On the 26th of January Sam Parnell, our intrepid networker, headed over to Holbrook Academy in Ipswich to help out with their Dragon’s Den Day. The day, run in association with Career Ready, was geared towards giving year 9 students the opportunity to learn more about business and entrepreneurship.
Along with Sue Hall from Maid 2 Clean and James Davey from The Sales Master Guild, a fellow ISSBA committee member, Sam was given a class of around 25 students to teach and guide through the different activities.
The students were split up into smaller groups and given the task of creating a drink and conceptualising a business around it. The day included modules such as business planning, design, marketing, branding and a final presentation they had to deliver to the ‘dragons’.
Sam’s enthusiasm and her experience of working with hundreds of businesses across Suffolk and East Anglia made her a great addition to the day, as she helped out her groups by keeping them engaged and giving them valuable advice. Sam was then a member of the panel of ‘dragons’ as the groups delivered their final presentations.
At the end of the day, awards like ‘Most Improved’ and ‘Best Presentation’ were voted on and given out to individual groups. Sam was particularly happy with some students from her class picking up awards!
The overall winners really encapsulated the whole brand of their drink with detailed examples and an effectively-planned business strategy.
The day was a huge success and a great taster for the students who will soon be deciding which subjects to take for their GCSE’s. We’d like to extend our thanks to Holbrook Academy and Career Ready for running such a fantastically-organised event.
