Lynn teens’ business plan among the best at Girls Inc.

LYNN – Five Girls Inc. members appear headed for successful careers in the business world after creating one of four award-winning business models in the National Girls Inc. Corporate Camp for Entrepreneurs program.The competition challenged girls from across the country to work together on a business model and, more importantly, explore and learn all the ins and outs of running a small business or entering the corporate world.Girls Inc. Lynn members Wiselene Dorceus, Tachand Dubuisson, Sokleang Keo, Zerimar Pena and Lise Aurore Wagnac joined local businesswomen and mentors Doris Buckley and Lisa Mancuso on the detail oriented project, which centered on an idea for a digital, multimedia yearbook business.From CEO to treasurer, every member of the team took a different role in the “Digibooks” company, and gained hands-on experience in areas they had previously only read about while studying business at Girls Inc.”The program really gives the girls an opportunity to experience what it is like to run a business,” said Girls Inc. Associate Executive Director Marsha Billias. “These girls all say they want to run a business, but they really don’t know what goes into it. This program allows them to develop a business plan and learn about finance, marketing and social and corporate responsibility.”Bickley, a consultant from Natick, and Mancuso, a self-employed photographer from Marblehead, volunteered to help the girls with the business model.The “Digibooks” idea centers on creating multimedia scrapbooks for high schools that involve photos, video and music. The team marketed the product to both high schools and colleges in several different languages.With Mancuso’s photography background and Bickley’s expertise in creating a business model, the two mentors were able to help the team gain national recognition.Along with winning teams from Connecticut, Texas and Florida, the Lynn group will visit New York City July 13 for a six-day business excursion, where they will meet other female entrepreneurs and further develop their knowledge of the business industry.”These girls did a really good job,” said Billias. “They worked with the mentors well beyond just the two hours a week that they met. They really put a lot of effort into this.”