By Jackson McGraw/reporter
Posh Paws produced an entrepreneurial business plan that won them the championship of all Business Principles classes on NW Campus April 21.
The three-member group received a $300 gift certificate to the campus bookstore to split among themselves.
The Posh Paws — Aron Bush, Brian Gill and Julian Peoples — were put in a group at random and expected to complete the task at hand.
As in the real world, people do not always get to decide who they work with, but they must figure out a way to be successful or face serious repercussions, said Hank Johnson, NE continuing education coordinator and one of the judges.
“Starting a business is a lot of hard work, especially with only three guys,” Peoples said.
But through work, these men swept the competition.
The judges for the event were Johnson, Stephanie Sipho, TCC corporate services coordinator; and Mike Brasovan, chief executive officer of THG Energy Solutions.
Bush attributed their win to one key factor.
“We had a very unique and different idea than any of the other teams,” he said. “Our business plan also allowed us to reach a much larger market than many of the other teams.”
The Posh Paws proposed creating a pet grooming salon that could provide unique and affordable pet care. Along with their store site, they would also offer mobile grooming by going to customers’ homes.
They also proposed AgriCuts, a smaller branch of the larger Posh Paws Company. AgriCuts would allow them to groom anything from cows to chickens. This permitted Posh Paws to increase clientele as well as provide an attractive advantage for their customers.
Near the beginning of the semester, the four NW Business Principles classes were given a group project to complete within two months. The task was to start a hypothetical business dealing with any type of salon.
The students had the freedom to interpret “salon” however they would like as long as their ideas did not come from an existing franchise.
Once the students had completed their projects, they competed against teams from their own classrooms. After a winner was decided for each class, those teams competed against the other class winners.
Jennifer DuPlessis, the Posh Paws’ instructor, said she was thrilled to see them win.
“This group of young men definitely exceeded my expectations,” she said. “I am very proud of them.”
