Business Fair Success!!

Today was the BIG Day! I was very impressed by the entire Business Fair, but about these aspects in particular: 

1. Student readiness - Most groups came to school prepared to set up and sell! Having not seen much of the "products" beforehand, I was a little nervous about what students would actually have ready. We all marched down to the library to set up and everyone worked hard to get their Businesses up and running. 

2. The school staff and student turn out - I lost count at 100 students and staff coming in to view and support the Businesses. It was great to see everyone so excited to spend their $1 at a Business of their choice. *Next time I do this, I will not use the $1 bills... although it was fun, it was just a waste of paper in the end. Businesses kept track of their "orders" on their order sheets they created. 

3. The positive banter - Both during and after the Business Fair, all I could hear was great conversation about how fun and cool the Business Fair was. I was excited when some grade 7s and 8s asked about being able to do this next year, but even more excited when a grade 9 admitted sadness at not being able to take it this year. *we only ran one quarter of this option... 

4. The friendly competition - Even though this was not a competitive class, it was nice to see Businesses upping their game when they saw others doing well. It was also very nice to see the Businesses supporting each other. I saw several students go around and support their competition by placing an "order." 

Were there some negatives, for sure. I had 4 students show up with nothing... Not a single thing. Hard to believe when they've had 2.5 months to work on creating a small business of their choice. Pretty typical results from any class really. No matter what supports, motivation and encouragement are given, some students just "give up." I had a chat with the students  about what went wrong and they just admitted they didn't want to be in the option, couldn't switch so just gave up. That will be a hard thing to address during assessment time... 

Anyways, I am so happy with how the first ELJHS CTF Business Fair turned out. I don't know if I will be teaching the course again, but will spend the next bit of time reflecting on what I would do differently :) 

Here are some pictures from the Business Fair: 

The Final Countdown...

With the Business Fair (changed from Market Fair) only two weeks away, students are busy piecing together the last parts of their small business. Some groups are quite far ahead and would be ready to "open-up shop" tomorrow, whereas others are still straggling behind, not quite ready for business! We have two work classes left where students will be finalizing all aspects of their business and working on a self-reflection. I am curious to see how they will "grade" their performance over the past few months. 

I am hoping to have a class come in and do a soft opening - businesses will set-up their product promotion tables and have some students file through o give them some instant feedback. If I can sort this for next class, that will allow students the next block to fix any problems the other students foresee. 

Today, we focused on getting our promotional Business Bulletin Board done. Some students who were further ahead assembled it for the class. It looks great and is located in a major traffic zone within the school, so hopefully we will hear some Buzz about the Business Fair in the halls over the next few weeks.

The library has been booked for the Business Fair and invites will be sent out over the next couple of days to staff, parents, and some Blackgold Divisional Staff. 

I am really looking forward to the Business Fair and seeing the hard work of the Grade 9 Entrepreneurs come to fruition! 

Here are some pics from today's class: 

Marketing has begun!

Today was a productive day in Entrepreneurs Wanted. We spoke a lot about how the small businesses will promote their products/services throughout the school. We have decided to use a school bulletin board for the month of January to place all of our advertisements. That way, all students in the school can see the adverts in one place! 

We also talked a lot about table set-up for the Market Fair on January 26th. From table cloths, to banners, to product placement, I've asked students to consider what their table will look like and reflect on whether or not their set-up will attract customers. All groups are required to have samples or prototypes of their product for the customers to see, manipulate, and in some cases, taste. *For businesses with food items, we have talked about providing bite size samples (Costco style!) with a list of ingredients posted at their table for any allergy concerns. 

Businesses also created order sheets to track their product sales. Students who come tour the Market Fair will have the opportunity to place one order with one business (using a fake dollar). Businesses need to keep track of their orders to see how much "profit" they will make. Prior to the Market Fair, we will invite a class in to preview the businesses (like a soft-opening) to give offer some feedback on the product/service and table set-up.

It is really interesting to see the businesses taking shape. Students seem fairly engaged in what they have decided to take on. 

Here are some pictures of the productivity from today: 

Corporate Branding

In today's class, we spent the first 20 minutes discussing the importance of corporate branding, including company name, company logo and the importance of a company's slogan. Students were directed to work on establishing each of these for their chosen business. I circulated and sat with each pair to discuss their business ideas so far, and reminded them to complete their business proposal and update their timelines with what they did today and need to bring for next class. 

We also discussed what the Market Fair in January will look like. We agreed that the best way for businesses to "sell" their product would be to have a sample or two created in order for customers to see and manipulate. Then, the businesses can take "orders" by jotting down who would be interested in purchasing their product/service. Classes who come to tour the Market Fair will each be given a "dollar" bill that they can use at one business only. Some groups have decided to hold a raffle - students who place an "order" with them will have their name entered into a draw and can possibly win the actual product/service at the end of the day. Great for promoting their business! 

I am impressed with their business ideas so far - they all seem quite interested in what they have decided to produce/service and are embracing the hard work nicely. 

Here are some pictures from today's class: 

Welcome to Entrepreneurs Wanted!

Welcome all to the newest (and most exciting) new CTF 9 course at ELJHS. Entrepreneurs 

Wanted allows grade 9's to think outside of the box and plan, design, build, and finally showcase a small business that is of interest to them. Students will spend the next 15 weeks developing a small business (in small groups) that sells a particular product. Students will have to promote their product prior to our Marketplace sale in January, so that they sell the most product to the students of ELJHS. I am excited to be facilitating this CTF course and supporting each student (or group) as they see their small business idea come to life! 

I am also excited to have a surprise guest from the small business community of Leduc come into the class in December to tell their story of how they brought their small business dreams to fruition. 

Keep checking the blog for updates on small business productivity, AHA moments, and information about the January Marketplace. 

Or first class today, consisted of going through the course outline, talking about what it means to be an entrepreneur, mind mapping possible small business ideas (individually) and watching parts of an episode of Dragon's Den. 

Here are some pictures from today's class: 

Some brainstorming questions!

Brainstorming ideas about being an entrepreneur.

Watching Dragon's Den for some inspiration!