Sarah Hernholm – President and Founder of WIT, Whatever It Takes

So your company teaches teens how to be entrepreneurs. Why teens? 

Because teens make great entrepreneurs – they are rebellious, don’t like to be told what to do, think they know more than most adults (which they do!), and want to make a difference in the world. And I just LOVE working with teens. They bring an energy and authenticity to the field of entrepreneurship that I don’t often see with adults. Plus, our teens aren’t getting access to “real world” business experience in school and I think if we want to set the next generation up to be successful in the “real world”, we’ve got to give them the tools needed to thrive.   

At WIT we know that not every teen will go off and launch their own business, but every teen can benefit from developing an entrepreneurial mindset.  

What is your favorite secret spot in San Diego? 

Wait… if I tell you it won’t be a secret anymore! OK, I’ll reveal a couple favorites … I love the bridges in the city … you can enjoy them on alltrails.com. I’ve gotta favorite bridge, but I’m keeping that a secret 🙂  

If you had endless time and money – what could you see yourself getting super into? 

Happy to say that I’d just be doing more of the same. I’m incredibly passionate about engaging teens in finding solutions to the challenges facing our communities and world. When teens are engaged their confidence and sense of self worth increase…and that’s a win-win for everyone! I’d also want to reform the education system … I’m trying to do that now, but the Teachers Union is heavily funded and they fund a lot of political campaigns …but if I had endless pockets of money, hmmmmmmmm…… 

Check out more about what Sarah is doing at  sarahhernholm.com and learn more about her WIT work at www.doingwit.org and www.smartcitysaturday.com