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Ten-year-old Aspen Lenning of Plaza was trying to sell candy and mystery bags filled with goodies such as candy, erasers and pencils, but she hadn't expanded her customer base.

Barry Striegel, director of the University of North Dakota's Youth Entrepreneurship Education Project, had some suggestions. Maybe she could join forces with another business in the school and put up fliers advertising their business. She should go out and get her customers, he said.

"They aren't going to come to you," he said, demonstrating salesmanship in an exaggerated fashion.

Aspen giggled, but what Striegel was teaching the 20 9- to 13-year-olds enrolled in an entrepeneurship class held at New Town Middle School, was serious business.

"There is no free lunch," said Striegel, who is conducting seven of the entreneurship classes for children across the state this summer.

Students enrolled in the classes come up with ideas for their own little business, which they run throughout the week, and must keep simple accounting books indicating how much they have spent and how much they take in.

They design their own currency, which the children called "oo-wud-za," the Hidatsa word for money, which takes on the importance of real currency in the little world of the school and their own small town, which was called "Villa Nova," which means "New Town" in Spanish.

To start out, students agreed they would earn a certain amount of money for arriving on time, wearing a name tag and wearing clothes. The students handed over the "oo-wud-tsa" bills to pay rent to the teacher for use of her classroom, to the school principal for use of the building, and Striegel encouraged the children's parents to charge "oo-wud-tsa" for the items they purchased for the kids to sell in their businesses.

Some of the children came up with creative business ventures and had enterprising sales approaches.

One of the girls made up her own business cards.

Haley Peterson, 12, of New Town printed out the town newspaper on her home computer and brought it to hand out to people at the school.

Braiden Standish, 11, from New Town, was selling drawings based on a video game he likes to play.

Minne Two Shields, 11, from Parshall, and Alexis Woods, 12, from Parshall, were in business together selling different items.

Cheyanne Erickson, the North Dakota State University extension agent for the Fort Berthold Reservation, ran a business charging a certain amount for kids to use the "Dance Dance Revolution" game. She hired managers to run the business for her.

Jenna Williams, 11, from New Town, was trying to sell her own homemade soap. She added scent to the soap, put it in the microwave, and then let the bars set in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes, she said.

Some businesses were more successful than others and some kids were more aggressive salesmen and women, but Striegel said every experience was a learning experience for the students.

"I want kids to know that entrepreneurship is a career option," he said.

Striegel, who helped develop the popular statewide Marketplace for Kids program and is working towards a doctorate at UND, said it's essential for young kids to get early financial education and to be encouraged to become entrepreneurs. By the time they're in high school, a lot of kids are already working at the local fast food restaurant and don't consider running their own businesses a valid option. By concentrating on elementary students, Striegel hopes to encourage more young business owners.

The program has been popular and has grown each year since it started in 2006. Future camps will be held in Dickinson this week, in Williston from June 29 to July 2, in Belcourt from July 6 to July 10, and at Fort Yates from July 13 to July 17. Striegel said there are different partners in different communities. In New Town the partners were the Boys and Girls Club and the NDSU Extension Service. Teachers and other adults can sign up for two graduate credits in entrepeneurship education. There is a $50 fee for children who participate, but Striegel said there are usually scholarships available for children. There is still room in the upcoming camps, he said.

For more information, log on to the group's Web site at (ndyoungentrepeneurs.org) or call Striegel at 741-6985 or 738-4812. The address for the office is Youth Entrepeneurship Education Program, UND-Center for Innovation, 4200 James Ray Drive, Grand Forks, ND 58203.