said. “When I realized that Jacksonville had a culinary pathway, I decided to come to Jacksonville.”
Chef Saige Teague, culinary instructor at the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute in Little Rock, which the high school partners with for the program, said the cafe is a long-established part of the school and once functioned as a sit-down restaurant.
Saige Teague
These days, the cafe focuses on to-go orders and catering while teaching students foundational skills for the culinary industry, allowing them to leave high school with culinary certifications. Holt said he has received his ServSafe Food Handler and Manager certificates.
“I think it’s going to benefit me more if I go to a restaurant because I am already more qualified than other people who are also wanting the job, especially at my age,” he said.
Senior Yahaira Carter said she joined the program because she needed more hobbies.
“I think it’s been going pretty well,” she said. “We haven’t really got much business, I would say, maybe, from Christmas to now, but people come in every now and then, asking us what we’re making, and I think it’s really good.”
She added that although she is not yet sure what her next steps are after graduation, she probably will not have to work in fast food and can pursue work at a more elevated restaurant if she wants. That said, she added that she used the cafe as a reference when she applied for a job at Taco Bell.
Teague called the cafe a “foundational job” and said she encourages students to list it on their resumes.
“This is a good experience because the majority of kids that leave our program, they might not go to college and pursue culinary, but they are going to have a job somewhere to provide for themselves,” she said. “Not only that, but you’re going to need to know how to eat, you know? You need to know how to eat and supply for yourself, and sometimes kids don’t know how to do that straight out of high school.”
Students at Jacksonville High School’s student-run cafe, Simply Delicious, learn the basics of both culinary arts and business management. (Photo courtesy of Jacksonville High School)
While neither Holt nor Carter is set on becoming a restaurant owner, Teague said many students are interested in starting their own restaurants.
“They want to figure out if this is the industry that they want to do,” she said. “Just last year, we had three or four students, actually, move from our program over to the college, and it’s actually a very easy transition. … A lot of students do pursue their own restaurant, or even food trucks are a big thing right now.”
Junior Achievement of Arkansas provides another way for students across the state to receive hands-on, experiential business education. Founded in 1987 by Sheffield Nelson, Thomas “Mack” McLarty and Jerry Jones, JA works to provide real-world education about financial literacy, entrepreneurship and workforce readiness.
“Our strength lies in community partnerships and volunteer engagement,” said Tonya Villines, president and CEO. “We collaborate with leading Arkansas employers — such as Walmart, banks and local businesses — to bring real-world expertise into classrooms. Volunteers don’t just teach; they inspire students by sharing their own career journeys. This hands-on approach helps students connect education to opportunity.”
Tonya Villines
JA gives students the chance to think like business owners, solve real-world problems, and understand what it takes to start and grow a business through programs such as the JA Company Program, for which students create and run their own businesses.
“We also connect students with volunteer mentors from the business community, giving them real-world insights and role models,” Villines said. “Entrepreneurship education isn’t just about starting a business; it’s about building confidence, creativity and problem-solving skills that prepare young people for success in any career.”
The programs also help break cycles of poverty and open the doors to economic mobility, she added. JA’s signature event, the Hall of Fame Business Luncheon, celebrates outstanding business leaders across the state who serve as role models for the next generation.
Junior Achievement of Arkansas scholarship recipients Claire Person, from left, Ashly Hernandez and Nishka Gandu pose with David Fort. (Photo courtesy of Junior Achievement of Arkansas)
“When students learn to think like entrepreneurs, they develop confidence to take initiative, adapt to change and turn ideas into action,” Villines said. “These skills are critical for the future workforce. Whether they become business owners, innovators within a company or community leaders, entrepreneurial thinking equips them to thrive in a rapidly changing economy.”
ACC Capital Foundation helps develop young entrepreneurs through the Arkansas Governor’s Cup, a business pitch competition for college students now in its 26th year. Of all Governor’s Cup finalists, 18 percent have gone on to start a company after the competition, said Tiffany Henry, executive director.
Tiffany Henry
“While we are very proud of that number, the intent of the Governor’s Cup is to provide an experiential learning opportunity for students and not necessarily to start businesses,” she said. “That’s why when we award them their prize money, they can use it however they want. They can use it for their company, or they can use it for school.”
The team from John Brown University in Siloam Springs poses with their awards at the 2025 Governor’s Cup.
(Photo courtesy of ACC Capital Foundation)
Seeking to have an even greater impact, the foundation created the Education to Develop and Grow Entrepreneurs, or EDGE, Initiative and hosted the third-annual EDGE Summit last year. The summit helps college faculty build entrepreneurship into their programs by sharing best practices, networking opportunities and action items.
Henry said the summit is particularly impactful for faculty outside the colleges of business.
“If they are curious about entrepreneurship but no one else in their field is, it can be a lonely place to be, and it can be difficult to bring some of those tenants into that classroom,” she said. “Providing an opportunity for these faculty to connect with each other, there’s a realization that they’re not alone, that there are other people in other disciplines that are also wanting to explore these opportunities.”
Her priority now is closing what she calls the “EDGE loop” by providing more resources to help students take their ideas out of the classroom and into the market.
“Entrepreneurship is a skill that will serve you no matter where you go,” she said. “Our hope is that it will result in new small businesses being created because of the impact that small business has in Arkansas’ and America’s economy. We are a capitalistic society, and we want to support the continuation of that, but regardless of what we do, the skills of entrepreneurship will serve you.”
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