POTSDAM – SUNY Potsdam's Department of Business Administration recently hosted its 60th Business Plan Competition, which challenges students to develop an entrepreneurial business plan fulfilling the needs of a specific group of consumers.

Three teams in the capstone Strategic and Global Management class spent the spring semester developing a business plan and original product pitch, starting from scratch. The competition was introduced in 1993 by Professor Dr. Edwin J. Portugal to give business administration students the opportunity to work intensively and collaboratively in teams to create a real-life business plan. The teams present their final strategic business plans in front of external judges, who take the role of venture capitalists.

This semester's winning team included Destiny Snyder of Potsdam, Nasierra Daniel of Brooklyn, Dan Schaeber of Liverpool, Mamadou Kante of New York, and Yeremi Gomez of The Bronx.

The team won for their business idea for a shower head with built-in dispensers for shampoo, conditioner and body wash, including motion sensors. They built a test model of their product, which they dubbed "Cleanflow," using 3D printing technology at the Lougheed Learning Commons.

Students were randomly assigned to teams at the start of the semester, with members bringing different sets of skills to the table. In creating the business plans, students learn to set goals, come up with a realistic schedule, develop a team contract of expectations, own up to their responsibilities and be accountable to the team.

The teams' strategic business plans integrate the business students' understanding of the business functional areas of accounting, finance, management, marketing, information systems, legal environment, human resource management, and operations management. The Business Model Canvas is used as the theoretical framework.