Kevin, diagnosed with Dyslexia(读写困难症), rarely spoke a word in class, and if he did, it would be a “ Yes,” “No,” or “Maybe,” in response to questions. He always scored badly in tests and saw no hope for the future. That was until he met Sarah, an advisor at a youth centre Kidpreneur.

In 2012, Kevin attended a course called Ready Set Go in that centre. The course was for disadvantaged kids in Kingswood – a low – income area in Sydney’s western suburbs – and its goal was to teach the kids how to create businesses and offer value to the neighborhood.

At the end of the course, Sarah took the kids to the local area. She asked volunteers to share their business experiences – Kevin immediately put up his hand. His challenge was to trade his hot – dog selling service for free bread at a bakery. Although scared, Kevin was able to share his entrepreneur(创业) story with the shop owner and asked if he could exchange his service for some bread. Unexpectedly, the shop owner told Kevin how moved he was by his story and handed him some bread for free. By the end of the afternoon, his belief in himself and what was possible was at an all- time high.

The following week, Kevin sold 70 hot – dogs in two hours and made over $200. Soon after, he delivered public speeches in 20 schools, and was selected as part of his school’s leadership team. Now he heads a business group working on how to increase potential customer base.

All of his would not have been possible if Kevin had not found his passion and perseverance to improve himself, and those around him. The guidance and trust of his advisor also helped to kindle his enthusiasm to go after his goals and dreams in life.