On a recent sun-dappled morning on Greenwood Avenue in The Hill, Keshawn Brown and Kristen Threatt sat on the steps of a front stoop discussing the New York Knicks, on the cusp of their first NBA title since 1973. Amid mention of a possible sweep, the dazzling exploits of the Spurs’ 7’4” c enter Victor Wembanyama, and the Knicks’ Jalen Brunson’s quiet magnificence, there was also talk of SKUs and COGs and day trading. The day trader was Brown, a soft-spoken 16-year-old junior at New Haven Academy, who’s been making a tidy profit negotiating the rapid fluctuations of stocks online for the last three years. The faculty at NHA picked up on Brown’s business flair and sought out Threatt, co-founder of Gorilla Lemonade, which he and co-founder Brian Burkett-Thompson parlayed from a concoction in Burkett-Thompson’s kitchen to a beverage supplier contract with Yale to placement in over 400 locations across Connecticut and seven states. “I was all in,” said Threatt, in reference to the school’s long-standing internship program, which pairs NHA juniors with professionals in a field in which they have interest. Scheduling the internship in the spring of junior year is intentional, as is the practice of spending the full work day with their mentors. “They’re just beginning to figure out the details of their post-secondary plans, so it gives them a chance to see if what they think it is and what it’s like,” said New Haven Academy founder and principal Meredith Gavrin, who started the program over two decades ago. “And doing it all day, every day for three weeks gives them the full arc of the workday, and the full picture of what happens in the workplace.” For NHA internship coordinator Jenny Heikkila Diaz, the match between Keshawn and Threatt seemed natural, given Keshawn’s interest in business, and Gorilla Lemonade’s tagline of “community over competition.” “It’s all about fit,” said Heikkila Diaz, who matches 60 to 70 students a year with community organizations and leaders. Each weekday, the two met at Threatt’s Greenwood Avenue headquarters. After praying, they walked to the corner of Greenwood and Legion Avenue. “We watched the cars go by, looked at the sky rise, and saw all the creations of everything out there, and we just talked, talked about what Brown had learned the day before, and why it was important,” said Threatt. “SKUs and COGs,” said Brown, referring to Stock Keeping Unit, a unique, alphanumeric code assigned to a specific product to track stock levels and sales, as well as cost of goods sold. “Right,” said Threatt. “Those are the different abbreviations in business you need to know because those terms are gonna come up, ‘how many SKUs do you have?’ ‘how have you lowered your COGs?’ ‘what are your profits and losses?,’ These are the basics I wanted to teach him before we get out there. He has to learn this first.” After that, Brown did invoicing, detailing out each specific product sold or purchased. He entered the invoices into a database. He recorded check reference numbers. “You have to develop good habits, and part of that is having all your ducks in a row, so when a check bounces or a payment doesn’t come through, you can get it resolved quick,” Threatt said. When they broke for lunch, they talked about entrepreneurship—“selling an idea, not a product,” Brown said—and the difference between a brand and a business—specifically, the gorilla in Gorilla Lemonade. Threatt explained that as two Black men, he and co-founder Burkett-Thompson got to choose to define what gorilla means in a way that avoided stereotypes or negative connotations. “We looked it up and found gorilla could symbolize strength, intelligence, and gentleness.” There were other lessons. The Knicks, for example. Threatt and Brown are both diehard fans. “We talked about the importance of team, not just team, but team chemistry, with everyone playing their role,” said Threatt. “And delegating. You gotta delegate. Not just to anyone, but to someone who can do what you can’t. And then just let them roll with it.” “Success for me is seeing the younger generation get to a place where we wasn’t,” he went on. “We didn’t have these same opportunities. Nobody in my family knew nothing about business. So now here’s our chance, to put our young generation in position to be owners, leaders, bosses,” he said. Regarding Brown, “I want to watch him get to the next level,” he said. “Like ‘be better than me, be better than the way I’m doing it now.’ I’m 36. He’s 16. That’s a 20-year gap. If he can start doing everything that we talked about and learned and put action to, then please, we’re talking mogul.” Brown nodded. “If you have an idea, act on it, just do it,” he said. “That’s what I do. I had a plan on day trading and I just went for it. If you wait, you’ll get used to waiting and you don’t do anything. You gotta move forward.” With the foundation laid, Threatt foresees gradually increasing Brown’s responsibility with Gorilla Lemonade over the summer and his senior year. “We’re going to start going to the warehouse, start moving product, dealing with clients.” To hear Gavrin, the NHA principal, tell it, it’s the kind of success story that testifies to the longevity of the program. “Watching our internship coordinator make these placements sort of makes me fall in love with the community again year after year,” she said. Threatt sounded a similar refrain. “It was a great experience for me too,” he said. “Yeah,” Brown said. “Went way too quick.” Keshawn and Kris, in the field, on the last day of the internship. Credit: Marquis Goodwin of GOODWERK visuals The post With Hill Internship, High Schooler Sharpens Entrepreneurial Chops appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less