Mini speakers and fragrance bottles may not seem connected at first glance, yet both of these useful products are the key to functioning FHC businesses. Through the Introduction to Business elective, an opportunity has been provided to high school students to create and manage a business in a school setting.
The elective has been providing students with real-life entrepreneurial skills that they can carry on into their future. Although the class has been going on for decades, the businesses that the high school students create are unique each year. With a wide variety of businesses being created in the first semester of the class, two stood out as being the most applicable and useful in daily life.
The first of these recently debuted businesses is Scent Savors, a perfume and cologne company designed to be used on the go. The manager of the business, freshman Lily Bosscher, has spent a large portion of her time designing the logo and working on marketing the product to gain awareness for their brand.
“We’ve been trying to make posters [to market the product],” Lily said. “We’ve put some of them around the school, and [marketing is] important just to let people know what we’re selling…[then] they can buy it during lunches.”
Creating posters is only one element of marketing a business, and while all companies can create standard advertising signs, running Instagram accounts for the business ventures is equally important. Senior Matthew Murdock, the manager and leader of the Tiny Tunes business, has helped create a compact mini speaker business hoping to appeal to high school students at a cheap price.
“It’s important just to get the word out and create buzz about our product, and we have an Instagram account that we post on pretty much weekly,” Matthew said. “[And we] create posters and put them around the school.”
Instagram accounts are not only a way to show the FHC student body product reviews, price information, and new styles of products, but also a way to gain revenue. Many of the businesses take orders through pre-order forms, email, or in person communication, but Instagram Direct Messages (DMs) are a major way for students to place orders.
However, the organization and collaboration between group members that is required to create an Instagram account, and run it effectively, is a large responsibility that falls to the managers of each business. Each business has one manager, and the responsibility cannot be taken lightly, as they manage the whole group.
“[Being the group manager is] pretty difficult, with just trying to keep people motivated,” Matthew said. “But, it’s a fun experience and learning opportunity… [you learn] that teamwork is important, and [that there is] a lot to do to create the opportunity for everyone to make money.”
The chance to profit from the business is not a guarantee, demonstrating the importance of managing the business and finances to make money. All of the initial supplies are purchased directly from the pockets of the students, so they all have a stake in the company.
So in order to profit, the products must be thoroughly researched and tested, which can be time-consuming and inefficient if not done correctly.
“The process [of creating a product] has been really good,” Lily said. “It’s been a little bit difficult, but it’s been going [well]… [and the class] helps me know if I want to do business in the future, and how to start my own business.”
For the Scent Savors business, their product is purchased online and then sold by the company to the student body. In theory, it seems simple to purchase a product digitally and resell it, but much thought goes into the material cost, the retailer from whom the items are being purchased, and whether students will even want the product.
However, what truly distinguishes the Scent Savors and Tiny Tunes businesses from the rest of the Introduction to Business products is their useful nature and convenience, which appeals to high school students. Sofia Grounin, a freshman on the Introduction to Business Scent Savors team, feels the convenience of the product is a key feature of their travel-sized fragrance bottles.
“I think [the product is] useful because if people want to smell good and they don’t have their cologne or perfume bottle with them, they could bring [our product] with them,” Sofia said. “It’s easier to [carry]… You can always fit it into your pocket or anywhere that you need to take it with you.”
Marketing, social media presence, product development and testing, and creative ideas are all key elements of creating a business that is hoping to create a profit for its members. But just the experience of taking the Introduction to Business class can also be very helpful for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Taught by FHC Introduction to Business and Marketing teacher Jared Lowe, the class is only bolstered by Lowe’s enthusiasm for teaching high schoolers about business entrepreneurial opportunities and all of the elements that go into creating a successful business.
“I [enjoy the class] because it’s just really fun, and Mr. Lowe is a good teacher; he just really cares about that class,” Sofia said. “I feel like others should take [Introduction to Business] if they want to start a business sometime in the future.”
