“Each year I ask students to keep a diary for a week, not on what they are doing, but problems they have encountered along the way, both themselves and people around them. This helps with the idea generation process.

I continue to teach the programme and not dwell on the idea generation stage as some years I’ve found I got bogged down on what they are doing rather than how they could do it”.

“Give students time. Give them YOUR time.

Innovation and entrepreneurial thinking does not just happen. Allow students time to think big, explore new ideas, and think outside the box. Let them follow their curiosity and play with possibilities. Avoid the temptation to rush for a quick fix idea. Be patient. Allow the magic of student creativity to develop. The wait is so often worth it.

Support them as a mentor and co-creator. Give generously with your presence and attention. Lead by example, show what’s possible, and help them take their first steps. Be there to brainstorm, troubleshoot, and celebrate small wins. Students will rise to your level of investment”.

“To be successful in business, you need to be able to see the light at the end of a pitch black tunnel”.

“Adapt & Innovate – If something isn’t working, be flexible and try new approaches”.

“Start with a clear value proposition—know exactly what problem you are solving and why your product or service stands out. Many businesses fail because they try to be everything to everyone. Instead, focus on a specific target market, understand their needs deeply, and offer something unique that differentiates you from competitors”.

“Take your time in the idea generation stage. Allow students time to develop their concept, to conduct a SWOT analysis and consider their Unique selling point.

Allow it to be a teaching moment as much as a competition entry”.

My top tip is for student enterprise is to always ask the question, the worst thing that somebody can say is no.

“This year my students asked a very well known entrepreneur to try their product through instagram and she said yes.

Another group met the lord mayor after reaching out and he supported their business.

We are an all girls school where technology subjects are just beginning to be piloted, but we have no resources yet. This would be an amazing prize for the school”.

“My best tip I use for students running an enterprise is to let them know that a product/service that solves a problem is more likely to succeed.

I then show them pictures of what life was like maybe 5/10/15 years ago and what products have improved our standard of living e.g. people losing their luggage – invention of AirTags/smartphones getting bigger and sometimes difficult to hold- invention of pop sockets.

Some of the activities I use are:

1. Get them to reflect on their average day from waking up to going to sleep. I ask them to write a list of what annoys them or what could make their life a little easier.

2. I then ask them to think about what they hear their friends/family/community about (this year some students said people were always saying the chairs in the science lab were really uncomfortable – from that they started to sketch solutions to that problem).

I think students get a bit overwhelmed that they have to invent something completely new that’s never been heard of. I aim to teach them that innovation could be a taking a product that already exists and maybe changing the design/function/packaging etc to appeal to a certain target market”.