Students in Carlmont High School’s Introduction to Business class designed and pitched original product ideas to make everyday life easier and more enjoyable for customers.
For the past three weeks, students worked in groups to develop products in assigned industries like fashion, sports, medicine, and technology. Each team created business plans that included market research, financial strategies, product development, and a marketing plan.
The business course at Carlmont helps students develop skills in business fundamentals, entrepreneurship, finance, and marketing, offering a broad overview of how companies operate in the United States. Students who have an interest in pursuing a career in business might elect to take this class.
This entrepreneurial project gave students an opportunity to gain insight into what it is like to plan or run a business. It also incorporated skills of teamwork and collaboration, giving students real-world experience.
“My favorite part was seeing everything come together,” said Ellen Povzner, a sophomore enrolled in the business class. “Everyone had a lot of ideas, and we didn’t know how to incorporate everything, so it felt good to see our hard work pay off.”
Povzner shared her experience working with a team on her product. At first, coming up with a set plan was challenging.
“A big challenge was staying on the same page,” Povzner said. “Sometimes our ideas clashed, and we fell behind on certain parts of the project.”
She found that time management was crucial, especially since she and her group began to fall behind after disagreements. It was important to map out how everyone balanced their time to make sure everyone finished what they were assigned to do.
In the future, Povzner hopes to set out clearer goals so each group member knows their responsibility.
While students gained experience from teamwork and problem-solving, Carlmont business teacher David Weyant emphasized the importance of understanding the customer’s perspective.
According to Weyant, students began the project by creating a general survey and using the responses to develop a product tailored to the target audience. He assessed how well students understood business concepts and applied creativity to their ideas.
“What is the need within the population? And given my industry, how can I create something that’s gonna help that population?” Weyant said, providing questions emphasizing client-centered marketing.
Many of the standout projects focused on understanding the students’ audience, which was mostly other Carlmont students, and finding ways to improve their physical, mental, and intellectual health.
Weyant has taught business in the Sequoia Union High School District for 25 years, and the past three years have been at Carlmont. He has kept the entrepreneurship project in his curriculum as a key teaching point.
“I wanted more of a hands-on opportunity for kids to experience what entrepreneurship is like,” Weyant said.
According to Weyant, this entrepreneurship project also gives students a preview of another class in the business pathway: entrepreneurship. In that class, students will launch a business and live through the challenges.
In addition to preparing current students for future classes, the project has also sparked interest among younger students eager to participate next year.
“Both my parents are kind of in business,” said Diyaa Khurana, a freshman at Carlmont who plans to take the course next year. “My mom has her own physical therapy clinic.”
The project gave students a clearer picture of what it takes to succeed in the business world. From teamwork to time management to customer understanding, students like Povzner realized there are many components to running a smooth business.
“It gave me a lot more respect for business owners,” Povzner said. “They have a lot of responsibilities and need to perform a lot of problem-solving.”
