Western Region Sweeps National Competitions!

The Western Region conquered the national competitions across the board at YBS! We know the hard work, time, and effort it took to get to nationals and taking the top places is an incredible feat. Congratulations to the Top 5 National Business Plan winners:

First Place

Go Gather

Centennial High School

Second Place

Food4Thought

Bakersfield High School

Third Place

The Eco Depot

Ridgeview High School

Fourth Place

Social Shield

Bloomington High School

Fifth Place

Neo

San Juan Hills High School

So, what is the driving force for success in the National Business Plan competition?

“I believe that the driving force for our success this year was having a clear goal, a growth mindset, and a willingness to adapt and evolve as we learned from feedback and experience”
Vaishvi JoshiCEO of GoGather

“I think to be successful in the Business Plan competition you have to put in a lot of hard work! It does not come easy. But with hard work, comes much reward and success. This team worked exceptionally hard; they had the competitive spirit, the grit, the drive, and the determination to do well in the competition”
Jaci ElliottVE Facilitator Centennial High School

“For me, the driving force of success in the business plan competition was not only winning, but learning. It was important for my team and I that, throughout all of our competitions, we were continually learning and evolving our business”
Elle DwyerCEO of Food4Thought

“It takes a special group that is willing to sacrifice time, cooperate, and compromise for the good of the team. Of course, it’s also about the business itself. The most successful teams have an enthusiasm and passion for their company, but they also acknowledge the potential criticisms or objections and strive to overcome”
Ryker SolanoVE Facilitator Bakersfield High School

“I believe that the driving force for our success in the National Business Plan competition was our team’s collective passion for our program, firm, and presentation”
Isabella MurilloCEO of Social Shield

“The driving force was the passion of 5 students that believed in themselves, the product and the belief that the product was a need within the current market”
Robin BucklesVE Facilitator Bloomington High School

“I believe that we have had success in the National Business Plan competition because our students bought into the process from day 1. Teri Jones explained to us that you need to really know your business inside and out in order to do well in the business plan presentation, especially the question round. This year our students took that to heart and found a wholesale producer that would make a perfect partner. They reached out using LinkedIn and were able to arrange a Zoom meeting with one of the founders. I believe this research provided a more realistic approach to building our VE business and led to our business plan team gaining a deeper understanding of the business”
Jeremey WootenVE Facilitator San Juan Hills High School