Small business, big numbers

Any parent who has helped a child set up a lemonade stand will appreciate what Ralph Williams is trying to do.

The Fort Myers entrepreneur and father of four children started FranChild in 2007, a company that helps kids launch their own business. He provides them with marketing support via the Web for an annual fee and sells them top-quality goods such as organic coffee and spices at wholesale prices to resell at a profit.

What could really drive his company's growth is a deal with Junior Achievement, a nonprofit organization that recruits business executives to teach entrepreneurship to school children. Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida is currently conducting a pilot project for FranChild's Classroom Biz in a Box, an $80 kit that volunteer instructors can use to help children learn to start a business over a six-week period.