'Geomuttric' off to a Flying Start

One of our Year 9 BiG Challenge teams, ‘Geomuttric’, have won the brilliant business opportunity to sell their products at one of the UK’s best markets, Moor Market, as part of the Flying Start awards.

The BiG Challenge is an enterprise competition where pupils aged 11-19 form and operate businesses with the objective of making as much profit as possible in five months, and the Flying Start awards recognise teams that have had a successful start-up. The challenge is designed to encourage entrepreneurship, leadership skills, teamwork and creativity from a young age. Any profit can be used to fund the business, be kept by the team or donated to a charity of choice, such as ‘Geomuttric’ giving 20% of all profit to Helping Yorkshire Poundies to save dogs from death row.

For ‘Geomuttric’ to win the Flying Start award they have already made exceptional progress on the criteria teams are judged on: profit, ideas and methods used, teamwork, use of external networks and resources, marketing and communication, potential beyond the time frame of the BiG Challenge, and the team’s enthusiasm.

Described by The Independent as ‘the Borough market of the north’, Moor Market hosts more than 90 independent businesses and is always buzzing with customers. ‘Geomuttric’ will have an astounding boost to their business by selling their products on a stall in the heart of the expansive, constantly bustling marketplace.

The team’s products include handmade geometric art of a variety of dogs, printed on coasters, keyrings and displayed in frames aimed at pet-owners who love their pooch. They’re already flying off the shelves, with the team having great success earlier this month selling at Yorkshire Bank in Fargate, Sheffield, and making a huge £68 in profit, which is only set to increase with this Flying Start opportunity.

Millie and Anya of ‘Geomuttric’ are now planning to jump on the Christmas craze and produce all new cards featuring a wide variety of breeds such as ‘Cheeky Chihuahuas’, ‘Jumpy Jack Russells’ and ‘Waggy Westies’. Other teams are also joining in on the festivities and preparing their own all-new Christmas ranges. ‘Ace’ are selling snowmen, Christmas tree and wreath cards with button designs, ‘Genesis’ are developing Christmas tree decorations made from recycled cups and ‘Lavender Co have just launched their organic Christmas Cinnamon bath bombs.

The FOSH Christmas Fair will be held in the Sports Hall on Friday 30 November, where pupils, parents and friends of the school will be welcome to come along and see what fun and festive products the BiG Challenge teams have to offer.