Introduction
As the team behind the ultimate proving ground for Australian entrepreneurs, we know a thing or a two about making an impact. We’ve seen great ideas walk through those famous doors, and we’ve watched them transform under pressure. Now, we are bringing that exact, focused, high-stakes energy directly to the schools of Perth, Western Australia, with our incredible program: Shark Tank school incursions.
This initiative is more than just a business lesson; it’s a masterclass in confidence, financial literacy, and real-world innovation, delivered by Nathan Baws, a successful entrepreneur and Shark Tank Australia alumnus and the founder of Tommy Sugo. We firmly believe that the most valuable lesson we can teach young Australians is how to think critically and create value. These Shark Tank school incursions provide a dynamic, fun, and utterly unforgettable platform for students to test their ideas and find their entrepreneurial voice. Get ready for a major shift in how your students view their own potential.
Critical Takeaways: What Your School Gets
- Direct Access: Students learn directly from a Shark Tank Australia alumnus who secured a deal.
- Core Curriculum Focus: Strong emphasis on financial concepts, pitching structure, and market validation.
- High Engagement Model: A proven dynamic format that keeps students energized and learning all day.
- Confidence Building: Intensive public speaking and critical feedback sessions build lasting self-assurance.
- Relevance to WA: Content is grounded in the reality of the thriving West Australian business landscape.
The Shark Tank Methodology: Inside the Perth Classroom Experience
When we say we bring the Tank to your school, we mean it. The Shark Tank school incursions are structured around the very methodology that has created successful businesses globally. It is an intense, practical application day where the students are not told how to start a business- they actually start one. The moment Nathan Baws walks in, the atmosphere changes, transforming the learning space into a buzzing innovation hub.
The structure is designed to mirror the intense pressure and high rewards of the actual show, but in a safe, supportive, and joyful educational environment. Students quickly learn the value of efficiency, teamwork, and defining their concept with clarity. This is where academic theory meets commercial reality, and the synthesis is truly brilliant. We are proud that our Shark Tank school incursions are redefining what an effective business education looks like in Western Australia.
Fast-Paced Ideation Sprints
The day kicks off with rapid-fire brainstorming sessions. Students are encouraged to throw out ideas, discard bad ones quickly, and zero in on solutions to real-world problems. This teaches them that failure is simply data and that speed and agility are crucial in the market.
Team Dynamics and Collaboration
Successful businesses are built by effective teams. Our program stresses the importance of clearly defined roles, active listening, and constructive feedback within small groups. Students learn how to leverage different strengths- the creative thinker, the numbers person, and the clear presenter- to create a unified pitch.
The Pitch Clock: Presentation Under Pressure
In business, time is money. Students practice refining their pitch to meet strict time limits, forcing them to be incredibly concise and powerful with their language. This skill, learned during the Shark Tank school incursions, is transferable to every presentation they will ever give, from university interviews to job applications.
Beyond the Dollars: Mastering Financial Confidence
Financial literacy is arguably the most essential life skill that many young people miss out on in their core education. Our Shark Tank school incursions place the concept of money at the absolute centre of the business discussion, but we teach it in an exciting way- not through dry lectures, but through application. Students learn that a great idea is pointless if the numbers do not add up.
Nathan Baws expertly breaks down concepts that often sound complicated- like ‘Cost of Goods Sold’ or ‘Valuation’- into simple, memorable terms. The students’ creations become their own living financial case studies. By having to justify a product price or estimate their startup costs, they internalise these concepts far better than if they simply read them in a textbook. These Shark Tank school incursions are creating the next generation of financially savvy Australians.
Demystifying Profit Margins
We spend significant time explaining the difference between revenue and profit and why the margin is the true measure of success. Students calculate their own gross and net profits for their hypothetical businesses, making abstract mathematics immediately relevant and practical.
The Investor’s View on Valuation
One of the trickiest parts of the Tank is valuation. Nathan explains simply how entrepreneurs determine what percentage of their company to offer for a specific investment amount. This introduces students to the core concepts of equity, ownership, and risk, all essential knowledge, regardless of their career path.
Budgeting for Success: The Importance of Cash Flow
We focus on the often-overlooked necessity of managing cash flow. Students learn that having sales isn’t enough; you must be able to manage the movement of money in and out of the business daily. This practical understanding of liquidity is a powerful lesson taught during every one of our Shark Tank school incursions.
The Mindset Shift: How Students Learn to Think Like Investors
The true power of the Shark Tank school incursions program lies in teaching students not just how to be entrepreneurs, but how to think like the investors they are pitching to. This dual perspective is transformative. When students start asking, “Does this business solve a big enough problem?” or “What is the return on investment?”, they are demonstrating advanced critical thinking.
