Boss Club Foundation aims to inspire confidence and ignite creativity in students through the pursuit of entrepreneurship.
We are passionate about helping the next generation of students develop the traits uniquely forged through entrepreneurship.
Director
Entrepreneur, pilot, motorcycle racing enthusiast, husband to Daniella, father to Sam, and owner of a small farm with just about every animal you can imagine. My favorite part of Boss Club is seeing kids conquer their fears and develop courage they will carry the rest of their lives no matter what they end up doing.
Director
Entrepreneur, pilot, husband, father of two. My first business was a lemonade stand (classic!) followed by a shoe shining business. My favorite part of Boss Club is seeing the smile on kids' faces when they hold a dollar bill in their hand from their first sale.
Director
Entrepreneur, doula, choir nerd, wife to Jason. My favorite part of Boss Club is seeing the lightbulb moments happen with these kids. They are learning not only important business skills, but also invaluable life lesson that will stay with them into adulthood.
In 2011, David Grubbs was teaching entrepreneurship at the collegiate level at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. It was there that he and Charlie Gasmire met and started several ventures together over the coming years. A frequent reflection on the time spent at the University, the two agreed that entrepreneurship can and should be taught much earlier in a student's life, as the lessons go much deeper than just business training.
Entrepreneurship is a teaching vehicle to learn and practice financial literacy, people skills and confidence, adaptability and grit, and stewardship through giving back.
While entrepreneurship has received more attention through popular shows like "Shark Tank" and "The Profit", and movies like "The Social Network" and "The Founder", there really hasn't been an effective way to teach entrepreneurship to the next generation. Until now.
In 2018, Charlie Gasmire and David Grubbs started Boss Club, a for-profit company focused on providing practical entrepreneurial education for students across the country. Ranging from self-guided business kits to semester-long school curriculum, Boss Club provides a step-by-step model to starting a business and learning the basics of entrepreneurship. That company has been growing quickly as more and more people want to give their children and students an approachable and tangible way to experience the basics of entrepreneurship and the lessons it teaches.
In an effort to make entrepreneurship accessible to all students and families regardless of means of circumstance, Boss Club Foundation was formed in 2019.
Raising donations from corporations, foundations, and individuals, Boss Club Foundation was able to offer the same game-changing entrepreneurial education but often at no cost to the student. This enables students and families to have their lives changed by entrepreneurship who might not otherwise be able to afford it.
A three-week summer entrepreneurship program was piloted in Waco, Texas using the proven business kits and curriculum from Boss Club. 125 students registered for the program in a matter of days and the pilot went tremendously well!
Here is a highlight video as well as some of the feedback from students and parents:
Based on the success of the 2019 pilot, Boss Club Foundation filed its 501(c)(3) application and began fundraising to sponsor students for 2020 programs both in Waco and Dallas, Texas.
Grubbs and Gasmire made Boss Club and Boss Club Foundation their full-time pursuits and recruited Britany Bleistein to be the Foundation's third Director.
Boss Club Foundation's goal is to provide access to entrepreneurial education across Texas in the short term, and eventually the entire country. Through partnering with amazing individual donors, other foundations, and corporate sponsors, the summer entrepreneurship programs are available to many students at no cost through financial scholarship.
Across summer programs from 2019 - 2022, Boss Club Foundation has helped over 2,000 students in Texas start their first business.
Starting in 2023, we are no longer operating summer programs but have instead moved to an all-digital format where students can apply to get our digital entrepreneurship curriculum accessible anytime, anywhere.You can apply here.
Together we are striving to equip the next generation with the grit, adaptability, financial literacy and stewardship, and creativity that uniquely comes from pursuing entrepreneurship.
Our programs would not be possible if it weren't for the overwhelming generosity of our amazing donors and partners. Many companies, foundations, and individuals donated to Boss Club Foundation to fund scholarships for students to experience entrepreneurship at no cost. We are grateful to work with such amazing people!
Boss Club Foundation is a Texas non-profit corporation that received its 501(c)(3) public charity tax-exempt status effective October 2019. Financial and certain in-kind contributions made to Boss Club Foundation are tax deductible under the Internal Revenue Code.
