Entrepreneurial skills are some of the greatest assets our young people can develop to ensure a vibrant future.
At St Teresa’s Catholic College, the Year 9 Business program has been building over the past few years and has become one of the most popular subject choices.
Students design, produce and sell their own products and services under the guiding hand of teacher Daniel Neven.
This semester has seen sales figures for the two classes reach over $10,000, breaking all previous records, and best of all students keep their profits. Products range from handmade cutting boards, infusion soaks, cleaning products, dog treats and toys, and jewellery to surf wax and lip balm. Environmental impact is a huge factor in the creation of products and services, along with all the typical business considerations.
As a part of the course students participated in shark tank sessions, where local business owners gave feedback and approved the seed funding for each project. All aspects from product, packaging, target market, advertising, price points and cost of goods were presented and dissected. Guest presenters such as Jan Osmond and Rod Solomons from Business Mentors Noosa, Tomas Piccinini from Venture Labs UQ and ex-student Breeze Lidden, founder of Zoopeez, gave students real world advice on how to succeed. Two of the products were even offered the opportunity to feature on Amazon.
Along with developing an online presence and sales funnel, Eumundi Markets hosted a stall for each class, where personal selling techniques were learned, and further sales made. “The 100K ECP project has brought business alive in the most real way, with student earning cash they can keep,” says teacher Dan Neven. As some students continue to grow and develop their businesses, you can be sure these St Teresa’s Catholic College students have the potential to become successful young entrepreneurs.
