They were the words which earned Otago Girls’ High School pupil Olivia Edmonds a place at the recent annual New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Entrepreneurs in Action workshop in Wellington.
Olivia, a year 12 student, was the only representative from Otago in the 60-strong attendance from secondary schools from around the country. The workshop is an extension of the nationwide Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) which has been running since 1981.
Her sales pitch, used in the early-stages of the 2023 YES programme, led to her business studies teacher Duncan Trickey recommending her for the workshop — where Olivia learned a great deal about her personality.
The 60 attending were divided into 10 teams of six and to ensure there was a balance of personalities in each combination, a specific quiz was set where their characters and temperaments were identified as those of an eagle, a peacock, a dove or an owl.
Those with the traits of an eagle are assertive, confident and have the ability to lead like a CEO; peacocks are seen as social and excitement seekers; doves are friendly and empathetic; and owls are regarded as smart, wise, and logical.
Olivia was the only one of the attendees who scored identically in two of the categories — an eagle and a peacock.
The teams each presented two business cases using Maori trading principles — kaitiakitanga (management and sustainability), whanaungatanga (relationships) and manaakitanga (wellbeing, relationships and growing the integrity of others). Succinct business plans were put together, and a pitch delivered to both a live audience and a panel of specialist judges.
Pupils were supported in their challenges by industry experts, reflecting real-life scenarios where engaging with relevant and knowledgeable stakeholders to make accurate decisions is a business staple.
"The personality quiz really worked. We never argued once," Olivia said of her team, where she joined students from Central Hawke’s Bay, Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington and Manawatu.
Being part of a team was a different experience for her, having joined YES at Otago Girls’ this year in an individual capacity.
"I like working alone. It’s different being part of a team and certainly easier than working solo.
"Going to the workshop was really valuable for me and has inspired me to go further with business. The experience is great for teenagers and taught me a lot of things about business that I haven’t learned at school," she said.
Her YES project at Otago Girls’ is the development of proTeen, a specialised protein and nutritional powder which adds a nutrient boost to a "busy teenager’s lifestyle."
"I was inspired to establish this business because of my personal interest in playing sports and going to the gym regularly, but also to solve my energy and hunger problems. I found that even though I ate, I still needed extra food."
She has had discussions with the department of Human Nutrition at the University of Otago about the best ingredients and proportions for her powder and, among others, has talked to the owners of supplement shop Xplosiv in Dunedin about sourcing the ingredients.
Going to market is the next step in the 2023 YES programme.
Olivia had not decided what her future aspirations were, but she said she was keen to study business further and would almost certainly look to attend university after her final year at Otago Girls’ in 2024.
