Twenty-five students competed at the 2020 Ellis County Youth Entrepreneur Challenge on March 10.

The event was held at BriefSpace on West 10th St. with setup starting at 8 a.m.

After introductions and a welcoming statement from those in charge of the event, individuals started presenting their business ideas.

The contestants presented in the following order:

To compete in the event, individuals in instructor Silas Hibbs’s Entreprenuership class completed extensive preparation.

“We spent about nine weeks on the project,” Brull said. “My project consisted of a two-page executive summary, a one-page elevator pitch, a poster board, a website and a four-minute speech.”

The executive summary included specific details about the company, including marketing, business structure, financials, target market and pricing.

During the event, the poster boards were on display, and the entrepreneurs presented their four-minute speech for three different judges with judges being able to ask clarifying questions at the conclusion of the presentation.

This event was not limited to second semester Entrepreneurship students.

“I had Entrepreneurship first semester,” Brull said. “About a week before the event, HIbbs asked me if I wanted to compete, and I said sure.”

After all the presentations, judges deliberated and wrapped up their scoring before presenting awards around 12:30 p.m.

In first place was Alexander with her Holiday Impressions company. In second place was Werth with Cattle.Online and in third place was Brull with BrullDoughzer.

Alexander received a $700 check, a $200 check for “Ready to Launch” and a ticket to the state Youth Entrepreneur Challenge, which was cancelled due to Covid-19 concerns.

Brull said she gained valuable skills through the competition.

“I was able to practice my memorization, presenting and public speaking skills,” Brull said. “The judges provided excellent feedback. It was also fun getting to walk around and see other projects.”

For Alexander, this competition helped her discover her enthusiasm for entrepreneurship.

“I learned that entrepreneurship is a passion of mine,” Alexander said. “I really enjoyed working independently on my presentation and the executive summary. I have decided that I want to pursue the business field into college and later in life.”

21afeyerherm@usd489.com