Entrepreneurship of young people

The initiative My Story celebrated its 5th anniversary in 2019, and we broke every record. A total of 186 enterprises and executives came and shared their story during the first weeks of October 2019. A total of 160 different schools across Estonia were visited and 218 classes were given.

In 2019, the stories of entrepreneurs and CEOs reached 7000 schoolchildren, and over five years of activity we have reached at least 20,000 students. This is equivalent to the total number of upper secondary school students in Estonia. 

The My Story initiative is highly valued among participating entrepreneurs. 

‘Not everyone must or can be an entrepreneur. But everyone in Estonia should have an entrepreneurial mind-set’, said Arto Aas, CEO of the Estonian Employers' Confederation. ‘Initiative, open-mindedness, and the courage to find and propose new solutions are the qualities that characterise successful people in every walk of life. Thank you to our entrepreneurs who are ready to contribute their time to encouraging young people and thereby influencing their decisions’.

Martin Villig, one of Bolt’s founders, adds: Young people need more practical associations and experience with what they have learnt at school and real life – guest speakers, visits to companies/institutions and positive inspiration. Entrepreneurs are real people, and anyone can become an entrepreneur – this is why I am sharing my story about the joys, challenges and lessons learnt.

Needless to say, we are grateful to all of the past and present participants – schools as well as entrepreneurs. Thank you for having helped the initiative grow and for contributing to the inspiration of Estonian youth.

Which initiative is it?

For the fifth year in a row, the My Story initiative brought together top Estonian executives and schoolchildren in 2019. During Entrepreneurship Week, i.e. 7–13 October 2019, many entrepreneurs and top managers visited basic schools, upper secondary schools and vocational schools to tell their story and encourage young people regarding entrepreneurship over the course of one class.

An entrepreneur’s life is often fast-paced and exciting. There is an astonishing array of stories regarding how someone has reached their current position. Some have chosen the path by chance, others intentionally. We believe that entrepreneurship should be discussed early in life, during school age. 

Three good reasons to share your story next year:

  1. you can share your direct experience, success as well as lessons learnt;
  2. you will learn about the attitudes and mentality of young people towards entrepreneurship;
  3. you can shape the understanding of Estonian youth regarding entrepreneurship and encourage them to engage in entrepreneurship!