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23+ Free Entrepreneur Lesson Plans (Projects, Worksheets, etc.)

By: Author Amanda L. Grossman

Posted on Last updated: December 14, 2022

Need free entrepreneurship curriculum, lesson plans, and projects? Here's entrepreneur lesson plans for high school, middle school, and elementary.

So, you’re looking for entrepreneur lesson plans to help turn your kids or students into the innovators of tomorrow.

And not just to make them into entrepreneurs, but to benefit your kids and students with the following results of teaching entrepreneurship :

• Improved academic performance
• Increased problem-solving and decision-making capabilities
• Improved interpersonal relationships
• Higher self-esteem

But, exactly how are you supposed to teach entrepreneurship?

Entrepreneurs, among other qualities, need to be able to recognize opportunities in the marketplace. This means finding a need, and figuring out how to solve that need in a profitable way.

This can be as simple as a kidpreneur/kidpreneurship (or kidpreneur-in-the-making) opening a lemonade stand on a smoldering July day near a construction site, and as complicated as creating a machine knob specifically for tea growers in Japan.

And having this ability doesn't have to result in a person starting their own business; it works equally as well for your child if they work for someone else in the form of more merit raises, one-time bonuses for one-off projects, promotions, leverage in salary negotiations, etc.

In fact, the skill of recognizing an opportunity, and seizing it by writing my own job description resulted in me snagging my first job out of college (worth an awesome $40,000 + benefits to me at the time). More on that in a bit.

What are the other skills a child needs to learn to help them as an entrepreneur?

Psst: you'll also want to check out my resource list of youth entrepreneurship programs , entrepreneur biographies for kids , kid entrepreneur kits , and full review of the Teen Entrepreneur Toolbox . 

Article Content

How Do You Teach Entrepreneurship?

Teaching entrepreneurship is a bit trickier than, say, teaching algebra. With algebra, the equations come out with the same solutions, every time. But with entrepreneurship?

There are an endless number of variables that go into it, and an endless number of outcomes that can come out of it.

How are you supposed to teach for that?

One of the best ways to teach entrepreneurship is to choose entrepreneurial projects, activities, and lesson plans that aim at nurturing these entrepreneur skills:

• Ability to identify opportunities
• Self confidence
• At least basic knowledge of business finances/financial literacy
• Knows how to take measured risk
• Vision and creativity

Elementary School Entrepreneurship Curriculum

Excited to start teaching your elementary school-aged kids about entrepreneurship? Let me share some entrepreneurship lesson plans, resources, and curriculum with you.

Also, check out these 3 kid business plan examples .

1. Venture Lab

Who It’s For : Grades 1-12

Financial Aid : ( Free for non-commercial use ) Curriculum that organizations can purchase to use with students

Length of Program : 90-minute lessons

Location : N/A

Venture Lab offers a curriculum suited for 1st – 12th graders (curriculum is divided into lower elementary, upper elementary, and middle school/high school.) This is a course in a box with all of the lesson plans already completed and is meant to be utilized as part of regular coursework, after school programs, or camps.

Its focus is on teaching girls components of entrepreneurship such as STEAM concepts and design thinking.

2. Money Monsters Start their Own Business

Who It’s For : 4th – 8th grade

Students will read through the Money Monsters Start their Own Business book (PDF provided – 51 pages), and then play a game that has them experience the ups and downs of starting a business.

I love how a Toy Store Income Tracker is included so that each student can track their own earnings and see the numbers for themselves.

Psst: you'll also want to check out Federal Reserve Bank's webinar on teaching kids entrepreneurship , which will give you some lesson plan ideas. 

Starting a Business Lesson Plans for Middle School

Do you want to teach your middle school kid (or student) how to start a business, and you need a lesson plan? I’ve actually created a Take Your Child to Work Day printable which will give you lots of ideas for your starting a business lesson plan.

