152783LOGOGenius Brands International, creators of Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaire’s Club, proudly announced today the launch of the 4th Annual “Grow Your Own Business Challenge” for kids, sponsored by The Fairholme Foundation. The program and competition were created to encourage kids to be entrepreneurial and practice good financial habits from an early age.

The national online competition kicked off today at a special launch event in Miami with The University of Miami’s Launch Pad and the School of Education & Human Development. Launch Pad, an SMC partner, who hosted an entrepreneurial event for over 100 elementary and middle school students in the Miami area.

The SMC “Grow Your Own Business Challenge” is open to kids 7–14, who are invited to submit original business ideas for consideration. The competition, sponsored by the Fairholme Foundation to further its mission of improving [financial] education, launched at noon on October 20, 2014, and ends on January 31, 2015.

Five individuals and three groups will be selected as finalists to present their ideas to Warren Buffett and a panel of VIP judges in May 2015 in Omaha, NE. One grand prize winning individual and members of one grand prize team will each be awarded $5,000. The finalists will be invited to nominate a teacher who was most inspirational in the process to join them in Omaha and win up to $1,000. For full rules and to enter, please visit www.SMCkids.com.

Over 4,000 kids entered the competition last year, and the grand prize winners were Jake Johnson from Charlotte, NC and group winner WiseGuide (Krystal and Allyson Graylin and Kei Chua) from Seattle, WA. They were selected as the winners because of their creativity, entrepreneurship, and inventiveness.

The Secret Millionaires Club, an animated series created by Genius Brands International, is available online at www.smckids.com and is licensed to broadcasters and home video users around the world. It airs on Hub Network in the U.S. There is also a Secret Millionaires Club book, DVDs, and a line of toys and activities being developed for a Spring 2015 introduction based on the series’ lessons. The series stars an animated Warren Buffett, who records his own voice, and acts as a mentor to a group of kids as they learn important financial and entrepreneurial lessons

The Secret Millionaires Club website also features online educational material for educators, parents, and volunteers to extend the valuable lessons from Mr. Buffett into the classroom, home, and afterschool programs. The National PTA, Girls Inc., Junior Achievement and 4-H are all partners in the program this year.  By Kids For Kids Co. (BKFK), a leader in youth innovation, administers the program and competition.

“Parents and educators should both play an active part in teaching today’s kids about financial literacy and money,” says Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. “Encouraging young kids to become more involved and take a hands-on approach with their money is a great investment in their future.”