Aspiring entrepreneurs brave Dragons’ Den in online event

@barnsleycollege – Aspiring entrepreneurs brave Dragons’ Den in online event 

Barnsley College Business students have been testing their entrepreneurial skills by facing a panel of ‘dragons’ with their business pitches. 

Taking place entirely on Microsoft Teams, the event was designed to encourage the students to formulate a business idea, write a business a plan and execute the perfect funding pitch. 

Each pitch was managed by a small group of students and included business aims and activities, a marketing plan, market research and SWOT analysis. The two teams’ million-dollar ideas included an eco-friendly and fully customisable plant pot business, and an elegant wedding planning agency. 

Mara Birsa, a Level 3 student studying for a BTEC National Foundation Diploma in Business, said: “Dragons’ Den was like a dream come true. The event was a competition in which, together with the team, we had to make a plan for our own business; it gave us the opportunity to put ourselves in the place of some entrepreneurs.  

“In this competition, we realised the importance of teamwork, the fact that we must listen to the opinions of others and take them into account. The most important thing we learned was how to create a business plan which is essential if, someday, we want to open our own businesses. That really helped us develop our creativity and imagination.” 

Liam Garside, Tutorial Team Leader for Business, Warehousing and Logistics and one of the presiding Dragons, added: “This event was a great way for our students to develop key employability skills for the future. It aimed to develop communication skills, teamwork and confidence. In turn, this has had an impact on their performance in modules such as event planning, marketing and enterprise. 

“Persuasive language and good presentation delivery also played an important role during this task. These are key practical skills that we continuously instil in students to prepare them to enter and flourish in the business sector.”