The Bottoms Up Smoothie Spot (BUSS)
The Bottoms Up Smoothie Spot (BUSS), a student-run business at Marshalltown Learning Academy, held its official grand opening Sept. 3, 2009.
Students researched possible businesses, identified their primary market, and sought investors. MLA educators also established the educational structure that corresponded, creating cross-curricular, multi-disciplinary lessons with relevant, content-area instruction in reading, math, science, business and history.
Throughout the process students had to take on many responsibilities, including selecting vendors and equipment, making purchasing decisions and developing the right smoothie recipes.
The students selected a CEO to manage the business, and worked to create daily work schedules, sanitation guidelines, quality controls, sales projections and cash control and inventory control procedures.
“[This experience] taught me to work as a team and how to work with the public. I have also learned to resolve conflict when we all have different ideas...to become better organized and to use my time at school more wisely,” -Cheyenne Krough, MLA student and smoothie entrepreneur