Last week in Silver Creek Area CEO, we talked about what it means to dive into your first business venture. Our students need professional name badges to wear throughout the year, so they are using that need as an opportunity to create and run their own Badge Business. They are developing the plan, figuring out the production and costs, determining pricing and working through the many decisions that come with starting a real business.

After coming back from the weekend, the students started our morning by giving updates on the plans they’ve been developing, the work they’ve completed and what still needs to happen to move their business forward.

Part of CEO is learning how to pitch. All year long, these students will be pitching ideas, asking questions, presenting their businesses and trying to convince someone else that their idea is worth considering. Sometimes they’ll have plenty of time to prepare. Other times, they’ll need to think quickly, organize their thoughts and speak with confidence with very little preparation.

So yesterday, we practiced.

I sent them to their cars and told them to bring back a completely random item. They had just five minutes to come up with a persuasive sales pitch.

Charlie was practicing his pitch for a retractable phone charger and had so much confidence that he volunteered to go first. That alone made me smile.

And then the creativity started coming. Chloe walked in carrying a small toolbox, but that wasn’t what she was selling. She turned it into a “mystery box” containing anywhere from $20 to $1,000 worth of mystery items. She wouldn’t open it. She was selling the mystery for $50. Creative, unique and definitely not the pitch I would have expected from a toolbox.

Nick took a completely different approach with his multi-purpose tool, which included jumper cables, an air pump and a flashlight. Rather than focusing on all the individual features, he built his pitch around two things people could immediately understand: safety and convenience.

There was plenty of laughter along the way, too. Chris attempted to sell a flat iron that had belonged to his mother, while Gentry made a strong case for owning “the coolest sunglasses ever.”

And then Brina absolutely nailed her pitch. Her voice carried across the room with a confidence and projection that made me stop and smile. It was one of those moments when you can see a student beginning to find their voice.

Those moments mattered.

Because the item wasn’t really the point.

The point was what happened when 22 students were told, “You have five minutes. Figure it out.”

They had to organize their thoughts quickly. They had to decide what mattered about their product and who might actually want it. Then they had to stand in front of their classmates and deliver a persuasive pitch.

They practiced projecting their voices. They practiced eye contact. They practiced portraying confidence. They practiced thinking on their feet. And maybe most importantly, they practiced stepping into an uncomfortable situation and doing it anyway.

We will do a lot of pitching this year. They will pitch ideas. They’ll pitch their businesses. They’ll pitch themselves.

Sometimes they’ll have a polished presentation and plenty of time to prepare. Sometimes they’ll have five minutes.

Yesterday, they learned that they can do a lot with five minutes.

The products were random. The lesson wasn’t.

We’re building confidence, one pitch at a time.