March 03, 2023

The Rawlins County High School Entrepreneurship Fair was held on Wednesday, March 1st. There were eleven teams with a total of seventeen students that competed in the challenge. The event is sponsored by NetWork Kansas and Rawlins County Economic Development. Each team had a chance to present their business to a group of five selected judges and answer questions from the judges as well. Each judge scored each business based off of their presentation and their overall business plan. The students had the opportunity to earn up to $2,100 in prizes, along with the option to complete a course from Kansas State University and receive an additional $50.

The students learned the basics of what it takes to start a business and how to pitch a business to possible investors. They ran financials for their business, which included their start up costs, profit projections, business structures, and all the different components to start a successful business. 

First place winner Josh Popp shared, ”The ability to learn what it takes to create a business that is both profitable and beneficial to the community was great. I learned how to turn a basic idea into a viable business plan. I enjoyed the journey of creating a business piece by piece.” 

Joshua Popp will move onto the State Competition at Kansas State on April 20th. All the businesses that competed are always eligible to submit their business for up to 15 wildcard positions. Winners of those wildcards will be announced on March 27th. 

Prizes

•  1st - $750 - Bike Rack: Joshua Popp

•  2nd - $500 - Thrift Flip: Payton Smith & Pete Crouse

•  3rd - $250 - Tacos Locos: Jayden Ashford & Emma Draper

• Honorable Mention - $100 - Salad Plus: Ella Horinek

•  Ready To Launch - $100 - Punchy Bijoux: Autumn Mullen & Antoinette Brungardt

•  Best Trade Show - $100 - Endless Flame: Abby Micek & Michaela Rippe

•  Best Executive Summary - $100 - Bike Rack: Joshua Popp

•  Community Focused - Zen Arts - $100: Karizma Romme & Charity Engle

•  Most Creative - Thrift Flip - $100: Payton Smith & Pete Crouse