School: LEAD Innovation Studio/Park Hill High School
Class: Entrepreneurship
Instructor: Brett Blanton
Client: Made in KC, Charlie Hustle, GOEX Apparel
Problem: How might we start and operate a school store with a diverse selection of desirable products for members of the LEAD community (students, staff, parents, public)?
Summary of Project
Students met with a variety of retail stores and one apparel printing business in Kansas City to plan and operate a school store for selling apparel and other products like student-designed stickers and art prints.
Key Takeaways or Advice
It’s important to have a clearly defined client and industry experts as early in the project as possible. I initially thought an industry expert was the client, but in reality, it ended up not being my client and took on the industry expert role. The more opportunities you provide for students to go out of the building and see the industry experts in action, the better. We took two field trips and students consistently said that was the best part of the planning process and made the most impact on their learning.
I also think it’s important to set realistic expectations for desired outcomes. Don’t expect student work to be as quality as a client or industry expert, so set expectations that a client using student work may not happen. I also found that teaching professional skills and communication skills for client interactions need to be explicitly taught and modeled. Students really struggled with this, so stop and take the time to teach it and show it.
Learning Standards
- Develop strategies to position products/services. Mktg 1.Q.5.b
- Build brand/image. Mktg IV.A.4.3.a
- Determine market segments. Mktg II.B.3.a
- Select pricing strategies Mktg I.P.2.e
- Evaluate the effectiveness of advertising. Mktg. III. F. 3B
- Determine a unique selling proposition. Mgmt IX.B.3.b
- Determine customer’s buying motives for use in selling. Mktg. V. 3A
- Acquire product information for use in selling. Mktg. IV. A. 1. 3A
- Analyze product information to identify product features and benefits. Mktg. IV. A. 2. 3B
- Provide service after the sale Mktg. I.M.4.a
- Prospect for customers Mktg. I.M.7.b
- Process sales documentation Mktg. I.M.9.b
- Prepare cash drawers/banks Mktg. I.N.1.a
- Participate as a team member. Entre. VI. C. 3E
- Apply effective listening skills. Comm I.A.3.d
- Set personal goals. Comm. III. C. 3I
- Interpret business policies to customers/clients. Comm III.A.3.a
- Handle customer/client complaints. Comm III.A.3.g
- Enlist others in working towards a shared vision. Mgmt.I. A. 3A
- Evaluate customer experience. Mktg V.3.d
- Establish relationships with clients/customers. Mktg. II. A. 3E
- Respond to customer inquiries Mktg. I.O.2.a
- Calculate the breakeven point. Entre C.3.c
- Maintain a record of daily financial transactions. Acctg V.3.g
- Analyze cash-flow patterns. Acctg III.3.a
- Interpret financial statements. Acctg II.3.g
- Use budgets to control operations. Entre V.C.3.a
- Use Communications technologies/systems (e.g. e-mail, voice mail, cell phone, etc.) Comm I.D.3.o
- Plan business layout. Mgmt. I. A. 3C
- Analyze business processes and procedures. Mgmt. III. A. 3B
- Develop and implement order fulfillment processes. Mktg. IV. A. 6. 3A
- Maintain inventory of products/supplies. Mgmt. XI. D. 3B
- Organize shipping/receiving. Mgmt. XI. D. 3C