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A twist to this year’s fifth-grade lesson on creating businesses meant each of Dylan Gehrke’s 23 students went through a “Shark Tank-like” experience.
“We want our students to know what it is like to create a product or service and have customers to sell it to,” Gehrke said.
“We also want them to understand the logistics and all the numbers behind creating a business and how that works.”
Based on the reality show of the same name, students or student groups presented business ideas to an “investor,” to consider supporting.
“I thought the idea of the ‘Shark Tank’ would be fun for students to have an investment from a shark and work together to create the best-selling business in the fifth grade,” Gehrke said.
The “investors” panel included principal Todd Holthaus, paraprofessional Lexi Moore, teacher Shelly Fischer, Tyler Bush with Security Savings Bank and Gehrke himself.
“Students had to answer tough questions from the Sharks about how much money they have already spent so far, how much they will spend making their product, and what their profit goal was,” Gehrke said.
“They were also asked about the quantity of their product they will have available on the day of the Entrepreneur Fair.”
Monday’s Entrepreneur Fair in the Hills-Beaver Creek Elementary gymnasium was the testing ground for the young entrepreneurs.
During their recess periods, students and staff from kindergarten through fourth grade spent no more than $5 among the 12 businesses.
Together the businesses garnered $622.50, which earned investors $74.95.
Gehrke invested in the best-selling business: REKkers of Stress because he liked their idea. He invested $10 for 12.5 percent of the business’ profits. Gehrke’s investment was the highest of three bids for the business.
The business, named after the three founders — Ruby Susie, Ella Rheault and Khloe Susie, sold palm-sized stress balls made from balloons filled with Playdoh and glue.
“It’s called a fidget toy and fidget toys are very popular today,” Rheault said.
The trio estimated they put in six to seven hours making the 120 stress balls they brought to Entrepreneur Day to sell. They also baked two dozen cookies, also available for sale, which expanded their customer base.
“If they don’t like stress balls, they could buy a cookie,” Khloe Susie said.
REKkers of Stress sold $121.25 of product, paid their investor $15.15 and pocketed $35.36 per person.
“We thought we wouldn’t get anyone to invest with us,” Ruby Susie said.
An added lesson for the entrepreneurs is that they paid taxes on their goods and services, which Gehrke estimated would comprise about half their profits.