Once upon a time, the Gaelic dragons slayed marketing.

I recently had the pleasure of being asked to speak to the Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig Inbhir Nis P7’s on marketing tips for their exciting ‘Dragons’ Den’ project. The project involved pupils setting up companies which they successfully used to raise money for their upcoming residential trip. Once in place, the businesses would pitch their ideas to the ultimate Dragons… the parents! From there, the parents would ‘invest’ appropriately with their (monopoly) money into the businesses that they felt would be the most profitable.

I was invited to share some top marketing tips with the class that would help the pupils present their ideas to the Dragons and make their businesses the most attractive option for investment. I was greeted by some lovely P7 pupils who welcomed me into the school and took me to their classroom where they were busy creating their presentation boards. The boards were to be used to showcase their business to the Dragons.

I was asked to spend a couple of minutes sharing some pointers with the class on marketing and advise them what would make their business boards stand out. To my shame, my limited Gaelic meant that their morning was spent learning about marketing in English!  To their amusement, I explained that the only thing I knew was how to say was ‘Is mise Louise’ and ‘Tha mi sgith’… 🙈

I used the time to explain a little bit about Yellow Cherry and what my job entails. I then asked the class what they thought marketing was, and they instantly nailed it on the head, telling me it was the action of selling or promoting something.

I then went through what that they needed to keep in mind while thinking about the marketing side of the project:

– What is their goal?

– Who did they think would benefit from the service/product that they were providing?

– What problem does their business solve?

– How best can you share your service/product with your audience?

For their presentation boards, I explained that there were a few ways that they could make their business look and sound attractive. This could be done by featuring a review from a previous customer, asking a question that draws the potential customer in or featuring a statement which catches their attention.

While presenting, it was great to see how interested and engaged the class were with what I had to say.  They listened intently before applying my recommendations to their business boards. Over the course of the morning, I helped each of the five businesses make their boards look the best they could. The pupils were very polite and waited patiently while I helped each group, before asking for my advice on the ideas that they had.

As I moved around the room, hearing about their ideas and plans, it was amazing to see them working together, not just in their group but business to business! Without realising it, the pupils were arranging business partnerships with each other in order to work together and raise more money. It was wonderful to see and I was able to explain to them that this was exactly what businesses did and what partnership meant. One great example of this was if you went to ‘Bakes ‘n’ Makes’ for some cakes, you could get a discount for ‘Buth Nan Sugl’ who were offering fruit smoothies and milkshakes, likewise you could get a free cake from ‘Bakes ‘n’ Makes’ if you bought two smoothies from ‘Buth Nan Sugl’! The future of business is in good hands!

 

 

Over the course of the project, the school invited a range of different professionals to visit the class and explain their industry and job in order to help the pupils set up the businesses. They were even due to have a visit from a seamstress who was going to show the pupils how to sew, particularly helpful for the environmentally friendly ‘Zig Zag’, whose business was creating cushions and scrunchies from recycled fabric!

The P7 class were a great bunch and will be ones to watch in the future as their entrepreneurial capabilities were oozing! It was clear to see how invested and proud they all are of each of the businesses that they created. It was a joy to be able to impart industry knowledge to an eager group of kids.

This was a brilliant experience and so refreshing to see pupils being asked to not only think outside the box, but be given responsibility. A huge thanks to Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig Inbhir Nis for the opportunity.  I had a ball and would be delighted to go back again next year…if you’ll have me that is (I promise I will learn more Gaelic)!

Spoiler alert! Congratulations to ‘Squeaky Cleaners’ who won over the Dragons with their impressive presentation and attention to detail, which included branded business cards, loyalty cards, cone posters and even a partnership with a soap company, ‘Flickers and Bubbles’.

All of the businesses were winners for me, so for that reason, I’m IN!

Photo credit: Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig Inbhir Nis