A challenging project focused on real risks and rewards, under the guidance of teacher Cath Jeffery the year 10 students have created their own products or services to sell to the general public at an Otho Street stall on December 14.

“You think of a problem, something that you want to fix,” Bella Youman explained.

“We had to create a business plan which really showed how much you really have to think about it before you actually start.”

From a catering business to art lessons for youngsters, the ideas are as diverse as their creators. 

Imogen McDonald tackled sustainable living with her business Nurture Nature Reusables, which focuses on alternatives for single-use plastic items. Creating washable drawstring produce bags and reusable beeswax wraps to replace cling wrap, Imogen had to calculate the costs of her materials and labour.

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“They were quite high, higher than I expected, but lower than what other retail shops sell them for,” she said.

Orrick Youll and Mikeely Knight encountered several obstacles in their t-shirt business Arid, from choosing a name and logo, to the time consuming process of cutting out stencils and screen printing the design.

“We had to iron each shirt for three minutes each to set it. That was a bit of a shock afterwards,” Mikeely said. 

“That put in quite a bit of labour time.”

The pair are determined to make a profit, with 10 per cent of their proceeds from the $20 shirts going towards Rural Aid’s Buy a Bale campaign. Mikeely said she loved learning about business plans and having the opportunity to put the funds towards a good cause.

“It was really inspiring to work with someone else and accept their ideas and work with them and get it all together as a team in the end,” she said.

Tanya Nasti and Georgia Lyell also found working as a team rewarding, pairing up for their catering business. They will take orders at the class’ market stall, to be delivered to customers afterwards.

“We’re doing butter chicken, some cupcakes and I’m doing some pasta, some tiramisu and some quiche,” Tanya said. She joined with Georgia after her first business idea fell through, and the duo is looking forward to putting their cooking talents to good use. 

Finding materials with low overheads were a concern for Bella and Jenn Knight. Jenn created a not-for-profit service teaching art to children, and found that collecting and using natural materials was perfect for creating nature-themed artwork at a low cost. 

Bella had to collect several materials to create a line of natural body scrubs, lip scrubs and essential oil for her business Belle-uminate. 

“The main idea of it is the natural, essential oil thing. So I use peppermint to relieve headaches and then there’s lemon grass and lavender, which is stress relieving,” she said.

“I have to make all the body scrubs and I have to get all the coffee grinds. Some will be coffee-based and some will be sugar-based.”

She said she enjoyed creating something she knew others would want to buy.

The Horizons class will be selling their wares at a pop-up stall in front of Inverell Newsagents on Otho Street between 11.30am and 1.30pm on Thursday, December 14. To learn more about the project, follow the Horizons Business Stalls Facebook page. 

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