By Alina O’Donnell
Most of the time, Robbinsville High School senior Gabrielle Manto is a dedicated student, cross-country runner and active Project Unify club member at Robbinsville High School. But when she enters the school’s Business Center twice a week, she becomes the Chief Marketing Officer of a successful international start-up called Fitspiration.
Robbinsville is one of the 532 high schools in the United States that participates in Virtual Enterprise International, a network of student-run businesses spanning 40 countries. The class is highly selective, with an extensive admissions process that includes teacher recommendations, essays and interviews. Not only are applicants required to have taken several business classes, but they must have earned an “A” in all of them.
Once accepted, “employees” undergo a second round of interviews to determine their departments and titles, and then collaborate to design a virtual business. To ensure viability, these 17- and 18-year-old students conduct market research, develop and write a business plan, design an e-commerce website, pay wages and taxes, maintain 401(k) plans and develop an annual end of the year report. The work is real, even if the company’s product and revenues aren’t.
In previous years, Robbinsville High School created Cache, a seasonal gourmet cupcake bakery, and Build Your Own Craving, which delivered customized candy baskets. At the international VEI conference, their talent was recognized with a bevy of awards, including third place price for Best Website and honorable mentions in Booth and Web Design.
Though Robbinsville saw tremendous success in catering to the public’s sweet tooth, they wanted to create a more socially responsible company and untapped market in the Virtual Enterprise network. This year they introduced Fitspiration, an interactive system that helps clients create health and fitness plans that are uniquely tailored their habits, lifestyle and goals.
Fitspiration clients can choose a Bronze, Silver or Gold membership. The Gold membership offers customized diet and exercise plans as well as access to workout videos, recipes and relevant articles. The company’s main product is its infinity band, a device that tracks calories taken in and expended, pre-loads workouts and even records reps and weight numbers.
To further demonstrate their commitment to social responsibility, Fitspiration partners with NFL Play 60, and “Let’s Move,” organizations dedicated to reducing childhood obesity. When clients create their Fitspiration account, they must join Michelle Obama’s pledge to “Raise a Healthier Generation of Kids.” As they meet certain benchmark goals, Fitspiration donates to NFL Play 60.
As Chief Marketing Officer, Manto’s responsibilities include identifying target markets, creating promotional content and designing an employee manual. When asked how she hopes her participation in Virtual Enterprise will advance her career goals, Manto said it has exposed her to different areas of business development.
“Last year, I was in HR, now I’m in marketing. It’s a real-life application of skills I learned in my business classes. I hope it gives me a competitive edge when I go for internships in college,” she said.
Samantha Leonard said that her role as Chief Operations Officer has helped her develop critical leadership and interpersonal skills. Students who are ranked higher in the corporate hierarchy conduct interviews and grade other students on their performance. Last year, as a junior, Leonard managed a group of seniors, a role that forced her to make decisions outside the context of friendship and on behalf of the company’s interests.
This summer, Leonard’s success with VEI took her to Mercy College, where she attended a week-long leadership program with professionals from Bloomberg, Goldman Sachs and other prestigious firms. At the end of the week, she was offered a scholarship to attend Mercy College after graduation from Robbinsville High.
Unlike a traditional classroom dynamic, Virtual Enterprise teachers serve as business mentors, whose role is to facilitate rather than to deliver prescribed lessons. The success of the company rests on the students’ intrinsic motivation.
“In this class, there’s a certain caliber that’s expected. You learn very shortly what work ethic you’ll have. If you work hard, you’ll rise up very quickly,” said Jimmy Kenny, Chief Executive Officer.
“It’s more than just a grade. There’s so much to take pride in. I’m never worried about my grade because there are 10 million other things to worry about,” Leonard agreed.
The officers said that this free-rein, student-centered approach to learning encourages a sense of accountability.
“You want to prove yourself. It forces you to step up and take a leadership position,” said Anneliese Thomas, Chief Financial Officer
“When you work on something, you get to see results as you would in the real world,” said Jason Puglisi, Chief Information Officer.
Fitspiration will present their business plan at a regional mid-Atlantic trade show in January. Trade shows provide an opportunity for VEI students to present and market their services in a competitive global economy. If Fitspiration ranks in the top 20 nationwide, they will be invited to the international event in New York City in April.
For more information, go online to veinternational.org.
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