Students partner with community businesses to solve local problems
Entrepreneurs at Waconia High School worked directly with local businesses to solve real problems. By the end of their trimester, students in the Start Your Own Business course researched, strategized, and provided recommendations to their community partners.
"We found that there are a lot of things that local business owners want to test but just don’t have the time. This partnership gives local businesses that opportunity while providing students with an authentic real-world experience," said Christine Fenner, Business Education Coordinator.
“It’s not a textbook-structured class where you have tests every couple of weeks. It’s on the kids to figure out the pace and make sure they’re meeting deadlines,” Lee Moen, business instructor at Waconia High School, stated.
For example, students working with Mackenthun’s Fine Foods, which was planning a major store remodel, produced a video encouraging shoppers to give input regarding items that should be included in their new “Grab and Go” section. “Considering that we were just starting our remodel, the results of the survey were very timely,” Jessa Theis of Mackethun’s Fine Foods, said.
Some of the other student groups focused on different issues facing local businesses, such as appealing to the next generation of shoppers—whether it’s a hardware store or a clothing boutique.
Students working with Everson’s Hardware Hank came up with ideas to engage younger shoppers by offering how-to seminars and make-and-take classes. The ideas were so successful that staff at Everson’s Hardware Hank shared their story with the National Retail Hardware Association magazine.
Other students worked with The Stash, a Waconia clothing store, to research fashion trends and create social media marketing strategies. “Having teens tell me what teens want from a clothing store is golden in terms of marketing research,” Summer Jensen, who owns The Stash, said. Students developed the idea to create a “pop-up clothes stand” for Sister Saturday, a retail shopping event in Waconia. The Pretty Little Stash, clothing designed specifically for teens, debuted at the May event.
The Waconia United Food Shelf attributes some of the success of its 64% increase in online donations during their March Match campaign to the work of the students. “We believe that our online fundraising and social media efforts contributed to this increase and are grateful for the support from the students and the community,” Brittney Cole, Waconia United Food Shelf board member, said.