Writes Joshua A. (5ths)
Earlier this year, I was part of a team of Divisions pupils who participated in Tycoon Enterprise, a nationwide enterprise competition run by the Peter Jones Foundation (PJF). In early Spring 2025, our team established proTECHt, a business focused on tackling lost property by offering affordable GPS trackers.
Tycoon Enterprise consisted of three phases: the business plan, the trading window, and the evaluation period. In the first phase, we developed a business plan and applied for a loan to fund our business. This was followed by the trading window, an exciting and busy nine weeks of marketing, selling and managing business operations. By the end of the trading window, proTECHt had generated a total revenue of £1,767.50, and a net profit of £852.75, comfortably placing us as the top performing team in the UK. This was then followed by the evaluation period, which involved the team answering several reflective questions and creating a video to summarise our journey.
In late November, we were thrilled to attend the PJF Tycoon National Finals, where proTECHt was recognised as one of the strongest businesses in the country winning the runner up award for most Innovative business. During this, we had the opportunity to present our journey, results, and the key lessons we learnt to other students, judges and Peter Jones. It was an inspiring opportunity to receive feedback, share our experience and represent the school on the national stage.
The Tycoon Enterprise programme has been a fantastic experience, allowing us all to develop skills in teamwork, problem solving and financial literacy – skills that will no doubt serve us well in the future. For this I would like to thank Ms Grice, the Head of Careers, Georgiana, our dedicated business mentor for guiding us through the process, and the school’s Finance and IT Departments for making this experience possible.
Writes Lucian H. (5ths)
“Substituting feedback for failure” is one of the many things I’ve learnt over the course of our Tycoon Journey. Having the incredible opportunity to craft a business, growing it from a pool of ideas to a profitable company, is something I wouldn’t have imagined had it been said at the beginning of this year. To run a business with friends has been more than insightful; I’ve developed skills such as communication, time management and resilience in ways only possible outside the classroom and under the guidance of our fantastic mentor, Georgiana, and the Careers Department.
Talking to dignitaries including Peter Jones, company CEOs and other Tycoon teams about proTECHt in the marketplace at the PJF Awards Ceremony filled me with pride. The whole team and event were fizzing with energy, which eventually culminated in a firm handshake with Peter Jones himself and a fashionable glass trophy! The PJF Tycoon Enterprise Competition has been undoubtedly the highlight of my year, and I owe many thanks to Georgiana, the Careers Department and to all those who bought trackers, helping to support the business!
