A lesson learned: how has your experience as an entrepreneur made you a better student?

"When I was younger I gave teachers and students trouble. I wrote a book on Christ, which changed me, and now I'm doing the right things in school. I don't talk back to teachers anymore, and my grades have improved. It's also helped me learn about other entrepreneurs and [about] helping people."--Robert Murphy, 13, is the author of "Disciples for the Generations." He owns Murphy's Productions based in Antioch, Tennessee. [e-mail]

"Being an entrepreneur has helped me to be more focused and innovative. If things at school don't go right, I can create a solution. It's also helped me to assist not only myself, but also other youth. I see risks as opportunities, and I've learned to be a more defined leader."--Ebony Sims, 17, is the co-owner of Giggles and Grunt, a mother-daughter clown business in Chicago. She will be a freshman at Northwestern University this fall. [e-mail]

"It's made me more confident, responsible, reliable, and determined to go on with life. It made me better from last year because I didn't used to go to school I used to cut [school], stay home, and all that stuff."--Devon Boyd, 16, is the owner of Devon Boyd Enterprise in Brooklyn, New York. After only a year in business, Devon received a NFTE (National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship) Regional Honorable Mention Award and $250. [e-mail]