Welcome back CA DECA members! As the school year starts and DECA gets back into full gear, one of the most underground events is right around the corner—Corporate Challenges! This year. We have 7 challenges which you can compete in:

Ethical Leadership Challenge

DECA at the Bell Challenge

Unreal Campaign Challenge‍

Social Impact Leader of Tomorrow Challenge ‍

Auction Marketing Campaign Challenge

Digital Presentation Skills Challenge

Social Media Simternship™ Challenge

Participants might be asked to run an online campaign, develop a digital marketing strategy, or create content that aligns with the company’s brand and goals. These challenges typically require you to leverage both creativity and strategic thinking, making them an excellent way to build practical skills that are highly valued in the business world.

Insights on How to Succeed in Corporate Challenges

Participating in Corporate Challenges can be incredibly rewarding, but it also requires a strategic approach. Keep reading for personalized advice from a first place winner from last year!:

1. Understand the Sponsor’s Goals

Before diving into the challenge, understand the sponsoring organization. Research their values, target audience, and recent initiatives. What are their business goals? What challenges are they currently facing? 

3. Prioritize Creativity and Innovation

While you should be aiming to stay in line with what the company wants, you need to do so in a way that stands out from the rest. Propose an innovative solution or present the information in a memorable way so that your submission is considered. Creativity is essential, but additionally, ensure that the creative ideas are FEASIBLE and actually address the challenge.

4. Focus on Clear and Professional Communication

A fifth-grader should be able to understand what you’re saying. That’s a core principle of every submission that I made. Ensuring that no matter what concept you are trying to get across, be it tough financials or a company rebranding, every level of management should understand what you are saying. If you plan on using jargon or complex language, your goal should be to showcase that you KNOW what the language means without requiring them to know what it means.

5. Collaborate and Seek Feedback

Corporate Challenges often allow for team submissions. If you’re working with a team, take advantage of each member’s strengths. Collaborate closely, and don’t hesitate to seek feedback from your DECA advisor, mentors, or peers. Oftentimes, it was other people who were able to point out flaws in the logic of my videos or submissions. Don’t get scared away by the idea of sharing the profits!

6. Follow the Guidelines Meticulously

Each Corporate Challenge will have specific guidelines and submission requirements. Be sure to follow these to the letter. Missing a deadline, exceeding word limits, or failing to include a required component can result in penalties or disqualification. 

Corporate Challenges offer a unique and valuable opportunity to engage with real-world business problems while showcasing your skills to industry leaders. Additionally, with the chance to win thousands of dollars, they are a lucrative chance to make some money! 

So, take on the challenge, and let your innovative ideas shine!

This past month, Team 74 had the pleasure of attending the Emerging Leaders Summit in Nashville, Tennessee. While there, the team was lucky to visit the Grand Ole Opry, connect with other State Officers, and most importantly: Learn how to be better leaders! Led by Mr. Ryan Underwood, one of the most memorable tools taught was the 3×3 membership system. Past, present and future officers can use this system in order to build membership, the foundational stone towards seeing more success in their DECA chapter and on the competition stage.

The 3×3 matrix is composed of the following columns: Activate, Promote, and Recruit. 

Activate 3 current members of your chapter who are a part of DECA, but don’t participate as much as they should. This step is often overlooked when thinking about growing chapters, as we often only see people who aren’t a part of DECA as new recruits. However, many chapters will have 50-200 members who are registered, but only have 25-75% actually compete and be active. By reaching out to those who have already taken the step to join and convincing them to participate, it can be a lot simpler to grow membership.

Promote your DECA club to 3 classrooms on your school campus—the largest gains are made from the largest audiences. Although just giving presentations in classrooms won’t be the most convincing for students to join DECA, it will serve as a seed. It will help to plant the idea of participation in members minds and create participation to come.

Recruit 3 new members to DECA by personally asking them to; during ELS, Team 74 was able to witness firsthand this recruitment, when a friend of a Massachusetts State Officer was asked to join in front of all 250+ attendees. This can be one of the most effective ways to grow membership. Whether asking your friends, classmates, or relatives, utilizing the personal bond that has already been fostered makes your asking much more meaningful, and in turn, persuading. 

When utilizing this strategy, use it as an opportunity for each member of the team to practice their communication and persuasion skills. As one of the first things you can do in the year, it is a great way for each member to take on a challenge and to focus on building membership. 

Best of luck in pursuing these new members, and if you ever have questions or need assistance with planning, don’t shy away from reaching out to Team 74. Whether through our personal calendlys or through the shared one, we are just a Zoom away! 

If you are interested in learning more about what ELS had to offer for us this year, read below for each of the officers favorite parts of the trip!