By the end of the day, students have fundamentally shifted their perspective from being simple consumers to being critical market analysts. They learn to evaluate risk versus reward and identify the core elements that make an investment viable. This is an intellectual skill that pays dividends across all academic subjects and future employment opportunities.
Asking the Hard Questions
We guide students on how to critically evaluate their peers’ ideas, asking the tough, constructive questions that real investors would pose. This practice sharpens their analytical abilities and teaches them to look beyond the surface level of any proposal.
Spotting Market Gaps
Nathan shares insights on how he identified the opportunity that led to his success, Tommy Sugo. This inspires students to actively look for gaps and inefficiencies in the market right here in Perth, encouraging local solutions to local problems. The objective of our Shark Tank school incursions is to make them see the world as a place full of business opportunities.
Risk Assessment and Mitigation
Every business venture involves risk. We discuss how successful entrepreneurs identify, measure, and plan to mitigate those risks. This lesson teaches students prudence and helps them develop contingency plans for their ideas, an essential component of professional planning in any field.
Why Perth Students Shine: Local Relevance and Global Aspirations
Western Australia is unique- a beautiful, dynamic state with vast resources and a fiercely innovative spirit. Our Shark Tank school incursions are specifically tailored to resonate with students in Perth, acknowledging the strengths and opportunities inherent in the WA economy. We do not teach generic business models; we teach models that can thrive on the West Coast.
We leverage Nathan Baws’s experience of successfully operating a business from Perth to show students that geographical location is not a barrier to national or even international success. This local relevance makes the lessons immediately relatable and inspires students to start thinking about the potential of their own backyard. We believe that the next big Australian success story will come from a student who experienced our Shark Tank school incursions.
Tapping into WA’s Unique Strengths
Nathan highlights successful WA businesses, discussing how they have capitalised on sectors like mining services, technology, or food exports. This gives students concrete, regional examples of how great ideas translate into local economic power and job creation.
The Global Digital Classroom
While we focus on Perth, we also show students how to leverage the digital marketplace to reach customers worldwide. We discuss e-commerce, digital marketing, and the tools that allow a small business started in a school hall to compete on the global stage.
Building Resilience: The Australian Entrepreneurial Spirit
Nathan shares stories of the persistence required to succeed in Australia’s competitive landscape. He reinforces the value of hard work, adaptability, and the cheerful, never-give-up attitude that defines the best Australian entrepreneurs.
From Idea to Pitch: The Four Core Stages of the Program
The Shark Tank school incursions program is carefully structured around four fundamental stages, ensuring comprehensive coverage of the business development process within the school day. Each stage builds on the last, culminating in a refined pitch ready for critical review.
Stage 1: Problem Definition and Ideation
The most successful businesses solve genuine problems. We start by focusing students on identifying common issues in their school, home, or community. The goal here is to shift from ‘product-first’ thinking to ‘problem-first’ thinking. Students are challenged to define a pain point clearly before they even begin to design a solution.
Stage 2: Financial Foundations and Viability Checks
In this phase, the teams must put a price tag on their idea. They calculate costs, determine a selling price, and forecast potential profit. This is the crunch time where concepts that aren’t financially sound are either reworked or abandoned. Viability is the non-negotiable lesson of the Shark Tank school incursions.
Stage 3: Market Validation and Customer Profile
Who is going to buy this? Students learn the crucial difference between a general audience and a defined target customer. They create simple customer profiles and outline a basic marketing strategy, ensuring their solution meets a specific, paying demand.
Stage 4: Crafting the Final Pitch and Q&A
The final stage is performance. Teams consolidate their financial figures, their problem/solution statement, and their unique selling proposition into a concise, passionate pitch. They then face Nathan Baws (and the staff-Sharks) who question their numbers and strategy, simulating the real, rigorous investment process.
Securing Your Spot: Making the Tank Incursion a Reality for Your School
We understand that organising a substantial, high-quality event requires planning and certainty. Our mission is to make the process of booking your Shark Tank school incursions as simple and transparent as possible. We pride ourselves on clear communication and logistical support right from the initial enquiry.
This program represents an investment in your students’ future capability that far outweighs the cost. It is an investment that yields measurable returns in student engagement, critical thinking scores, and general confidence levels. Do not let this opportunity pass by; bring the highest calibre of practical business education available in Perth right into your classroom.
Partnering with Your Staff
We work closely with your coordinating teachers to ensure seamless integration into the school day. We provide a clear outline of the day, required technology, and staffing needs. This collaboration ensures that the impact of the Shark Tank school incursions is maximised and the operational burden on the school is minimal.
