This Week in Business: What High School Students Should Know

By Carson Alexander, @deca.carson | Memphis University School, TN

Business is constantly evolving, with new markets, tools and challenges seemingly emerging daily. Keeping up with these changes is vital for DECA competitors and high school students and can also be the difference between competing in a role-play and winning one.

Here are three shifts in the ever-changing landscape of business and how high school entrepreneurs can apply these trends to lead the future.

1. Learn AI

AI is not just the hot new buzzword; it’s the key to automation and increasing productivity… if used correctly. Just as the calculator transformed math and Excel transformed accounting, artificial intelligence is now transforming how businesses think and operate. Companies are adopting AI as an everyday tool, utilizing its vast capabilities for tasks ranging from customer service to marketing content generation.

For students, this means two things:

1. Leverage AI in your work: At almost no cost, AI can design a logo for your small business or brainstorm social media campaigns for community projects. When preparing for DECA events, tools such as ChatGPT or DeepSeek can simulate case studies for you to practice and refine your responses.
2. Understand its impact on the real world: Judges love competitors who mention how modern tools affect current business practices. Tying in the effects of artificial intelligence on customer engagement or the efficiency of an enterprise can show your 21st-century thinking and modern entrepreneurial strategies.

Nevertheless, AI never replaces your creativity, critical thinking or emotional intelligence. Those who can leverage tech in tandem with their own intelligence will succeed the most.

2. Redefine Marketing

Gen Z is no longer the target audience but the sculptors of modern-day marketing for businesses. New studies have shown that the common, traditional ads are less trusted by young consumers, who trust and get behind the authentic, relatable content emerging on various social media platforms today. As a result, brands have turned to micro-influencers, TikTok creators and digital marketers who have mastered the viral storytelling that Gen Z consumes.

For DECA competitors, this trend has two main implications:

1. For event prep: When pitching a marketing plan in a role-play, describe how user-generated content can drive virality for your brand or product, or how authentic campaigns demonstrate relatability. Your judges will recognize your utilization of relevant solutions catered to the current consumer landscape.
2. Entrepreneurship opportunities: Students can start their own micro-brands or side hustles on platforms like TikTok and Instagram without needing huge ad budgets. By connecting with your audience personally, you can out-compete bigger players.

The marketing world is changing from “selling” to “sharing.” The sooner you think like both a consumer and a strategist, the better prepared you’ll be in both competition and business.

3. Financial Literacy is a Must

Regardless of the attention flashy marketing and innovative tech get, financial literacy will always be the backbone of business operations. Interest rates, student debt and investment basics are hot topics and also prevalent in news headlines. Without financial literacy, even the most creative and outstanding ideas crumble.

Here’s what this means for high school entrepreneurs and future business leaders:

1. Track your own numbers: Keep records of any and all expenses, revenue and profit for ventures as small as a side hustle or club or as big as a startup. The earlier you learn how to manage cash flow, the more confident you will be in larger projects
2. Understand global context: Inflation or changes in consumer spending don’t just affect Wall Street – small businesses are impacted too. Connect your solutions to real-world economics when prepping for Finance or Business Administration events.
3. Build your personal foundation: Learning how credit works, why saving early matters and the basics of investing are skills that will carry you far beyond competition. Money moves the world, and those who can manage it will always have an advantage.

Business headlines are the blueprints for the future. You are never too young for what some may call “adult news.” By staying informed, high school entrepreneurs and future business leaders can gain insights that translate directly into DECA competitions, side projects and eventually real-world ventures and careers.

Your Road to ICDC isn’t just about practicing role-plays, memorizing terms or drafting pitch decks. It’s about becoming someone who can read the world, identify opportunities and think like a leader. That’s the real win, no matter what happens on competition day.