PCHS Bulletin – Abigail Alderman
Published Date – May 12, 2026
Students across Parrish Community High School are seeking finance in their own personal businesses. These students are on the rise to becoming great leaders and independent hard-working scholars.
Teacher Brandon Mefford, leader of DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) goes into depth about the pros of becoming your own financial provider.
“These businesses are awesome. Nowadays, a lot of kids do not want a typical 9-5 job. They want their own schedule and do not like being told what to do. The biggest advice id give is to network and talk to business owners who have already been successful. This “trend” is only going to keep growing, especially with social media influencing more students to start. There's no single type of student who succeeds since they all have different skills, but running a business really helps build real world business skills, especially the social aspect of it.”
Students across Parrish Community High School have a wide variety of self-owned businesses, whether it is baking, power washing, or taking part in the nail industry. These students all started just with an idea and a few dollars, and now they are all successful in what they do and have potentially found their lifelong career.
Sophomore Virginia Carpenter owns her own baking business. She gave in-depth reasoning and examples of how she started her business.
“The reason I started my business was because I have a tight schedule due to school, fitness training and my sport. Although I have those things on my plate, the free time I do have, I spend that time baking. I have always loved baking, and it is something I found myself interested in for making my job. I started out with about seven dollars and the appliances needed, and I've grown that into roughly 450 dollars. Not only do I make custom cookies and brownie orders, but I also make custom cakes and cater for parties. This is something I love doing and plan to continue after high school.”
This is a prime example of turning something you love to do, into something that benefits you overall. It's never too late to start! There are classes offered at PCHS that can help prepare students to become entrepreneurs including Mefford’s marketing classes which include marketing essentials, sports marketing, and principals of entrepreneurship.