ROC Small Business Entrepreneurship students had the special opportunity to meet with one-on-one with nine local business people as part of the 21st Annual ROC Olympics competition. Each student has launched his or her own business and this was the day they were able to gain real-world insight into their efforts.

 

The schoolwide event allows students within each of ROC's 27 program areas to compete with their classmates. For the Small Business students that meant presenting their business plan to the coaches.

 

In a "speed dating" format, students had 6 minutes to share their business model, marketing, income and expenses, and plans for growing their business with each coach prior to rotating to the next coach.

 

In that short time period the coaches were able to ask probing questions of and give meaningful business insights to the students on how to improve upon their business. Students will be tasked with implementing these improvements over the final 8 weeks of the semester.

 

The nine community business volunteers, after meeting with 16 different business teams, were asked to select the three with whom they were most impressed. After 20 minutes of deliberating, they selected:

 

GOLD  Temia William's Teens Helping Teens

SILVER   David Castillo's Castillo's Granite and Marble

BRONZE  Kat Maroney's Kathryn's Face Painting

 

Program manager Michael Russo commented on how appreciative he was of our local business coaches taking time to participate in this activity as well as praising his students for the preparation and care they put into their business presentations and their efforts to-date.