She was among the 137 students who showcased 61 business models during the IBT Trade Show, A World of Ideas' at the school May 8. It is the culmination of many months of work, encompassing everything from an idea to a business model, production, sales and marketing.
Students worked in groups of two or three to come up with some ingenious ideas that made use of everything from grass seed to discarded aluminum pop cans.
Potential customers - family, friends, guests and the community - didn't have any opportunity to walk away from the friendly students-turned-salespeople, who were only too happy to explain their products and offer them for sale.
BeJewelled co-owners Jordan Skerrett, Olivia Penciner and Maddy Locke were planning on heading home after school to make more necklaces for the evening's sale, their product was so popular. They had prepared 85 designs over several weeks, tracking down beads at prices that made them affordable for their pieces. With low prices, $4 or $5 for necklaces and $3 for bracelets, the colourful beaded creations came with beautiful glass beads, adjustable closures and each creation was different. Like most of the businesses, they told customers that 25 cents from each purchase was being donated to charity - in their case, Spread the Net, which provides mosquito nets for countries ravaged by malaria.
Luiza Pirvu and Rachel Suminsky went quirky for their popular business which featured Sprouter characters, grown from grass seeds. "They come as a girl, a classic or a boy, and each has its own accessories such as a bow, or a hat, in the case of the boy," Luiza said. They were selling like hotcakes at $5 each. "We had to stash some away, just so we'd have some to sell tonight," Rachel said.
jslack@mississauga.net