Flexible Scheduling for Perth Schools
We are committed to serving the Perth educational community and strive to be flexible with scheduling. Whether you need the incursion to happen during a designated Enterprise Week or as a crucial component of a specific curriculum unit, we will work with you to find a date that suits the flow of your academic year.
A Program Backed by Real-World Success
By choosing these Shark Tank school incursions, you are choosing a program that is tested, refined, and led by someone who has actually succeeded in the high-pressure environment of the Tank. The authenticity of the experience is unmatched.
Conclusion: Take the Leap and Book The Tank
The opportunity to host genuine Shark Tank school incursions in your Perth school is an unparalleled chance to inspire, educate, and empower your students. We are not just teaching business; we are fostering confidence, financial smarts, and a lifelong belief in their own creative power. This program, led by a true industry veteran like Nathan Baws, is the competitive advantage your students deserve. Stop settling for standard lessons and embrace the excitement of the Tank.
If you are a Principal, a Head of Department, or a dedicated Parent who wants to bring this transformative experience to your school, do not wait. The future entrepreneurs of Perth are waiting for this chance. Reach out at https://tommysugo.com.au/ today to discuss dates and book your Shark Tank school incursions booking. It’s a brilliant investment in your students’ success!
FAQs
1. What age groups are the Shark Tank school incursions suitable for?
The Shark Tank school incursions program is highly flexible and can be adapted to suit all year levels, from Year 3 all the way up to Year 12. For younger students, the concepts are simplified to focus on basic ideas like value, wants versus needs, and teamwork, often involving the creation of a simple product or service.
2. Is this Shark Tank school incursions program relevant if my students aren’t interested in starting a business?
Absolutely! While the framework is based on entrepreneurship, the core skills taught are universally valuable for any career path. Students significantly improve their financial literacy, which is vital for personal life regardless of their job. They also develop critical presentation and public speaking skills, learn how to negotiate, and practice complex problem-solving.
3. How long does typical Shark Tank school incursions sessions last, and what are the time requirements?
Most schools opt for a full-day program, which runs for approximately six hours, usually aligned with the standard school day hours (e.g., 9:00 am to 3:00 pm). This allows enough time for the keynote, group work, one-on-one mentoring with Nathan Baws, and the final pitch session. However, we can also customise the session into half-day workshops or even shorter assembly keynotes if a school’s schedule requires it.
4. What is the maximum number of students that can participate at once?
The program is designed to be scalable. While the ideal number for maximum hands-on engagement and personal feedback is around 80 to 120 students, we can cater to a whole-school assembly of several hundred students for the initial keynote and a streamlined pitch session.
5. Does the Shark Tank school incursions program provide resources for teachers to use after the incursion?
Yes, we certainly do. To ensure the learning continues long after Nathan has left your school, we provide comprehensive resource packs. These often include summary notes on the financial concepts covered, pitch templates, and follow-up activities.
6. Is the content aligned with the Western Australian school curriculum?
We carefully design our program’s content to align with key learning outcomes in areas like Business and Economics, Financial Literacy, English (for presentation skills), and general capabilities such as Critical and Creative Thinking. The concepts taught, such as profit and loss, market analysis, and persuasive speaking, are directly applicable to the established WA curriculum standards across various year levels.
7. What kind of preparation do students need to do before Shark Tank school incursions?
Minimal preparation is required from the students, as we want to keep the element of surprise and excitement high. We may suggest students think about a common problem they face or a product they wish existed. However, all the main ideation, planning, and pitch development work is done on the day under Nathan’s direct guidance and within the structured time limits of the Shark Tank school incursions experience.
8. Are there any hidden costs involved in booking the Shark Tank school incursions?
No, we believe in being completely transparent about our pricing. Once we understand your school’s size, location within Perth, and specific program duration, we provide a fixed, all-inclusive quote. This cost covers Nathan Baws’s presentation fee, all materials provided, and his travel time within the Perth metropolitan area, so you will not find any unexpected charges later on.
9. How do we book a date for Shark Tank school incursions, and how far in advance should we plan?
The best way to book is by reaching out to the Tommy Sugo team directly via the contact information on their website. As Nathan’s schedule can fill up quite rapidly, especially during peak term times, we strongly recommend booking at least one to two terms in advance.
10. Does Nathan Baws bring anyone else with him, or is he the sole presenter?
For most standard bookings, Nathan Baws is the primary, expert presenter and facilitator. He delivers the keynote, leads the workshops, and acts as the lead “Shark” for the final pitches. Depending on the size of the student cohort, he may occasionally bring a dedicated assistant to help with logistics, administration, and resource distribution, ensuring the day runs as smoothly and efficiently as possible.
