VALDOSTA – The spirit of entrepreneurship filled the room recently during the YEA! CEO Roundtable event. 

Students from the Young Entrepreneurs Academy at the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce received personalized business and networking advice from four local CEOs, including:

• Damian Grey, owner, FilmStory.

• Molly Deese, vice president and general manager, Wild Adventures Theme Park.

• Kent Buescher, chief executive officer, U.S. Press.

• Jason Bellflowers, owner, Virtual World Technologies, Inc.

The CEOs volunteered one-on-one time with middle and high schoolers while answering their questions as they prepare to launch and run their own businesses as part of their YEA! class, chamber officials said.

Students asked questions about speakers’ education backgrounds, early business plans, life lessons, etc.

Buescher, a “life-long entrepreneur,” shared tips learned from his wide array of business ventures.

“The best lesson business can offer is to learn to accept change,” he said.

He said students should not be discouraged if the business they plan develops into something else.

“Change is necessary to keep up with the times and can lead to new lessons and success,” Buescher said.

Grey shared some of his experiences and victories.

“My biggest success was learning to love the process of starting a business,” Grey said. “You learn so much along the way and I am grateful I figured that out and can appreciate it.”

The CEOs shared their successes and failures with students.

“Some of my best clients are ones I initially made mistakes with,” Bellflowers said. “They’re not loyal to me because of what happened, but because of how I came back from it. The best advice I can give is to always take the extra step and make it right.”

Deese reiterated the importance of customer service.

“You have to build relationships; it makes a difference,” she said. “In my business, it is all about the people.”

YEA! teaches kids ages 11 to 18 how to identify their passions, develop a business idea, write a business plan, pitch investors for funding and obtain all the necessary components to create a fully formed and functioning business or social movement by the end of the 26-week class, chamber officials said.

For more information on YEA!, contact Betty Morgan at the chamber, (229) 247-8100, ext. 234.