More middle school business lesson plans for how to start a business (all free):

• Federal Reserve Bank's Jay Starts a Business (Grades 3-6; comes with teacher's manual with lesson plans)
• Free Kid Business Plan Templates
• Biz Kid’s Crash Course on Entrepreneurship for Middle School
• EverFI’s Venture Entrepreneurial Expedition (for grades 7-10).
• Small Business Administration’s Young Entrepreneurs course
• Foundation for Economic Education’s Booms and Busts , What is Entrepreneurship? , What is the Entrepreneur’s Role in Creating Value? , etc. (students can earn a Certificate of Achievement)
• TeenBusiness’s Entrepreneur Lesson Videos series
• Parade of Entrepreneurs Lesson Plan
• Lemonade Stand Worksheets , and my best Lemonade Stand Ideas

Psst: Try holding a market day in your class. Here are 22 things for kids to make and sell , 17 boy crafts to sell , and help pricing their products in this market day lesson plan .

Teaching Entrepreneurship to High School Students – Free Entrepreneurship Curriculum

There are some great curriculum and materials out there for teaching entrepreneurship in high school, many of which include entrepreneur worksheets for students.

Psst: you also might want to check out these 5 business books for teens , and 11 business games for students .

1. Alison’s Entrepreneurial Skills Path

Who It’s For : Business students, and people interested in learning about creating a business

Financial Aid : Free

Length of Program : 6 lessons, each between 1 and 3 hours

Alison is a free, online platform with tons of courses, and one of the paths you can go down is an entrepreneurial skills one.

Teachers of the courses include venture capitalists, professors at Harvard, and professional entrepreneurs.

Lessons include:

• Characteristics of the Successful Entrepreneur
• Critical Skills for Entrepreneurs
• Creating an Entrepreneur’s Checklist for Success
• Entrepreneurship – Creating the Business
• Key Elements of Entrepreneurial Success
• Why Entrepreneurs Should Think Big

2. Youth Entrepreneurs

Who It’s For : Students

Financial Aid : Schools pay for this program, with the cost based on how many students get free and reduced lunches

Length of Program : 1 year

With this program, students first focus on economics, then they focus on starting their own businesses.

3. Diamond Challenge Business Curriculum

Who It’s For : Kids and teens

Length of Program : 14 modules

Looking for a video business curriculum with instructional guides? The Diamond Challenge’s program covers the following:

• What is Entrepreneurship?
• Opportunity Recognition
• Opportunity Screening
• Types of Businesses
• Building a Business like a Scientist
• Using a Business Model Canvas

They also offer a Social Curriculum track that’s 6 video modules long, including:

• What is Social Entrepreneurship?
• Wicked Problems and Grand Challenges
• Social Entrepreneurship Processes and Challenges

4. INCubateredu

Who It’s For : 10th and 12th graders

Financial Aid : Free (at schools where it’s available)

Length of Program : 1 year (followed by acceleratoredu for the 2nd year)

Through Uncharted Learning’s program, 10 th to 12 th graders develop their own business, pitch their idea ta a shark-tank style event, and even have a chance at receiving funding.

5. JA BE Entrepreneurial®

Who It’s For : Grades 9-12

Financial Aid : Free for students

Length of Program : 7, 45-minute sessions

Location : Anywhere

Through your child’s school, they can take Junior Achievement’s Entrepreneurial program. The course teaches students how to create a business plan, plus how to start a venture.

Lessons covered include:

• What’s My Business?
• Who’s My Customer?
• What’s My Advantage?
• Competitive Advantages
• Ethics are Good for Business
• The Business Plan

6. JA Company Program Blended Model

Length of Program : 13 classes (2 hours/class), or as a 1-year program with 26 classes (1 hour/class)

Location : Anywhere (online course)

This is an online program that teaches high schoolers how to solve a problem/fill a need in their community through entrepreneurship.

• Start a Business
• Vet the Venture
• Create a Structure
• Launch the Business!
• Run the Business

7. The Mint's Be Your Own Boss

Who It’s For : Teens

Length of Program : 3 lessons

Starting with the Be Your Own Boss Challenge , The Mint takes your teen through the following three lesson:

• Planning Your Business
• Money & Your Business
• The Law & Your Business

8. Wharton High School's Entrepreneurship

Who It’s For : High School students

Length of Program : 50+ lesson plans

These lesson plans go through the following:

• Entrepreneurs and Entrepreneurial Opportunities
• Global Markets
• Business Plans

9. YE$ Youth Entrepreneurship

Who It's for : high school students

Cost : Free

Location : Anywhere (it's a PDF)

Here's a free PDF with tons of entrepreneur lesson plans and research done for educators, that is meant to go along with a 4-H program. You'll find some nuggets in here, plus, it's free!

