Payne said he hoped the visits Tuesday and Wednesday encouraged students to stay dedicated.
“Typically it takes five years for a small business to get things going,” he said. “(Students) have the opportunity of talking to people who have fruit on the tree.”
Some students have already started their own small businesses.
Nikole Hanson, a Butler Tech student, started a “blind date” business where she would wrap books and include a short description on the wrapping. As a customer you would only see the wrapping, and it would be a surprise to see which book was inside the wrapping.
She said the visit gave her a “deeper appreciation” for how small businesses support the community.
“It was eye-opening to see their resilience and dedication firsthand,” Hanson said.
This week marked the second year of the field trip, and Payne said business owner feedback from the 2024 visit was “all positive.”
This year, Whistle Stop Shop, Lunar Studios and Nicki Short Tattoos, Monarch Designs, BeauVerre Riordan Studios, Starvin Marvin’s, Frazier’s Kitchen, Grandpa Joe’s Candy, Triple Moon Coffee Company, Crooked Dog Comics, Hair Galore Beauty Supply, Daubenmire Printing Innovations, Middletown Cabinets and Central Studio — a skateboard shop and art studio — participated.
Larry Abdullah, owner of Central Studio, said he participated in this year’s visit to share his knowledge about skateboarding, art and owning a small business.
“This (business) is a dream of mine, and dreams are possible,” he said. “It’s always good when you can talk to someone face to face, but not just that, giving back to my local community is so important ... it’s really a blessing to be a part of this.”
He said he hoped students learned the importance of education and giving back to the community.
Jeremy West, Butler Tech entrepreneurship coordinator, said it’s exciting to see the students learn from business owners.
“They kind of build up this creation in their brain of what they think an entrepreneur is, but when we do this field trip, it’s completely shattered,” he said. “It’s so unique for them to see entrepreneurs who fully believe in the idea, whatever that idea is.”
West, along with aide Emily Smith, run the Entrepreneurship Center at Butler Tech, which was created originally to protect the intellectual property of students.
Four years later, the program teaches students how to own a business, not just be an employee of a business, according to West.
West works with Butler Tech students and students at local high schools.
“We think they all should have a basic knowledge of entrepreneurship,” he said.
The center at Butler Tech has resources for students to create marketing materials, business cards, prototypes and more.
As part of this week’s field trip, West said he hopes students learned more about entrepreneurship but also saw what businesses downtown Middletown might need.
“We want them to see what is (in downtown) and learn from the businesses, but we also want (them) to see what’s not there, like what can they actually bring to the city of Middletown,” he said.
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