Dr. Philip Tew, PhD / JD

Conference Day Overview

Students will arrive to the A-State campus on the day of the Small Business Leadership Challenge and take over the 3rd floor of our Student Union. Everything (outside of lunch) is completely run by our college students and staff, so teachers can take a break!

Students will start the day working in teams to create their own products during Junk to Market that they will have to pitch to the room Shark-Tank style!

After that, the schools will be broken up with some going to lunch in our buffet-style Acansa Dining Hall at the group rate of $8 per person and the others going through our Small Business Fair. In this activity, students will be assigned a role to play in their company and make decisions with the goal of having the best Quarterly Profit in the room after all decisions are finalized! The Finalists for the competition aspect will also be presenting during this time.

During our final workshop, students will design a billboard and interior for their own small business so everyone will have something to take home from conference day.

Finally, we’ll end the day celebrating our award winners!

Competition Rules

This competition will be split into two age groups – 3rd & 4th grade, and 5th & 6th grade. Students may work in groups of 2 to 5 students to create their own toy!

To qualify for the overall grand prize awards, submissions must include all of the following:

• Business Plan Booklet
• Advertisement
• 60-second commercial advertising your product
• 60-second elevator pitch for investors

If teams do not submit all four parts, they will not be chosen as finalists, but they still have the opportunity to place in the individual categories.

Business Plan

Business Plans should include the following:

• Part 1 – Management Team
  • Who are your group members?
  • What role did each play in the creation of your Small Business?
• Part 2 – Small Business/Toy Name
  • What’s the name of your Small Business?
  • What’s the name of the toy you’re selling?
• Part 3 – Toy Design
  • What does your toy look like?
  • What are you using to make it?
• Part 4 & 5 – Toy Qualities
  • What are the top 5 qualities of your toy?
  • Why would someone want to purchase this toy?
• Part 6 – Price
  • How much does it cost to make your toy?
  • At what price are you selling your toy?
  • What profit will you make per toy (price – cost)?
• Part 7 – Selling Locations
  • Where are you selling your toy?
  • Will it available in stores and/or online?
• Part 8 – Social Media
  • What social media will you use for your toy?
  • What social media handle will you use?
  • What is your website name?

For the online submission, students should fill out the word document below.

Check out our 2025 winners below!

Advertisement

Advertisements should be limited to a single page/graphic. They can be done by hand or with an online tool like Canva. Advertisements should include:

• Small Business & Toy Name
• Picture representing the toy
• Price
• Tag line for the toy

Check out our 2025 winners below!

Commercial

Commercials should be 60 seconds or less. This video is selling your product to your target market, so it should be attention-grabbing and entertaining. Don’t forget to feature your product or service! Commercials should include:

• Small Business/Toy Name
• Price
• Tag Line
• Why should a customer buy it?

Check out our 2025 winners below!

Elevator Pitch

Elevator pitches should be 60 seconds or less. This video is selling your idea to investors, so you’ll want to explain why your idea is great! Elevator pitches should include:

• Small Business/Toy Name
• Cost to create/carry out
• Selling price
• Why should we invest in your idea?

The top elevator pitches will be asked to pitch LIVE to our judges on conference day. Check out a couple of chosen 2026 presentations below!