Now let’s take a look at entrepreneurial projects that can teach your kids and teens all about starting a business with hands-on experiences.

10. Build a Business Plan

Who It's For : Middle School and High School

Location : Anywhere (online)

Check out this plug n' play business plan creator! You could send your students to this page to work through a business idea of theirs.

Then, at the end, they can print out their business plan!

Questions they'll need to answer include:

• Your big idea
• Who will buy
• How you'll spend and make money

Entrepreneur Worksheets for Students

While I would recommend taking on one of the projects below, or one of the hands-on lesson plans from above, there are also entrepreneur worksheets students can use to learn about businesses.

Here's a few of my favorites (all free):

• Lemonade Stand Free Printables (here's my best lemonade stand ideas , too)
• Lemonade Stand Worksheets
• Family Guide to Getting a Family Business Going (kid-centered)
• Small Business Administration's Lean Startup Business Plan
• Take your students through the DECA Idea Challenge (you'll need to pick your own everyday item to challenge students with, as the competition has ended for the year)
• Take your students through the DECA Entrepreneur of Tomorrow Challenge (again, the competition is over, but the PDF is still available for you to set up your own)

Psst: you might want to check out my review on the Teen Entrepreneur Toolbox .

2 Entrepreneurial Projects – What is an Entrepreneurial Project?

Entrepreneurial projects are a smart way to teach entrepreneurship to kids, because, as with any project, it gives them a chance to dive deeper into a topic that interest them (all under the guise of teaching them how to start and run a business).

Entrepreneur Project #1: Winter Beverage Outdoor Tasting Contest

It’s soooooo easy to sit inside all winter long and slowly accumulate cabin fever (plus a few pounds). That's why you've got to look for fun things to do in the winter.

Well today? We’re going to switch things up. I’ve created a family date night for you ( family winter activities !) that has both an indoor AND an outdoor component.

But don’t worry – with this fun winter activity we’ll keep things toasty throughout.

So, what’s the game plan? Each of your kid(dos) will make (rather,  create ) a warm winter beverage recipe  indoors . Then here's the twist: you’re going to host a family taste testing contest around your fire pit in the backyard.

Not only will this make a fun family memory, but your kid(dos) will actually walk away with more money knowledge in the process centered around the all-important lesson of how to make a profit!

Psst: Now that’s a money lesson I could have used as a kid, specifically as I’ve gone into biz for myself as an adult.

Host a Winter Beverage Outdoor Taste Testing

Finding fun things to do in the winter doesn't have to mean you're freezing your tootsies off. There's nothing better to keep you warm outdoors in the wintertime than a toasty drink. Well, a toasty drink around a roaring fire.

Here’s how it’s going down:

Step #1: Choose an Event Date

Build the anticipation for your family by choosing a date 1 to 2 weeks out (so that there’s time for you guys to complete the rest of the prep work).

Fill out the invitation on Page 1 of the free printable, and display prominently on your family’s bulletin board/gathering center in the kitchen so everyone knows the date of the big event.

Set the stage for the competition by having your family read their mission out loud. Other cool factors you can add in: make it a Friday or Saturday family date night, under the stars. Let the kids stay up a little past bedtime to complete.

Step #2: Your Kid(dos) Research Hot Drink Ideas to Enter into the Competition

Your kids are the ones entering the competition. They’ll be in the driver seat of actually creating their own recipe from scratch (with some inspiration from below).

There are lots of toasty, kid-friendly drink recipe ideas to get them started:

• Hot caramel apple cider
• Vanilla steamer with cinnamon
• Harry Potter Warm Butterbeer

They’ll get lots of help not only from looking up recipe examples on sites like Pinterest, but also from the worksheet in the free printable (Page 2).

Step #3: Shop for the Ingredients

Once your budding restaurant consultant has determined possible ingredients they’ll need for their signature drink, they’ll need you, Mama Bear, to purchase them.

Take the list your kid(dos) have created and go to the store (solo, or with them) to make the purchases.

Having trouble coming up with a pool of possible ingredients to buy? Use the lists below for inspiration of what to pick up (a few of these ingredients you probably already have at home) and let your kids create what they can from it:

• Bases : hot cocoa, apple cider, chai tea, milk
• Flavors : cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, flavor syrups
• Sweeteners : sugar, brown sugar, caramel
• Creamers : milk, half & half, almond milk, heavy cream, etc.
• Top-offs : whipped cream, caramel sauce, orange peels for zesting

Save your store receipt, as your kid(dos) will need this information to price their drinks later on.

