A wish come true
Undergrad students get a crash course in launching a profitable business for a special cause – sending 6-year-old Scott Lenfestey on the trip of a lifetime via Make-A-Wish® Eastern North Carolina.
Magic happens at the intersection of profit and purpose.
That was the lesson Jim Kitchen wanted to teach undergraduate students in his Intro to Entrepreneurship class. But rather than simply speaking those words in the classroom, he gave students an opportunity – and a mission – to learn by doing.
Through a project dubbed “Ready, Fire, Aim,” Kitchen gave students a crash course in launching a profitable business. They were given just four days and $50 in seed money to form two-person teams, with the goal of creating as much profit as possible by selling a product or service of their choosing. The proceeds, they were told, would send 6-year-old Scott Lenfestey and his family on the trip of a lifetime through Make-A-Wish® Eastern North Carolina.
“The mantra of the class is ‘launch and learn,’” Kitchen said. “I wanted them to go out, be fearless and interact with customers.”
And so they did – in a big way. In just four days, students from Kitchen’s two course sections raised over $15,000 – more than enough to grant Scott’s wish and fund another.
Students approached the task in a variety of ways. Brent Comstock and Benton Moss recognized the challenge of working on a limited timeline and around different schedules. Their strategy was to pick an item that would be quick and easy to sell – silicon bracelets engraved with #BeatCancer and #ScottsDream.
“We had a great, simple product that practically sold itself and also had a very straightforward pitch to achieve sales,” Moss said.
Comstock and Moss used digital marketing to spread the word, creating a website and promoting the bracelets on social media. They also sold bracelets in a high-traffic area before the UNC-San Diego State football game.
“Ninety percent of our profits came from being there on game day,” said Comstock.
Students approached the task in a variety of ways. Brent Comstock (BSBA ’17) and Benton Moss (BSBA ’15) recognized the challenge of working on a limited timeline and around different schedules. Their strategy was to pick an item that would be quick and easy to sell – silicon bracelets engraved with #BeatCancer and #ScottsDream.
“We had a great, simple product that practically sold itself and also had a very straightforward pitch to achieve sales,” Moss said.
Comstock and Moss used digital marketing to spread the word, creating a website and promoting the bracelets on social media. They also sold bracelets in a high-traffic area before the UNC-San Diego State football game.
“Ninety percent of our profits came from being there on game day,” said Comstock.
– See more at: http://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/news/2014/11/Make-A-Wish-project#sthash.z3ldJXU4.dpuf
Students approached the task in a variety of ways. Brent Comstock (BSBA ’17) and Benton Moss (BSBA ’15) recognized the challenge of working on a limited timeline and around different schedules. Their strategy was to pick an item that would be quick and easy to sell – silicon bracelets engraved with #BeatCancer and #ScottsDream.
“We had a great, simple product that practically sold itself and also had a very straightforward pitch to achieve sales,” Moss said.
Comstock and Moss used digital marketing to spread the word, creating a website and promoting the bracelets on social media. They also sold bracelets in a high-traffic area before the UNC-San Diego State football game.
“Ninety percent of our profits came from being there on game day,” said Comstock.
– See more at http://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/news/2014/11/Make-A-Wish-project#sthash.z3ldJXU4.dpuf
Students approached the task in a variety of ways. Brent Comstock (BSBA ’17) and Benton Moss (BSBA ’15) recognized the challenge of working on a limited timeline and around different schedules. Their strategy was to pick an item that would be quick and easy to sell – silicon bracelets engraved with #BeatCancer and #ScottsDream.
“We had a great, simple product that practically sold itself and also had a very straightforward pitch to achieve sales,” Moss said.
Comstock and Moss used digital marketing to spread the word, creating a website and promoting the bracelets on social media. They also sold bracelets in a high-traffic area before the UNC-San Diego State football game.
“Ninety percent of our profits came from being there on game day,” said Comstock.
– See more at: http://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/news/2014/11/Make-A-Wish-project#sthash.z3ldJXU4.dpuf
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