5 Steps on:
Presenting & Advocating for Your Spirit Box
Before you make a pitch to your administration for your Spirit box, it is important to do your research and create a plan. Joining the Spirit Box community is an investment that is important to think through. It is not easy starting a business, especially in a high school environment so we have broken it down into four steps that are paired with lessons, activities, PowerPoints, and articles to help you get started.
There are four steps to help you prepare a pitch to your school or district; complete market research, competitive research, assess cost and funding, and write a business plan.
1. Market research
Demand: present how there is a desire for the Spirit Box
Market size: present how many people would be interested in your offering
Location: present where you would like to place your Spirit Box
Market saturation: explain your competition and how your Spirit Box compares
Pricing: explain the price and how you plan to have a return on your investment. What kind of pricing will you have within your Spirit Box?
2. Competitive research
Studying the competition helps you choose the most viable and innovative tactics and best practices. This helps your business create and maintain a competitive advantage with a strong potential for profit.
3. Cost and funding
The most popular question administrators will ask is: what is the cost? How will you fund it? Come prepared to answer these questions. A great tactic to identify your costs is to reverse engineer your business. This means, start at the finish line and work your way backwards. Imagine that your business is open and running. The next step is to outline funding options. Is your Spirit Box going to be CTE funded, school funded, district funded, or self funded?
4. Writing your business plan
Your principal or administrators want to see that you have a plan for your Spirit Box business. Whether it is Spirit Box or any start up it is important to have a plan. Whether you have a traditional business plan or a business model canvas, it is necessary to think through the details of your business.
5. Preparing your presentation
Know your audience and tell them a story that will engage them. Don't create a text-rich, picture-poor presentation. Keep your presentation concise and easy to follow along with you as you present.
Practice practice practice! Do practice your presentation till you know the material. Do not only memorize what you are going to say. It is important to communicate the information and your ‘ask’ to your administration clearly.
Know your material and try to anticipate the kinds of questions your audience might have and be prepared with answers.
Spirit Box information to help you prepare your presentation:
Inventory Starter Pack Breakdown