Blackhawk BIZ offers life lessons and business experience

SEELEY LAKE – "It's hard! It takes a lot of effort if you want to run a business," said Seeley-Swan High School student Aaron Jungers during the recap of the Blackhawk BIZ Market Day. "At the beginning of this, I just thought it was going to design a business and then sell [the product]. There is a lot more to it."

The students in the SSHS Entrepreneur Class discussed what they learned and the challenges they overcame starting their own business on Jan. 5.

While everyone determined their business was successful based on their return on investment and agreed they learned a lot from the experience, only a few students were going to continue their business venture. They agreed that they took more ownership in their business as the owner. For those that have had a job, they also said they had more empathy and understanding for their boss because there is a lot more to deal with.

"I thought with COVID people would be more skeptical and not really want to buy food from us but a lot of people came and encouraged us and bought from us," said student Cierra Hinchey. "It was really nice to see that."

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On the first day of SSHS's Entrepreneur Class, Teacher Michele Holmes told her seven students that they would be required to create their own mini business. Students had the freedom to come up with a business proposition that fit their interest and abilities. They would test their business model and sell their product during a Market Day.

Holmes said the entire class revolved around teamwork and integrating Empowered's Foundational Principles: responsibility; integrity; knowledge; freedom; passion; opportunity; sound judgment and win-win focus.

"We are not just making a buck but doing it the right way," Holmes said.

A month prior to the Blackhawk BIZ Market, students pitched their business proposal and asked for a loan from Empower in a mock "Shark Tank." Lindey's Prime Steak House owners Mike and Jenny Lindemer and Seeley Lake Community Foundation Executive Director Claire Muller acted as the investors and provided feedback so the students could refine their businesses prior to the Market.

Six out of seven students chose food-based businesses. They sold their product at the pop-up style Blackhawk BIZ Market Dec. 22 during the home basketball game. Sophomore Conner Chadwick chose to start a tutoring business. He visited with prospective clients during the Market and is meeting with clients in the New Year.

Discussion questions are bolded and the student responses follow.

How did the presentation and mock Shark Tank help you refine your project and make it better? For many, the Shark Tank helped them refine their price structure.

James Hayhurst sold different flavored Italian cookies with his business "Traveling Pizzelle." The feedback he received helped him simplify his price structure.

Stephen Neusch sold berry parfaits at "Peppy Parfaits." He said the Shark Tank really helped him figure out how to price his product based on the cost of the ingredients.

The Shark Tank presentation made Hinchey realize all the thought and details that go into starting and operating a business. Based on the feedback she received from Lindemers, she eliminated cornbread from her menu. She also changed her name to "Swoop in for Chili."

"It helped me come up with a price and dial down what I really wanted to do with my business," Hinchey said.

Jungers and his partner Andrew Pearson felt the Shark Tank helped them refine their marketing plan for "The Cocoa Bar" and ultimately sell more product on Market Day.

Chadwick learned the best way to explain his business and adjust his presentation. During Market Day, he had figured out the best way to explain "CC Tutoring" for one-on-one student academic assistance.

Was your business model financially sustainable? All of the businesses were profitable but the students were still working on exact figures. Most of the students met their target sales and everyone's costs were lower than they estimated.

How good was your planning? Hinchey could have possibly sold more chili if it would have been available.

"I saw many disappointed people when they saw you cleaning up because you were empty already," Holmes said.

Hayhurst's pre-order option for his pizzelles was very popular. Because he forgot to end his pre-order sales, he sold all his inventory before Market Day. In order to have product to sell at the Market, he sold the pre-orders that were not getting picked up at the Market and made more over his break.

"That was a good pivot," Holmes said. "He exhibited responsibility by still fulfilling those orders even thought he had to go cook that next day, on the beginning of his break, which was probably not what he wanted to do."

"Patchwork Paninis" owner Wesley Stevenson said the grilled cheese sandwiches were more popular than the tomato soup. While he had customers return for more than one Panini, he had a lot of left over cans of tomato soup.

Cups of premium cocoa from "The Cocoa Bar" sold much faster than Jungers and Pearson expected. They struggled initially to keep up with the demand but adjusted by making a batch in reserve.

