What can you do in less than "24 hours"?

So yesterday, I had the great pleasure of being a judge on a mock pitch session in which a group of keen young future marketers from Villiers Park Educational Trust (a charity that supports students from less advantaged backgrounds) were given a brief to respond to in their pitch teams, agency style.

They all had less than 24 hours to come up with their pitch, based on the launch of a fictional popcorn brand.

What struck me was the amount of effort that went into some of the pitches presented.

Some of the teams had not only built a mock website, detailed marketing/comms plans but had actually even built prototype products and had them ready to hand out!

I was floored by what they were able to achieve in less than 24 hours!

It got me thinking about work ethic today and how as older professionals, some of us have lost that ‘spark’ that pushes us to achieve what seems like an impossible feat in a challenging timeframe AKA “24 hours”.

And to see this from people who may not have the same opportunities as other people from more advantaged backgrounds and with greater access, really struck home even more.

The lesson I learnt yesterday is that your level of output isn’t about how much time you have, it’s about how much you’re willing to put in and get out of the time you do have.

Thanking Heleana Blackwell for the opportunity, and the wonderful staff at the trust.

Side note: excuse the “mom” looking selfie!