Today was not a simulation.

It was not a classroom exercise.

It t was not a speech competition.

It was not pretend.

Today, children from The Society of Child Entrepreneurs testified at the Kansas State Capitol in support of House Bill 2599. They did not stand at that podium for a grade. They did not stand there for applause. They stood there to advocate for their right to builc businesses.

As the founder of SoCE, I have watched children learn to price products, manage inventory, greet customers, calculate profit, and recover when something does not sell. I have watched shy kids find their voice and confident kids learn resilience, but watching them step into a legislative hearing room was something different. It was leadership in real time. One of our students spoke about learning to fail forward. Another shared how running a business taught her confidence and responsibility. My seven-year-old adjusted the microphone herself and read her testimony with steady hands.

They were nervous. They were prepared. They were brave.

House Bill 2599 is about more than lemonade stands. It is about creating structured, safe pathways for youth entrepreneurship in Kansas. It removes outdated barriers while maintaining parental supervision, accountability, and clear quidelines. When children start businesses under guidance, the stakes are lower than in adulthood, but the lessons are just as real. If a product does not sell, they still go home to dinner. If a plan fails, they try again. They earn resilience before risk carries lifelong consequences.

Entrepreneurship teaches:

Financial literacy, Communication skills, Leadership, Problem solving Confidence, Responsibility.

These are not future skills. These are now skills.

Kansas has a proud history of innovation. Companies ike Pizza Hut, Coleman, and Garmin began here. What if the next Kansas success story is sitting in a classroom today, simply waiting to be considered ‘old enough” to start?

At SoCE, we believe children are leaders now. Not someday.

Today at the Capitol was not about politics.

It was about possibility.

And when children are trusted with responsibility they rise.