Carlmont offers many diverse and unique classes for students. One of the most popular and intriguing options is the Intro to Business course, where students participate in a year-long entrepreneurship project.
Beginning in the first semester during the fall, in groups, students came up with product designs and ideas ranging from easy-to-clean mirrors to hooks to put your backpacks on.
These products and businesses were all designed with client-centered thinking in mind, as the target market for those purchasing these products was fellow high school students.
Following these many design and planning stages, the groups eventually pitched their business ideas to venture capitalists this spring to secure funding for their products.
Finally, organized events, such as the most recent one on April 19, will be held for these students to interact with other student customers in hopes of selling their products, paying off investors, and ultimately turning a profit.
Two more of these events will be held for groups to sell more of their product; these events will be held on April 25 and another during Scotsland on May 17.
David Weyant, the Intro to Business teacher who assigns this multi-semester project to his students, believes this entire project provides students with essential skills for learning and understanding the class curriculum.
“This project teaches students to think like entrepreneurs. It also gives them hands-on experience running a business and gaining knowledge in marketing, manufacturing, sales, and financial record keeping,” Weyant said.
Although this project was mainly educational, many students also found this project extremely enjoyable.
“It was very cool to gain experience from mentors who work in business, who were able to help us both prepare for a pitch and advise us on how to successfully sell our product at a sales event,” — Tim Beisiegel
Tim Beisiegel, a senior at Carlmont who helped design a product called Mirror Shine, enjoyed how self-driven it was and how he and his group could freely develop the unique product they wanted to sell. He also really enjoyed all the different stages of creating the business.
“It was very cool to gain experience from mentors who work in business, who were able to help us both prepare for a pitch and advise us on how to successfully sell our product at a sales event,” Beisiegel said.
Another student who created a business in this class, sophomore Erik Melzer, particularly enjoyed the selling and interacting with customers aspect of the project.
“My favorite part of the project was definitely when we sold our products to other students in the quad,” Melzer said.
The entire project is designed to allow Intro to Business students to learn what it is like to start a business, market it, and then eventually sell their product. It provides students with an essential understanding of the class curriculum while also allowing them lots of fun and freedom.
“I thought that the whole project was very rewarding as we were allowed to solve a problem that students have at our school, and I felt I learned a lot,” Beisiegel said.