Diya: At ELS this year, I loved meeting officers from across the country and working with them during workshops, activities, and more! I enjoyed learning from TEAMTRI’s leadership trainers and connecting with our Executive Officer Team as well! ELS was packed with fun activities, from an exciting luncheon to a special Night at the Grand Ole Opry, and I can’t wait to connect with everyone once again at WRLC and ICDC 2025!

AJ: My favorite part of the trip was being able to connect with the other state officers. After meeting with so many during the Virtual training back in June, being able to see them face to face was so rewarding, and going through the trainings with my “band’ was exciting, as so many of them I had met before.

Bhavya: My favorite part of ELS was most definitely getting to know and learn more about other states and their officers. I enjoyed getting to know them better through icebreakers and games, getting the chance to professionally and personally talk to them and making connections that’ll last for a long time! 

Ella: My favorite part of the trip was meeting officers from other states and getting to know them. The leadership activities were very engaging and the icebreakers allowed me to meet so many new people around the room!

Rayyan: My favorite part of ELS was by far the people. The conference was stuffed with impressive people, and I felt like I could learn from everyone I met. It’s really an amazing group of leaders, from the State Officers to the trainers and state coaches. Team TRI did an incredible job, but I can’t wait to reconnect with everyone at WRLC and hopefully Power Trip!
Aum: My favorite experience at ELS was getting to hear the experienced trainers and leaders share their knowledge and expertise. The suggestions and tools they taught us are some that I am excited to bring back to California DECA!

Joining DECA is a truly life-changing experience. From exploring your interests and traveling the world to making new friends, DECA gives students a number of opportunities to grow and push themselves. Here’s what ten of our California DECA members said when asked about something they wish they knew before they joined DECA! 

“One thing I wish I knew before joining DECA was to stress less on competition, and enjoy the things you learn and the people you meet. If I knew that earlier, I would’ve enjoyed conferences a lot more, and propelled my abilities even more. My advice to people joining is to enjoy DECA for its intended purpose: To develop new skills and build networks and friendships; savor the memories.” – Abeer Saboo, Washington High School

“I wish I knew how big of an organization DECA is and how it brings people from near and far together. I’ve met some of my closest friends through DECA and met many others from different states that I couldn’t even imagine meeting before” – Anisha Madiraju, Amador Valley

“I wish I knew that a roleplay is not necessarily testing what you know, rather it focuses on what you pretend you know.” – Anjali Khanna, Mountain House High School

“I wish I knew how many opportunities DECA would provide me with, and how much of a connection that DECA members share within the DECA community. The camaraderie is unmatched by any other club I’ve been a part of. Had I known this, I would’ve joined DECA a lot sooner!” – Jacob Whitney, Del Lago Academy

“Before I joined DECA, I wish I knew that all the time spent dedicated to DECA and all the experiences would be immensely valuable. I wouldn’t expect to succeed right away; most people don’t. Being successful in competition requires not only strong business knowledge and accomplishments but also impressive personal and communication skills. These truly only come with time, so work on improvement, take advantage of leadership opportunities, and glass will follow!” – Jasir Baig, Martin Luther King High School

“The one thing I wish I knew before I joined DECA was the strength of the community. The amount of driven, fun, and accomplished people that I got to meet made the experience much more enjoyable and beneficial.” – Krish Vazirani, Lynbrook High School

“Becoming LinkedIn Savvy!! Since LinkedIn is the Instagram equivalent in business, I’ve learned how vital creating your platform early on has become. This is especially nice as you may stay professionally connected with fellow DECA students from across the state and nation!” – Makyla Cervantes, Granada Hills Charter High School

“Before joining DECA, I wish someone had emphasized how crucial every moment is. You don’t want to look back and think, ‘Oh, I could have done this or that,’ whether it’s enjoying yourself at conferences or preparing for your roleplay. I would encourage you to continue exploring as much as possible and to push yourself to do your best!” – Muskaan Agrawal, Quarry Lane School

“Before I joined DECA, I wish I’d known that the people you meet in this organization are the most down to earth and passionate individuals. There’s a specific energy in the air when you walk into a room of DECA students. If I’d told my younger self that she’d meet the best friends of her life in this club, she’d have joined much sooner.” – Nikki Hekmat, Del Norte High School

“I wish I knew that DECA isn’t just about content. Instead, it is about your business knowledge, speaking creativity, and ability to think logically on the spot.” – Shivank Dhamija, Monta Vista High School

We would like to extend a huge “thank you” to all of our incredible leaders who shared their experiences with us! These ten individuals have truly experienced the DECA Difference, and we can’t wait to see what they accomplish next!