Step #4: Your Kid(dos) Tinker + Perfect their Drink

Using the purchased ingredients as well as anything in your home they can find, host a kitchen lab session where your kid(dos) tinker with ingredients and perfect their super-secret, signature recipes (talk about fun things to do in the winter inside!).

They’ll write down the exact portion sizes to each ingredient that they use as they go along, which is important for the next step.

Step #5: Your Kid(dos) Figure Out the Profit Margin of their Signature Drink

Remember, the goal is to create a new drink for this restaurant that not only costs less than $5, but has at least a 60% profit margin for the owner.

Ahem: between you and me, that means their cost needs to come in under $2.00.

So, as your kid tinkers with ingredients, they need to keep price in mind.

Note: this step can seem a bit unwieldy, but is SO important for the whole process. Just know – I’m outlining both how to do this all by hand, as well as giving you shortcuts to online calculators where your kid(dos) will still learn the process by setting up the inputs and thinking through how it all fits together.

Of course, we’re not talking about the cost of the entire ingredient that you’ve purchased. After all, it’s unlikely they’ll use an entire carton of milk to create one drink. We’re talking about the small portion size that they used of the product.

In other words, they’re not going to get the cost of a single drink they’ve created from your grocery store receipt as it is now. They need to do some calculating based on the measurements of each ingredient that goes into each drink.

You need to know how much it costs to create just ONE of your super-secret signature drinks so that you can calculate the profit margin.

What’s a profit margin? It’s the percentage of what you keep as profit from each $1.00. For example, a 20% profit margin means that we earn $0.20 on every dollar. That means that the other 80% or $0.80 are expenses. Remember that Jack, the man from The Yeti Slide, needs a 60% profit margin, or $0.60 on each dollar in profit after expenses are taken out.

Step #1: Write down your ingredients + quantities.

Step #2: Convert each quantity in your recipe to the quantity on the product label.

Divide your ingredients up by dry ones (like cocoa powder), and wet ones (like heavy cream or vanilla extract).

Then use the appropriate table below to convert the amount in your recipe to the amount that’s found on the ingredient’s product label (front of package).

For example, if you used 3 teaspoons of cocoa powder (dry ingredient), then your conversion is to a ½ ounce (the cocoa powder can is in ounces). Or if you used 2 tablespoons of almond milk, you find on the Wet Conversion table that you used 1 fl. Oz. (the almond milk carton is in Fl. Oz.).

Hint: Can’t find the conversion or a little confused? You can plug the exact quantity of your ingredients into  this liquid converter  or  this dry converter calculator  online and convert it into the measurement found on your product label).

Conversion tables:

Dry Conversions

Liquid Conversions:

Step #3: Calculate the cost of each quantity of ingredient used.

Now you need to price each converted quantity of ingredient by figuring out how much each ounce or fluid ounce costs, and then multiplying it by the amount you’ve used.

Hint: A good estimate to use for dashes of spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg is $0.05.

• Write down the overall price of each ingredient used.
• Write down the converted amount you used of it.
• Divide the total amount in the product package by its price to find what each ounce or fluid ounce costs.
• Then multiply that by the converted amount you used.
• Write down the cost. Then add all of the individual ingredient costs to get your total expense to create the drink.

Example: I used 1 tablespoon (tbsp.) of heavy cream. One 8 fl. oz. container of heavy cream at the store costs $2.99. That is $0.37/ounce. I look at the conversion chart below, and see that 1 tbsp. converts to ½ ounce. So, I divide $0.37/2 ounces, and see that this ingredient for just one drink costs $0.186 (you can round up to $0.19).

Ingredient Cost:   $2.99 _ Converted Amount Used:  ½ fl. Oz.  Total Product Amount:  8 fl. Oz.   Cost per ounce:  _$0.37/fl. Oz.  Cost of Ingredient Used:  $0.37 X ½ = $0.186 .

Looking for a shortcut?  Here’s a free online tool for pricing out beverages . You’ll need the converted amounts.

Step #4: Calculate Your Profit Margin

Figure out how high your profit margin is if you sell the drink for $5.00.

