This is the fourth in a series on Comcast Business and its work with Junior Achievement. For a look at the previous article, click here.

We’re starting to get into the swing of things with our Comcast Business Junior Achievement Company Program. Last week, the students put their creative muscles to work, thinking of product ideas and narrowing down their choices. This week, they vetted their top two ideas and decided on a single product to pursue. I won’t go into great detail about the product the students ultimately chose to focus on – we’ll save that for a big reveal later on – but I will say the students are passionate about keeping folks warm in the cold winter months.

During our session, we had the students consider the viability of their proposed products. For example, was there sufficient supply available to make the product? Was there sufficient need for the product? What would the end product look like? Once they had a chance to think through these and other questions, we encouraged the students to either “pivot or persevere.” Surprisingly, the students arrived at a decision fairly quickly regarding which product to pursue. This could be a boon for the entire project as the students need to start selling shares of their company for seed money and they’ll have a chance to get a “sell sheet” together before they see friends and family over the holidays.

Throughout this process, some of the students were still a bit reluctant to verbalize their opinions, so the mentor team looked for opportunities to bring them out of their shells. Presentation skills are extremely valuable in the business world and will be key when we get to the end of the JA Company Program when our students will compete in the regional JA Company of the Year Competition.

In our next session, we’ll break the students into functional teams/“business units” so they can start building a strategy and a structure for the company. We’ll break them up according to each person’s characteristics, approach, experience and social style, and hopefully give them some experience in a field that aligns with their “dream job” of the future.

Read Week 5