LT students win funding for business proposal

Would you purchase a new and improved plush neck pillow or an organic avocado and honey mask or maybe you’d like a delicious vegan chocolate chip brownie recipe? All these ideas and more were presented by Lyons Township High School students to a panel of local businessmen and entrepreneurs.
Students in LT’s Introduction to Business classes recently pitched ideas for a variety of businesses, a project modeled after the popular television show, Shark Tank. The students pitched their products, showed the “sharks” their prototype and explained their marketing strategies and financial components.
Three finalists presented at the LaGrange Business Association meeting last week. The winning group, sophomores Angelina Godinez and Kiley Durkin, both of LaGrange, and their Plush Pillow idea won over the sharks and will receive marketing, financial and promotional support so they can sell their product.
According to Angelina Godinez, “Portable Plush is a new and improved travel pillow providing double the support. Our pillows are offered in adult and kid sizes, are made of super soft anti-pill fleece and filled with royal-silk fiberfill stuffing. The pillows are offered in numerous colors and designs to meet the desires of our wide range of consumers. The pillow has a circular head rest connected to two neck pads to provide support on both sides. The two neck pads connect with long stripes of velcro to allow personalized fitting. All pillows are handmade and sewn with passion for a better, new future for travel pillows.”
The winning team will receive a Corporate Identity Kit Package valued at $5,000 and includes logo, business card and letterhead design and more.
The project required students to work in pairs over approximately five weeks and develop a business plan based on a product or service of their own design. The students’ business plans included an executive summary, company description, objective for the business, a marketing plan and financial information. The project also had to detail the cost of goods, selling price, and estimated net income or net loss for the first quarter, as well as a partnership agreement. The business plan project culminated when the students presented their plans to a panel of “sharks.”
Business teacher Greg Gerritsen said, “My hope is that the students were able to gain an understanding of how a business plan has such a large impact on the success of the company.”