Our entrepreneurship curriculum is designed to get students thinking about much more than just how companies operate. Through the ten-week curriculum, we get students thinking about the power that they have to create change in their own world by channeling their passions and interests into fully-functioning businesses.
Each lesson in the entrepreneurship curriculum consists of three parts: (1) content, (2) case study, and (3) action items. This approach is intended to help develop students’ presentation, management, and leadership skills, which we consider essential for success in the real world.
Content of the Entrepreneurship Curriculum
The entrepreneurship curriculum covers topics such as product development, profit maximization, marketing and customer relations, networking, and best sales practices. The content has been designed to expose students to the decisions small business owners face day-to-day. At the end of the curriculum, students apply the lessons learned to their own business ventures.
Case Studies
Our curriculum contains tailored case studies that accompany each lesson. These case studies are designed to make abstract business concepts relevant and engaging to our students. Through these case studies, students see best business practices in action and become more engaged with the material covered by our mentors. Few examples of case studies already in the curriculum include the development of MTV, grassroots marketing strategies used by Under Armor, and how Facebook generates revenue.
In addition to the case studies currently in our curriculum, we’re also in the process of deploying a web-based system to to allow our mentors across the nation to be able to quickly and easily add more case studies over time. This is to ensure that our materials remain relevant and engaging.
Action Items
The curriculum consists of a set of tangible action items that students are to accomplish at the end of each lesson. Examples of action items include coming up with a product, identifying a market for the product, forecasting future revenues and costs associated with the sales of the product, and, most importantly, devising strategies for making a sale.
These action items lead to fully functional, student-run business ventures. Past business ventures have included a graphic design company, a social media marketing group, student stores on high school campuses, and many others alike.