FOCUS

When I walked into the building of Robert Half International, I did not know what to expect.  I knew very little about what Junior Achievement was.  All I knew was that I had to create a business plan.  I am not a creative person so I knew that this would be a struggle for me.

When I walked into the room, students from various high schools were seated at tables.  I was given a name tag and group number and I sat down with my assigned group.  I was uncomfortable since I did not know the people in my group.  I felt more comfortable when my friend Kylee joined my group. I am a shy person so being with a friend when I am surrounded by strangers really helps me.

After hearing a few speakers, we were given our group assignment.  We had to create a business plan for an innovation that would help correct a social issue.  The JA officials told us that we would have to create a powerpoint and present our invention to a group.  This made my stomach fill up with butterflies since I did not feel comfortable with presenting to large audiences.  

After receiving our assignment, my two partners and I walked into our assigned conference room so that our brainstorming could begin. I hoped and prayed that my partners were creative since I had no ideas for an invention that could help society.  After two hours of deliberation about possible inventions, my partners and I decided upon a product called FOCUS. FOCUS, friendly operating cellular utility sensor, would use a sensor which would be placed underneath the seat of the driver, which would then connect to a mobile application on the drivers phone. With the pairing of the sensor and application, the application would disable the text messaging application so that the driver could not text and drive.  Texting and driving is a huge problem in our country that injures and kills thousands every day.

An entrepreneur walked into our conference room and helped us with our powerpoint and presentation.  He gave us many ideas and tips so that our presentation could be a success.  I enjoyed working with this mentor and my two partners and I also learned a lot about the business industry.

My group was the first one to present.  I was nervous at first, but as I continued to talk, the butterflies began to disappear. I started feeling more and more confident.  My partners and I did an amazing presentation.  It was so good that our invention made it to the finals.  We had to present our invention to a board of entrepreneurs and other business men, as well as to every student that attended the convention.  I felt as if I was in the television show, "Shark Tank", as they were asking difficult questions regarding our product. We finished our final presentation feeling good about ourselves.  We had answered all of the judges questions with ease as well as presented without any mistakes.  However, our invention wasn't good enough since our product did not make it to the top three.  Although we didn't win, I am very proud of my group and myself for being brave enough to present to the large audience and for coming up with such a great business plan.

I learned a lot at this JA convention.  I learned about what it is like to be an entrepreneur.  I also learned how to think outside of the box. I learned that I am a good public speaker and that I should always be confident in myself while I'm doing presentations.  This was a great experience for me and I would love to be part of this type of event again in the future.