Mr. Adams has taught Entrepreneurship for over five years, and he has introduced the famous “Shark Tank” project to his students every year. The “Shark Tank” project was introduced to students at the beginning of the trimester, which consisted of students picking and creating a business from scratch. To ensure students’ success, Mr. Adams taught them vital steps. First, students created a business plan, which included what the business was, the problem/solution, the four things needed to create our successful business, how students’ businesses were better than their competitors, their SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats), logo, business card, website, business type, revenue, startup costs, their profit and offer towards the Sharks, and why students need $2,500 for 10% of their company’s earnings for the year. Students worked tirelessly to create the best business possible, but only a few were chosen to participate in the “Shark Tank” competition.
From Trimester one, two, and three, a total of 12 businesses were picked to participate in “Shark Tank.” Mrs. Dunican and Ms. Hall, who is a Ben’s Pretzels franchise owner and an impersonators clothing business owner, listened to, judged, and provided feedback on how students can improve their business. When Sanaya was asked about her “Shark Tank” experience, she stated “My partner Caydence and I both decided to do a babysitting business because we both love hanging out and watching over little children especially family which was something that we shared an interest in. After careful consideration between the judges, it was a tough call for them because of how exceptional each of the other businesses were compared to each other. In the end, the sharks had mentioned that there was a three way tie for second place which all were just a few points off of first place. To be honest, I was quite nervous about the competition because each of the businesses had potential as I saw each of them present their business plans. It feels amazing to have won the Shark Tank competition! At first, I wasn't really interested in becoming an entrepreneur because of how complicated it can get with owning a business. But with my perfect partner Caydence, we managed to defy the odds of giving up on this challenging class and did really well! Winning definitely boosted my confidence in the business field since the sharks had seen potential in Caydence and I. I am very grateful for this opportunity to participate in the competition and hope that all the other contestants are inspired to expand their knowledge in business to further it into something serious in the future. This was a wonderful opportunity that pushed me out of my comfort zone, but in the end it was really worth the effort and time Caydence and I put into this.” When Owen was asked what his favorite part about “Shark Tank” was, he said “learning how to run a business and earning amazing and delicious awards for winning second place were my favorite aspects!”
When Mr. Adams was asked what he enjoys most about “Shark Tank,” he stated "I love the students’ excitement and realization that they can create something real and tangible that could be a side job or a full time business. They have total ownership of their creation and beam with pride when showing off their ideas to others.” Thank you to Mr. Adams and all our dedicated 8th grade students for an amazing “Shark Tank” experience!
