DR. BEN CHURCHILL SUPERINTENDENT
CARLSBAD UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Dog collars, pet toys, and leashes made from recycled rock-climbing rope? It’s Project Eco Paws. Students in Carlsbad High School’s (CHS) Virtual Enterprise program conceived of these products, and then created a virtual company to write a business plan, design, manufacture, market, and sell them at the California State Virtual Enterprise (VE) Trade Fair in Bakersfield.
Over 1000 students from across the state took part in the Trade Fair, and were judged in categories such as Business Plan, Finance, Human Resources, Marketing, Sales Pitch, Booth Design, and Elevator Pitch. Two teams from CHS, each with about 30 students, competed at the trade fair, representing two Virtual Enterprise businesses — the GEA Jewelry business, which reuses materials to create stylish and fun jewelry, and Project Eco Paws.
At the trade fair, GEA Jewelry won a Gold and a Bronze Award. Project Eco Paws won one Gold, three Silver, and one Bronze awards. Some of the highlights were: a 1st place Gold for Impact Marketing; a prize of “$10,000 virtual dollars” for the Best Sales Pitch; and a 3rd place Gold for their video commercial.
Project Eco Paws began last year when students found out that local rock-climbing gyms “retire” their ropes every six to 12 months. They realized that these colorful, strong ropes can be repurposed into something useful, like pet leashes and collars, for a relatively low cost. People love their pets, and could use these pet-friendly items on a daily basis.
Project Eco Paws’ CEO Rachel Kramer oversaw the creation of the business plan and organized her virtual company’s team as they prepared for the competition in Bakersfield. VP of HR Donegan Young, with some help from mentors at Intuit, put together the HR handbook and oversees HR issues. CFO Joseph Little created the budget and handles the financials for the company. Production VP Jerry Bullara keeps tabs on the students making the products on sewing machines set up in the corner of the classroom. Brianna De La Mora, Impact Marketing, built a poster showing a dog with a tail that actually wags. Dylan Quinn, VP of Sales, developed effective sales techniques. He explains how the students engaged potential customers in an initial conversation. “Do you have a dog or any other pets?” “Do you ever walk your dog?”
The students had lots of real world help as they got their company launched. COOLA CEO Chris Birchby came to meet the VE students in October, and then he invited them to meet with their counterparts at Coola’s main offices. They also visited Intuit and benefited from mentors at that company.
Carol King, CHS’s Virtual Enterprise teacher, explains that students are also learning about personal finance and household budgeting as they build their businesses. “Each student has a personal budget, receives a virtual salary, and has to pay for housing, health insurance, food, their car, and other expenses.”
“We learn every aspect of creating and running a business,” said CEO Rachel. “We get to participate in a statewide trade fair to learn what other schools are doing across the state. We visit local businesses and interact with entrepreneurs. We have to work hard, collaborate, and be creative. There are so many ways to contribute. One person is great at sales, another created our trade fair displays in his wood shop class, and our production team is making leashes and collars here in the classroom.”
The students plan to sell their products at the Carlsbad Village Street Faire and a Farmers Market sponsored by High Tech High in San Diego in the spring. Proceeds will support the Virtual Enterprise program, and a portion of the profits will be donated to animal shelters.