Team Tech-Ex is going International!
Eleven students from Ysgol Bryn Elian, Colwyn Bay sat round a table back in September to discuss a new enterprise that they could begin through Young Enterprise Wales. Six months on and the students will be the only school representing Wales in the ‘Innovative Business 2017’ competition in Lithuania next week. They began by sharing their interests in technology and how products have helped them through their everyday routines and what was missing. Through their primary research they discovered 4 products; a cable tidy, a keyring speaker, a car charger for phones and a battery power bank. The students gave themselves a range of roles and have attended trade fairs in Colwyn Bay and Broughton as well as selling through their website. Through the hard work and determination they soon broke even and have raised almost £900 in revenue on these unique products ranging from £2.50 through to £10.
The business plan for going forward was produced to develop their marketing techniques by using virtual reality and augmented reality to give the customer a unique shopping experience. The students have now developed and produced their own products using the schools 3D printer. They are currently in the process of manufacturing portable phone holders that incorporates a cable management system, phone holder and speaker with the teams logo built in (as seen below).
Rees Sheldon of Ysgol Bryn Elian has shared his views of the team’s chances “I think our chances in Lithuania are high because we are confident, presentable and likeable. We will encourage customers to visit our stand and I think that we have a really good product to sell.”
Scott Lawley added “I think we are a very innovative business with our products and I would like to see us develop our product range but we are really pleased with how the new speaker stand has come out. I have improved my ICT knowledge through developing the website, and have gained a lot of confidence from selling as I have never had experience of that.”
The project could not have been possible without the support of family and friends to invest in the company to begin, and as a consequence of the excellent work by the team, financial support from Macbryde Homes, Albion Vaults and Gaia.
I am extremely proud of the team for their commitment to the enterprise and the success it has brought. The team’s structure and ability to work for each other has been key. I am excited to see their progress on the International stage and will be aiming to stream the event live on 23rd march from 8am through the teams twitter feed @techextra2016.
