Noah Gwin

Juniors Michael Dolan and Nolan Cosgrove pitch their idea to the sharks. For Dolan and Cosgrove, the key to success was just to stay relaxed. “We were just having fun, I was just trying to be calm and give the sharks a good pitch,” Cosgrove said.

Marketing students created businesses and pitched to industry leaders, administrators and teachers, much like the television show “Shark Tank,” as a final project May 6.

Marketing I students were required to create businesses, each with their own websites and Instagram accounts. Senior Kennedy Silverberg and juniors Will Cremeens and Abbey Bajier collaborated to create a business called Luv Nola.

“[Our company] promoted healthy granola bars that are all-healthy, no preservatives and are even customizable. If you order them online they can even be shipped to your door,” Cremeens said. “I think we pitched it really well and that the sharks enjoyed our product and would buy it.”  

The project required students to apply pricing, advertising and sales skills.

“In essence, students had freedom in their idea and it required them to be polished in their presentation skills,” Weber said. “Ultimately, once students had been through Shark Tank, I felt confident that they were ready to move on to the next level of our marketing pathway.“

Juniors Michael Dolan and Nolan Cosgrove also created a business, taking a more fashionable approach with a company called Juxta.

“I always went out on vacations with my friends or family, and I wanted something to remember the trips with, and that is what Juxta is. You can store sand or things like that in a small container connected to a bracelet,” Cosgrove said.  

During the presentation, factors such as customer accessibility, amount of preparation and product quality went into efficiently selling the made up ideas.

“I felt like the key was just to remain confident, and no matter what happens just keep selling my idea and it would all work out in the end,” Cosgrove said.

Students were expected to market their business ideas by posting on Instagram and editing their websites.

“We were able to market what we created on social media, and were able to advertise our ideas. I had a lot of fun because we got to do our own thing with a real idea that can hopefully branch out one day,” Cremeens said.

Despite working through obstacles such as outside-of-school scheduling and end of course exams, students worked with Marketing teacher Holly Weber to perfect their ideas. 

“As a whole, I think it went well. Most students scored well, not only on the Shark Tank pitch itself, but on the pre-sales activities,” Weber said. “I will say that the logistics were a challenge, as space was at a premium. But we figured that portion out, my students were able to adapt and execute, and we had positive feedback from our guest judges, I call that a win.”