Profit on Drink: $5.00 –  total drink cost  = _ $ _________.

Profit Per Dollar:  Your answer from above  \  Cost drink is sold for ($5.00)  =  $ Profit

Profit Margin:  $ Profit  X 100 =  Profit Margin%

Step #6: Taste Judging Begins

By now you’ve set the scene for some fun things to do in the winter outdoors – think a crackling bonfire out in the backyard (or in your fire pit. Heck, you can de-hibernate the grill for some winter outdoor cooking/heating), plus a table/flat surface where your kids can place their super-secret signature creations.

Bust out some blankets, cover straw bales with table cloths…you get the idea. (And if you’re in Houston like we are? Well, a hoodie should suffice).

Have your kid(dos) place their drinks on the tasting mat, as well as fill in how much their drink costs and what the profit margin is (all calculations they’ll be guided through on the free printable).

Now they get to take a break, while the parents taste + score each one!

Included in the printable are both a tasting mat as well as a score card with specific criteria, such as inventiveness, taste, and profit margin.

Step #7: Declare the Winners

There are winners in a variety of categories, and then an overall drink that is chosen for The Yeti Slide's Yeti Roasts:

• Most Inventive
• Best Money-Maker
• Newest Yeti Slide Signature Drink

Looking for fun things to do in the winter? This two-part activity for your child that will leave them understanding profit margins like a pro, plus give your family an awesome family date night under the stars on a winter evening when you might otherwise be watching tv.

What could be better than that? If nothing else, you’ll have created quite the memory.

Entrepreneur Project #2: A System for Your Child to Identify a Need in Your Home + Propose a Solution

We want to encourage your child to come to you with things they see that could use improvement, and ways they could add value or provide a solution for you.

Let's go through how to do this.

Step #1 : Discuss with your child the idea that people need things + services.

Here's a conversation outline for you with a few blanks to fill in (where underlined) :

“People need things and services in their lives. They need things to maintain their health, they need things to make life more enjoyable. They need parts to make repairs to their belongings. They need really cool items to buy as gifts for others. They need better systems or processes to make things work more efficiently, which just means taking less time and less money and getting the same (or better) results. All over the world, people need things. In my own life, three needs that I've satisfied through purchasing something include  X ,  Y , and  Z . By purchasing them, they made my life easier because  <<FILL IN SPECIFIC INFORMATION FOR EACH EXAMPLE YOU GAVE>> . Generally, when people need something, they are willing to pay money for the solution. That's why there are so many companies, all which provide products + solutions for people's needs.”

Pssst: MAN I wish I could go back 17 years and give myself this talk! Would've saved me several adult years of banging my head against the wall trying to understand how to make money.

Step #2 : Task your child with identifying a need around the house/property/car.

What could this look like?

A Few Examples for you + your kiddo :

• Find a more efficient way to organize the “command center” in your home.
• Use Google Maps or another program to find a more efficient route for your commute.
• Organize the wood pile + create newspaper logs that are fireplace-ready.
• Find a better way to organize/clean/maintain the video game center in your home.
• Clean out your car (I used to do this for my parents!) + add a car trash can to the back area so that in the future the kids can just use that instead of throwing things on the ground.
• Introduce a better laundry system for the family's clothes so that they actually  all  end up in the laundry room, sorted, and ready to be washed.

The possibilities are endless, and specific to what needs your child sees in your family life.

Step #3 : Once they've identified a need and come to you with it, you must decide if it's worth it to you to move forward. Don't be afraid if, after they've told you a need they  think  you have but that you don't  actually  have, to tell them that it isn't a current need of yours. Hey, the road to success is paved with failed products! This is excellent feedback so that they start to understand their “customer” and dig deeper. Perhaps they'll even start to ask YOU what you want from them!

Step #4 : What are both of your expectations for this job so that you know when the job is completed correctly?

Let them tell you what they propose to accomplish and what that would look like.

Then you share what you, as a paying customer, expect in results. Hash this out if need be (just like a real negotiation between a biz and their potential client).

This includes a deadline.

Step #5 : Now you need to ask them for a price.

I know, I know. You might be wondering, “why on earth am I going to let my child choose how much I'm willing to pay them for something they want to do around the house? Isn't it MY money?”

