On March 11, 2017, Molloy College held its pilot Shark Tank Competition for Teens on Long Island. I was fortunate enough to be a part of the Shark Tank competition and present before a well-respected and diverse panel of judges. Nine extremely successful individuals presented to us prior to the competition presentation. Each presenter spoke about their achievements, and the challenges they overcame to attain their credible and renowned success. Discussion of key components regarding branding yourself and how important your enthusiasm for your product should be, gave invaluable advice on simply “being yourself.” In the business world there are many successful individuals that seek to dominate or overpower those under them through rejection or negative feedback. Persistence and consistency were the biggest takeaways from the seminar. You not only need to believe in your product but believe in yourself. While your product may be what you are selling, YOU are what you are presenting.
Throughout the course of the day, workshops were conducted to allow each student to understand the specifics of developing an ‘elevator pitch’ before presenting their ideas to the judges. In the business world, an ‘elevator pitch’ is essentially a persuasive sales “speech” that takes at least 30-90 seconds to pitch. Rehearsals for the elevator pitches were intense but provided great criticisms and feedback. I was the designated CEO [employer] for the session and had the privilege to interview my fellow competitors. In listening to their pitches, it was my role to question them as though it were a real interview being conducted. What seemed to be a thematic problem was the eye contact and fluidity of their presentation to me. This is a small disadvantage the digital world ensues with its excessive use.
In a world of Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter, [social media] marketing has become a universal talent almost anyone can attain with the use of a cell phone. Anyone can have access to these tools for marketing that took many people, years of school to understand. Now, it’s at the tip of their fingers. However, while social media may be the ultimate communicative platform for international audiences, high schoolers need to be aware that face-to-face communications still exist. Through the use of an elevator pitch, teens are exposed to a method of consolidating their ideas into a concise and clear manner, opposed to writing 140 character long rants on Twitter. The physical interaction is was technology deprives them of in life. By introducing youth to newer approaches like an elevator pitch, they are broadening their horizons to other things other than sitting behind a screen.
The effectiveness of this competition and the encompassing lessons shared by the distinguished entrepreneurs were definitely immeasurable and successful as a pilot competition. The encouragement for teens to pursue an idea or passion from an early age is highly recommended and with the right guidance, can do nothing but sky rocket.
