Student-run businesses showcase products at annual trade fair

Groups of students sold products they created at St. Vital Centre on Saturday as part of Junior Achievement Manitoba's company program.

Some high school students set up shop at St. Vital Centre Saturday offering up everything from fidget devices and colognes to Manitoba-themed board games and gardening kits.

The students manning the tables weren’t only selling the wares at the trade fair – each had a vital in creating the product through Junior Achievement (JA) Manitoba’s Company Program.

“We’ve had a lot of customers today and the interactions have been great,” Prisha Kumar, a J.H. Bruns student, told CTV News. “We’ve learned so much and ways we can improve.”

For the past four months, Kumar has served as vice-president of finances for a board game company called Inkspire.

“I’ve learned so much about business,” Kumar, who wants to attend the Asper School of Business after graduation, said. “It takes a lot of work and a lot of teamwork to get a business going.”

Inkspire was one of 11 teams presenting their finished products at the trade fair. In total, 221 students from across the province participated in the event.

The JA Manitoba Company Program teaches students about entrepreneurship and what it takes to launch a small business.

“Students come together as a group and they’ll identify who the executives are,” Jeanette Bergmann, JA Manitoba’s company program manager, told CTV News.

Bergmann said executives address areas like finance, marketing, web design, health and safety, and human resources. Volunteer mentors help train students in their newfound positions.

Once those roles are carved out, the teams get to work designing a product and building a business plan for a successful launch over a 22-week period.

“So they’ve got to order stuff, get it in on time, and then they’ll create their product,” Bergmann explained. “They have to do their packaging, their marketing.”

The end result is items like Inkspire’s Maniquest, a trivia game featuring Manitoba landmarks.

“It’s a great way to get off of technology and just have some family time,” Prisha Kumar said.

Other products featured at the trade fair included a fidget device called Stresslax by Team Sensosphere.

“It’s essentially like a squishy ball,” Hassan Shahzad, Sensosphere’s vice-president of sales, told CTV News. “As soon as you squish, all of your stress and anxiety releases.”

Shahzad said Stresslax is different from similar products because it’s scented.

“It comes in two different scents – citrus and lavender,” Shahzad explained.

He said the company also offers a non-scented version from people with sensitivities or allergies.

“It runs for a lifetime,” Shahzad added. “It can never break and the smell never goes away. You can even wash it and the smell will still last.”

Shahzad said he’s learned numerous lessons about business and responsibility through JA Manitoba – and hopes the experience will help him get into the University of Toronto’s Rotman Commerce program following high school.

“There are quite a variety of takeaways,” Jeanette Bergmann said. “Students learn what’s it like to succeed, and how to handle success.”

She added the program also teaches students how solve problems and build self-confidence.

“By the end of the program, they’re just bursting,” Bergmann said. “They’re confident about their product, they’ve made a new group of friends. So it’s solid.”

A second JA Manitoba Trade will be held on March 29 at Kildonan Place Shopping Centre from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.