The Junior Entrepreneur Project (JEP)
The Junior Entrepreneur project has been a great hit in our 5th classes over the past few years. The JEP project nurtures creativity, independence and problem-solving among pupils of all abilities, with every aspect of the programme seamlessly blending into the primary school curriculum.
Taking inspiration from local entrepreneurs at our Dragon’s Den event, our classes discover their strengths as individuals and as part of a team. Together, they choose, invest in and produce their own product from scratch, all the way to making it available for sale at our JEP Showcase Day – and most importantly, enjoying the profits at the end!
JEP 2024-2025
This year we had two 5th classes who participated in the JEP project. The first highlight of the year was the Dragon’s Den event. We invited 3 inspirational and business-minded Dragons to help us make the final decision - Eilis Carroll from Leinster Property Consultants, Conor O’Brien from O’Briens Stationery and our very own Mrs. O’Malley! After a lot of deliberation and excellent product pitches, our Dragons decided on one mini business idea per class.
Perfect Pouches
In Ms Sullivan’s class, the big idea was ‘Perfect Pouches’, canvas pouches with multi-coloured zips. The girls designed them using iron on heat transfers. They used pre-order forms to take personalised pre-orders with names etc. while also creating a range of themed pouches to buy on our sales day. The themes included football, BFFs, positive quotes, paw prints and animal characters. These pouches targeted a huge audience – EVERYONE! They could be used as pencil cases, makeup bags, gum shield holders, doggie treat bags and so much more! They were literally the PERFECT POUCH!
Décor Slime Kit
In Ms Mason’s class, the big idea was ‘The Décor Slime Kit’. It allowed buyers to decorate and create their own unique Slime with gorgeous glitter and shiny sequins! The Décor Slime Kit biggest selling point was its stress relieving, stretchy, calming entertainment! The slime was fluffy and came in lots of vibrant, fun colours! It was made with their special non-toxic, non- sticky, soft and squishy formula! And to make it even better… it was reusable! After playing, you could simply wrap it up in the packaging, re-tie to keep it fresh and re-use it over and over again!
Although the JEP project was lots of fun, it was also a lot of work too! There was a massive amount of learning, organising and teamwork involved. We worked hard between organising orders, product production, marketing and keeping track of finances, all to ensure each product was absolutely perfect! It took quite a lot of time! But it was all worth it on our Sales Day, when both businesses sold out making a total profit of over €1200!!