North Cobb Christian School Academy of Business helps students excel in business.
By Lindsay Field Penticuff
Many high school students start their freshman year not knowing what they want to be when they grow up. But imagine your child having an opportunity to participate in a program that offers real-world experiences that could help them determine whether an area of study is something they may want to pursue as a career.
Well, at North Cobb Christian School (NCCS) in Kennesaw, your child can do just that.
“At their core, the NCCS academies are about developing leaders,” said Dr. Chip Houston, NCCS Assistant Head of School. “By giving students real responsibility through entrepreneurship, industry exposure, and student-led programs, the academies allow our students to steward their God-given gifts with character, purpose, and confidence — skills that matter well beyond high school.”
Nearly two decades ago, NCCS started launching academies for students with specific interests, whether that’s in the arts, business, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), counseling, ministry and education, or exercise and sports science. “Our academies connect rigorous academics with real-world experience — launching businesses, exploring aviation through STEM, performing on major stages like Winter Jam, and operating student-run ventures like Higher Grounds Coffee,” Houston said. “In a competitive college admissions landscape where many students look similar on paper, these experiences allow [our] students to tell a distinctive story shaped by initiative, responsibility, and purpose.”
Turning Passion Into Profit
For NCCS “lifer” and 2023 graduate Finley Ross, the Academy of Business, in particular, was a great fit for his true passion — entrepreneurship. Established in 2008, the Academy of Business equips students with the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to excel in the world of business. Through a combination of dedicated coursework, hands-on internships, and exposure to real-world corporate environments, students learn core principles of entrepreneurship, management, finance, and innovation.
“I loved everything related to business, and I was already running a couple of side hustles all through middle school and high school,” Ross said. “I knew that what I could learn in these classes, I could directly apply to what I was already doing. I was so eager to be a part of the marketing, accounting, finance, and entrepreneurship classes.”
Throughout middle and high school, Ross took every opportunity to make extra money. He did odd jobs such as pressure washing, landscaping — pushing a lawnmower throughout the neighborhood — selling ice cream off a jet ski on Lake Lanier, and even online reselling. “I grew up independently, with just my mom and brother for a lot of my life, so throughout middle and high school, I had to pay for everything,” he shares. “If I wanted clothes, gas, a car, I was going to have to pay every penny for it, different than a lot of my peers in school.
“I would be playing two or three sports at a time and didn’t have a normal schedule to go work somewhere,” he continues, “so I had to make it for myself and build something I could make money from on my own schedule.”
From Side Hustle to Six Figures
During students’ senior year in the NCCS Academy of Business, they are tasked with creating their own business. Ross founded a car-detailing company, an idea that came to mind while he was watching car-detailing videos online. “I love service-based businesses and the blue-collar industry, and my love language is acts of service, so if I could do that while getting paid for it, it was a win-win,” he said. “The idea started in that class, and it was kind of the first idea that quickly became profitable, sustainable, and repeatable.”
Ross’ Classic City Detailing LLC is a mobile car-detailing business that originally served customers in Cobb County and surrounding communities. Today, his business serves customers in Athens, Hartwell, Buford, Gainesville, and Flowery Branch, as well as Anderson, South Carolina. He employs four people full-time and is looking for a fifth. He operates three company vans and plans to open a brick-and-mortar shop in early June.
“I think a lot of entrepreneurs are born with a creative mindset, where they can find opportunities and solve problems that other people may not be able to,” says 21-year-old Ross. “We see a problem and can figure out how to make money from it. I believe I have that gift.”
Ross continues to operate the business while still in college. He is a junior at the University of Georgia, where he is majoring in business management and minoring in construction management, while also working toward a certificate of entrepreneurship.
Today, the company brings in about $22,000 a month in revenue.
Mapping The Road to Success
Ross credits NCCS for his continued success, especially Academy of Business Director Ryan Moore.
“Throughout high school, I had a debilitating fear of public speaking, and Coach Moore was really the only teacher who met me where I was,” Ross remembers. “He wouldn’t fail me because I couldn’t present in front of the class. He’d meet with me after class and [allow me to] do a speech one on one. Over the years, we were able to get me to where I could present in front of classes. He helped me overcome that and prepared me early on with mock interviews, elevator pitches, and different scenarios to where once I stepped into it in the real world, I knew exactly what to say and what to do.
“He was also someone, who in every step of the business, I could update and he’d help hold me accountable,” Ross continued. “He was a great, solid mentor, and I wouldn’t be near where I am today without him.”
And it is students like Ross who helped draw Moore to the program in the first place in 2019.
“I have kids of my own, but I kind of feel like a proud kid or a proud brother, seeing where Finley started and where he is now,” Moore said. “I feel blessed that I can be a small part in his gigantic story that’s just getting going, and if God can use me to impact his life in that way, that’s kind of the validation I’ve received since leaving corporate America to come here.”
Moore, a Marietta native and 2006 graduate of NCCS, had a 10-year career in corporate America but was helping with the school’s baseball program, when he — on a whim — reached out to someone on the academics side to let them know he’d be interested in working at the school if an opportunity ever arose that may be a good fit with his background and experience.
“I had never taught a day in my life; didn’t even go to school to teach,” said Moore, who studied economics in college. “I honestly didn’t think anyone would ever reach out, but three months later they did.
“It was kind of a God thing; where I saw it as God plucking me out of corporate America and putting me where I should be,” he continued. “And every day I’ve worked here, there’s validation of that being the right move and best move.”
Since Moore took over the business program seven years ago, 72 seniors have come through the academy and graduated. “God is using this program to create future leaders in the business realm like Finley who have a biblical worldview and can make an impact for His kingdom,” Moore concludes.
To learn more about NCCS’ Academy of Business and the other four academies, visit ncchristian.org/academies.
Classic City Detailing LLC
Website: classiccitydetailingllc.com
Email: classiccitydetailingllc@gmail.com
Phone: 678.222.8358
About North Cobb Christian School
North Cobb Christian School (NCCS) is an interdenominational, private, college-preparatory school serving approximately 1,250 students from pre-K3 through 12th grade. Since its founding in 1983, NCCS has grown to become one of the largest private schools in metro Atlanta and is known for strong academics, authentic family culture, excellent extracurricular opportunities, and unwavering Christian discipleship. Set up a tour: 770-975-0252, admissions@ncchristian.org, or visit ncchristian.org.
North Cobb Christian School Academies
Learn more: ncchristian.org/academies
Academy of the Arts: With options in visual arts, vocal arts, instrumental arts and theater arts, this academy provides formal instruction, real-world context, and next-level performance experiences to further develop and hone student gifts, skills, and technical mastery.
Academy of Business: This academy equips students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences needed to excel in the world of business. Through a combination of dedicated coursework, hands-on internships, and exposure to real-world corporate environments, students learn core principles of entrepreneurship, management, finance, and innovation.
STEM Academy: This challenging program prepares students for advanced study and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Guided by their unique talents and interests, students may concentrate their electives in fields such as medicine, engineering, technology, mathematics, aviation, or science.
Academy of Counseling, Ministry and Education (ACME): ACME prepares students for people-focused, relational careers. The program provides a strong biblical foundation while equipping students with an understanding of human thought and behavior (psychology), societal impact (sociology), and core beliefs (philosophy).
Academy of Exercise and Sports Science (EXSS): EXSS is designed for students pursuing careers in sports management, athletics, and fitness-related fields. The program combines coursework in the business and healthcare aspects of the industry, providing both foundational knowledge and hands-on exposure to prepare students for advanced study and professional opportunities.
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