On September 8, 2020, Campbell Business’s Office of Leadership & Student Success kicked off its Fall 2020 Leadership Speaker Series with a virtual presentation from Lorne Jenkins (’17, Economics), CEO of Mini Money Management. During his time at Campbell, Lorne was a lead jumper/sprinter on the Track & Field team, as well as a Supplemental Instructor for Economics and an active member of the Student Success team. Upon graduation, Lorne pursued a Masters in Finance from the University of East London. While in Europe, Lorne took time to travel and worked abroad for a year.
When Lorne was a kid, his mom created a game to teach him and his sister about money in which they were called “mini money managers.” This game allowed Lorne to apply wise financial management skills at a young age, and this was the inspiration for his current app. Mini Money Management is an app for parents and teachers that makes teaching financial literacy fun, easy and engaging in order to remove any barriers for students.
Campbell Business students heard Lorne’s entrepreneurial advice that “you only need one ‘yes’. Don’t be afraid to take risks and put yourself out there. It makes ‘no’ hurt less.” Lorne encouraged students to get involved in a few key things outside of the classroom while at Campbell, finding their passion and what does or doesn’t fit.
What’s the why? Jenkins shared that it was his passion to promote financial literacy and the basics of money management that drove him to create this app and not give up through the obstacles, including the obstacle that COVID-19 presented when the pandemic hit just a few months into the creation of the Mini Money Management app.
“Attending this leadership talk with Lorne Jenkins and learning about his life experiences really gave me some new perspective for my future,” said Trust and Wealth Management junior, Corrina Hubbard. “Hearing about how he was able to travel Europe while working and receiving his MBA gave me hope in order to do something similar. My biggest takeaway he mentioned was whenever looking for opportunities, whether educationally or in the real world, be bold and just do it.”
This year’s leadership theme for the Campbell Business Student Leaders program is “Service Over Self,” and explores not only how to make a living, but how to make a difference. Speakers will share with students how they can use their skills and passions to fulfill their mission through their career in both conventional and creative ways. This program is open to all business majors that are actively involved in leadership roles in the school of business.
Lorne Jenkins’ presentation topic fits very closely with the mission of the business school’s Center for Financial Literacy and Economic Education (CFLEE). A primary aim of CFLEE is reaching into underserved communities and the NC K-12 school systems to encourage financial literacy in North Carolina. Previous workshops have educated middle school and high school teachers from approximately twenty-five counties in North Carolina.