We were given the task in Social Sciences to develop our own ideas for a business, working in groups of 3-4 people. The idea was to come up with a business idea and eventually pitch it to the rest of our class in a 4-5 minute presentation. Each person in the class had 50,000 Euros to invest into the business ideas, and could decide after each presentation how much they were willing to invest.
In my group, at first, we found it a bit difficult to come up with a product and the initial idea was something based around cars. We decided to make an add-on device that can be installed into any kind of car and it gives the car the ability to drive automatically. Personally, I liked this idea because it has many benefits and it’s also quite unique. It stops the need to go to petrol stations as well as being incredibly environmentally friendly. In addition, only the device needs to be charged, not the car, so it also takes up less time. The actual product is a very small technical device, which starts working after it is installed and the car moves.
I really enjoyed this project. The process was fun and definitely different to the lessons we are used to. In my opinion it was a success because I learnt a lot and really enjoyed it. I think the project worked well all things considered, on my end there weren’t many technical difficulties, and although it may have been more fun to do it in person, at home it gave you the opportunity to do some research, which made the presentations more interesting to listen to. You could tell that many people put a lot of effort into this project. Working with a team was also good because a lot of people had to work with others that they weren’t so familiar working with, and there may have been disagreements when it came to the product they were presenting. I think all the different ideas coming from people also led to some really great presentations. Frau Tietzel was also very helpful because she made clear which type of questions we should be asking ourselves when starting a business. During the time we had to prepare, she came into everyone’s groups and made sure they knew what they were doing. We don’t know how this project would’ve gone if we were in normal class but the presentations may not have gone so well because it is harder to present in front of the class when they are for example talking or laughing and distracting you.
I think the point of the project was to develop our knowledge of business in a way that a normal class wouldn’t give you. You had to think for yourself and work with the other members of your group to really be creative and ask yourself all these questions that go into a business plan. For example, what makes a good, interesting business idea, where will your business be located,how many employees will you have and how much will they earn? How much money do you plan to make? It was also very important to think about if your product has the right target audience and something that the rest of the class would be interested in investing in. You learnt new skills such as an element of economics you wouldn’t learn about in a normal class.
In the future, although this project was fun, I can’t imagine myself starting a business or becoming an entrepreneur because I liked the creative aspect of coming up with a business idea but I don’t think it’s for me. The stress of having to ask yourself all these questions whether you are selling the product in the right way or even if your product stands a chance. Also, starting a business is a very risky move and you are likely to lose a lot of money. From this experience I’ve learnt that a big part of starting a business is relying on others whether it’s investment, or their belief that your product will sell. Overall, I really enjoyed the process and I think that we should do more projects like this in school.
Text: Sophie Goevert, 9a
Das Unterrichtsprojekt wurde durchgeführt von Frau Tietzel.