Recently at the Cinco Ranch Library, the Tompkins High School Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) team, Bhavana Chirumalla, Akshara Prathabraj, and Ridhi Rentala, transformed a simple Saturday into a powerful learning experience. With nearly 50 young students in attendance, the team launched an interactive “Mini Market” designed to teach the fundamentals of the American enterprise system in a fun and engaging way.

The event invited children to take on the roles of both buyers and sellers, stepping into a hands-on economy that challenged them to think like real entrepreneurs. Trading everything from snacks to handmade crafts, the young participants quickly learned about supply, demand, and the decisions that drive a marketplace. They faced real-world-style dilemmas: Should I improve my product? What does my customer want? Is this something I need, or just something I want?

More than just a fun trading game, the Mini Market emphasized big ideas: how competition fosters innovation, how value is determined, and how entrepreneurs make decisions based on risk, cost, and opportunity. With guidance from Bhavana, Akshara, and Ridhi, students explored how businesses grow by listening to consumers and adapting creatively.

This wasn’t the team’s first effort to make business relatable. From bake sales to larger community events like this one, the Tompkins FBLA chapter has consistently brought financial literacy and free enterprise education to life. Their mission is clear: inspire the next generation to understand the power of choice, innovation, and economic opportunity.

By creating meaningful, real-world simulations, the Tompkins FBLA team is helping shape a future where students don’t just learn about business from a textbook, they experience it.