The Belleville CEO Program has had a major impact on my growth this year. I have grown as a student, leader, and aspiring entrepreneur through lessons in public speaking, teamwork, leadership, and running a business. The program pushed me out of my comfort zone and helped me become more confident talking to business owners and learning how business works.

At the beginning of CEO, I was nervous about speaking and trying things I wasn’t comfortable with. Now I believe I can do anything I set my mind to, and I’ve learned to never sell myself short. I’ve developed key skills like leadership and communication. One of my biggest strengths now is my ability to communicate with business owners and people in general, improved through presentations and real-world conversations.

One challenge I faced was finding the right bottle size for my honey business. When I couldn’t find 12 oz bottles, I adjusted to 8.5 oz bottles and changed my pricing. This taught me to plan ahead and make decisions based on availability. I became more resilient and resourceful when problems arose.

I contributed to my class business by helping organize the golf tournament, managing games, ensuring things ran smoothly, and selling raffle items. I learned leadership isn’t about doing everything alone but about working together and valuing everyone’s role. Our success depended on teamwork and collaboration.

My view of entrepreneurship changed a lot. I now understand it takes more than a good idea—it takes planning, communication, problem-solving, and persistence. Starting my own business showed me the effort behind the scenes, and I am proud of that accomplishment.

Nick, our facilitator, and my mentor Mike Marshal made a huge difference by always encouraging me to learn and push myself. Going forward, I want to continue learning about the business world and will carry what I learned from CEO into my future goals and career. Thank you to Dr. Nick Johnson for being a great facilitator and teacher, and thank you to my mentor Mike Marchal for teaching me many things for both my class and personal business and for being someone I could turn to with questions.