Lisa Maughan was running the SSHS Concession Stand during the basketball game. Holmes said not only did she allow different businesses to use the stove and refrigerator, she also made referrals to the students' businesses. The students said this exhibited the win-win and sound judgment principles.

What part of creating your business do you feel helped the most prepare you for the Market Day? Hinchey felt creating a to-do list helped make sure she remembered everything for Market Day.

Other students felt that analyzing the costs of goods sold, breaking down the cost to produce the product and discussing how much to mark it up was a big help.

Assessing product cost from different vendors was also valuable. Hinchey and Hayhurst were able to purchase everything at Cory's Valley Market. Hayhurst even received a donation from Owner Cory Thompson.

However, the ingredients for "The Cocoa Bar" were too expensive to purchase locally to stay within their price structure. Jungers and Pearson had to shop elsewhere and struggled to find the products they wanted.

"I think we saw first hand some of the supply chain issues," Holmes added. "That is what happens and businesses everywhere right now are dealing with the same thing."

Chadwick said marketing his business prior to Market Day was critical to his success. Since he was selling a service, people stopped for more information after hearing about it or seeing the flyers. He even had clients pre-pay for tutoring sessions during Market Day, something he was not expecting.

What were some of the biggest challenges of this project and how did you overcome them? Several students agreed that coming up with a name, logo and marketing their products was the biggest challenge. The Shark Tank discussion with Lindemers and Muller helped many refine their approach and better sell their product.

They also felt the coverage of the class in the Pathfinder ahead of the event helped get the community excited. The class's decision to collectively advertise the Blackhawk BIZ Market, instead of focusing on individual businesses, was a win-win solution.

"Because of how many people were actually doing [Market Day], I think they noticed it more," Jungers said. "I think they wanted to show up and support us."

Time management was something Holmes said all the students dealt with on some level.

Pearson realized the day before Market Day that he had to leave in the middle of the event for his job. Jungers effectively managed "The Cocoa Bar" himself after Pearson left.

Hayhurst learned how time-intensive it was to make pizzelles. While he had made them with his family in the past, it took him 15 hours of cooking to fill his orders. He said if he continued the business he would want to figure out a more efficient way to produce his product.

Chadwick is still dealing with time management. Even though the class is over, his business is still going. In hindsight, he probably would have chosen a business that ended.

"It would have just been Market Day, a one-day thing, and not have to try and schedule sessions," Chadwick said. "It has been hard to schedule those session since I'm so busy in the New Year."

Holmes added that many of the students were nervous. There was not only a concern that their business would be successful but some had a fear of talking to people.

"I witnessed the students' confidence grew as the event went on," Holmes said. "It was great to see them overcome [their fears] through the event.'

What were some of the biggest rewards of this project? The students agreed the money they made, and get to keep, was one of the biggest rewards. They also enjoyed the support and encouragement they received from the community.

Stevenson appreciated the hands-on experience from the class and how much he learned about financing and return on investments. Regardless of whether he ever owns his own business, he pointed out that most of the summer jobs in Seeley Lake are food-related. During the class, the students received an e-food handler certification.

"Having a little exposure to that before getting the actual job really helped," Stevenson said.

Hinchey was able to match her passion for cooking with a business venture. Even though the class requires a lot of work, she felt it was fun and simple.

"You can see with the amount of time and effort you put in it how the passion principle needs to be there," Holmes said. "Otherwise what is that value for you?"

In addition to the Market Day, the Empower curriculum also features auction days, something the students were very excited about. They earned auction dollars through various class activities. Holmes purchases items, including items from local businesses, that they can purchase.

Would you encourage other students to take this class? The students agreed that this is a great class that teaches a lot of business skills, life lessons and pushed them out of their comfort zones. A few students added that while they would recommend it to their classmates, the class requires a lot of effort.

Several of the students were grateful to their parents and friends for all their support and encouragement. Some reached out for help throughout the development of their business and many utilized them on Market Day.

"We really appreciate the community support," Holmes said. "I love that about this class. A lot of [the students] worked with [their] families on these things as well as bringing in the community and classmates. That is really valuable in itself."