When a Killer Idea Raises Both Money and Engagement

Quick note—don’t miss your chance to be part of one of the most energizing events of 2026: the Entrepreneurship Symposium for Christian Schools. Whether you’re building an entrepreneurship program or ready to launch one, this gathering will accelerate your impact.

A few days ago, my friend Rod Gilbert, Head of School at Santa Fe Christian Schools, sent me a picture of his Founding Fifty tumbler.

And I got chills.

The Founding Fifty represents the first 50 YETI mugs ordered by students for the launch of their new student-run business, The Landing.

Before you balk at the price tag—$500 per mug—look at what comes with it:

Free drip coffee for life.
One of only fifty mugs…ever.

This is the beauty of entrepreneurship programs on K–12 campuses: they become living laboratories for ideas.

As students at Santa Fe were working through how they would pay back their startup loan, their Head of School floated a bold question:
“What if there was something special—at a high price point—that parents, donors, and board members would actually want to be part of?”

At Seed Tree Group, we help schools structure interest-free startup loans (typically $5,000–$15,000) that students pitch for and then repay through real revenue. That constraint forces creativity.

Now, no student is buying a $500 mug (okay…maybe one or two). But parents who want to support the entrepreneurial mindset AND own a small piece of the story absolutely will.

Here’s the result:

Thirty of the fifty mugs have already sold. That’s $15,000 raised and the business has been open less than a month.

In the curriculum and training we use with schools, we stress over and over the following principle: “Entrepreneurs are biased toward action.” When in doubt, they try, they test, they get feedback.

That’s the mentality these students are learning: ideas are only as valuable as the action behind them. What started as an idea became a box of fifty mugs and those mugs became early revenue.

And now they’re long-term symbols of ownership, belief, and bragging rights.

So here’s the real question:

What ideas could your entrepreneurship program unlock on your campus?

If you’re ready to build something real—with real stakes and real formation—let’s connect.