I Said Yes!
Real Life Stories of Students, Teachers and Leaders Saying YES! To Youth Entrepreneurship in America’s Schools

By Jullie Silard Kantor

The National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, or NFTE (pronounced "nifty"), is at the forefront of teaching small-business start-up skills to at-risk youth, helping young people from low-income communities to build life skills and unlock their entrepreneurial creativity.  Julie Silard Kantor is executive director of NFTE Washington DC and a national spokesperson, as well as recipient of NFTE's 2005 Leadership Award and a former NFTE Executive of the Year. 

I Said Yes! is Julie's first-person account of the transformative power that NFTE's mission of teaching entrepreneurship has brought to so many young lives — including her own — over the past 14 years.  It is both the story of Julie's path into youth development and teaching, and of the many troubled youths who overcame significant obstacles to make their lives productive and meaningful.

Early Testimonials

So many people have not walked the walk and therefore can not experience or understand the obstacles and trauma that many young men and women have overcome to not only survive, but to thrive.  Thank you, Julie, for walking the walk and for giving us these truly inspirational accounts.

— Joseph E. Robert, Jr., Chairman & CEO, J.E. Robert Companies,
Chairman, Fight For Children

The stories in I Said “Yes”! are emblematic of the intensity, drive, and energy that Julie Kantor has brought to the NFTE program and the young people she has touched with the ”magic” of entrepreneurship.

— Mario Morino, Chairman, Venture Philanthropy Partners

Teaching entrepreneurship to urban teens not only changes their understanding of business, it teaches life skills and is a wonderful learning tool. I Said “Yes”! is about opening vistas to young people who never dreamed what could be over the horizon for them.

— Charlene Drew Jarvis, President, Southeastern University

Youth entrepreneurship has reached its “tipping point,” and Julie is at the forefront of this incredible movement that is impacting thousands of youths around the world.

— S. Tien Wong, CEO, Opus8, Inc.

Entrepreneurship needs to be a part of every child's schooling in America and Kantor's book hits it dead on. 

— Brien Biondi, Executive Director, Chief Executives Organization,
former CEO, Young Entrepreneurs Organization

The real-life stories in I Said “Yes”!make for a powerful and eye-opening read.  It makes us realize that it is imperative that our children receive the academic preparation and community support needed to succeed in life.  

— James V. Kimsey, Chairman Emeritus, America Online, Inc.