I totally get that. But remember that the nature of this lesson is to ignite that entrepreneurial spirit in them. Instead of you offering what you're willing to pay, have them go through the exercise of pricing their efforts. Then the negotiations start.

This sets them up for good negotiation + valuation skills in the future.

Determine the market price you'll pay, which is where their price (the supplier) and your price (based on how much you need what they're offering + a dash of several other things) meets. $__________.

Step #6 : Your child completes the work + notifies you.

Step #7 : Using the checklist you both created, provide oversight and see if everything is as it was supposed to be.

Step #8 : Pay the agreed upon rate once everything is up to par. And if they don't quite complete the project + deliver what they promised, it's up to you whether you want to make a partial payment, or not pay at all (satisfaction guaranteed could be added to this lesson as well).

If your child makes it through this process, then they will have successfully figured out a “market” need, fulfilled it, and gotten paid from their initiative. This is something that will no doubt shape their futures.

And if they don't quite succeed? Well the lessons are vast for all entrepreneurs as they traverse through the mistakes, failures, and successes.

It's really a win-win situation.

Let me show you what I mean, with an example in my own life.

How I Used this Skill Set to Write My Own First Job Offer Worth $40,000 + Benefits

While some of my dorm mates were floundering around trying to find employment, I was busy enjoying my last two months of college before entering the “real world”.

Why is that? Because I had a job waiting for me. And the only reason why I had that job was I spotted a need in a local company, and wrote my way into it.

I had interned for an organization in my small college town, and they ended up building a start-up company set to open its doors sometime around when I was due to graduate. One day I asked them if I could have a full-time job there come June. The director looked at me, and said, “go ahead and write up a job description of what you propose you would do here. Then we'll see.”

So I went back to my college dorm and worked on a job description. I thought about what the company was trying to achieve, and tied this into what I wanted to do with my life (at least what I thought I wanted to do at the time).

I wish I had saved a copy of the actual job description, but my sharp memory tells me it went something like this:

“Amanda L. Grossman will be the International Marketing & Sales contact at Chesapeake Fields. The International Marketing & Sales Person is responsible for researching new markets around the world where Chesapeake Fields' products would be well received. Primary responsibilities include understanding these markets, making contact with potential wholesalers and distributors, sending samples, and being the brand ambassador for Chesapeake Fields within these markets.”

With one minor change − they put sales in front of marketing in my job title − I got an offer from them for $40,000 + benefits to do just that. Within the one year I worked there, I ended up negotiating an initial container load of $27,000 worth of our product to a major food retailer in Taiwan.

Unfortunately, my job AND that company went under not long after my first and only year there. But writing my way into a company right out of college based on a need I saw that I could fill? Well that was enough to impress future employers who then hired me.

See how lucrative learning this skill could be for your child? I'd love to hear below what needs (perceived or actual ones) your child comes up with to fulfill.

• Latest Posts

Amanda L. Grossman

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Thursday 8th of June 2017

Uh, I totally love this post! My hubby and I are both entrepreneurs and want to instill the same in our children... definitely going to use these tips!!

Friday 9th of June 2017

*Squee*! Thanks, Lauren. I'd love to hear what your kiddos come up with:).

Business Lessons For High School Students

Owning your own business is part of the American Dream. You might be wondering how a person could start their own company. What steps should be taken? How much money do you need to have saved up prior to starting a business? As a high school student, this possibility might seem more like an impossibility. In order to start the process of running your own operation, the first thing to do is throw all doubt out the window. The next step is obtaining a great education!

High schools all over the United States have classes dedicated to teaching business, marketing, and economics. These classes cover all of the basics needed to start you on your path to success. When taking such classes, a variety of topics will be covered. For instance, economics are a large part of learning about business. In an economics course, you learn more about the various markets in the world, supply and demand, and how the markets fluctuate. You will also need to take some financing courses. These will cover the money basics and how it is important to save money, invest money, and even how to spend money (wisely, of course). Other important business classes include accounting, human resources, operations management, and information and technology management.

If you are truly interested in the world of business, you might consider taking courses over the summer months, just to keep your mind fresh and full of the most up-to-date information. As an exercise, you might even consider creating your own business plan. How do you do this? It is simple, really. Start with an idea that you think could be profitable. The next step in creating your very own company plan is to write a mission statement. This should contain the purpose of your company as well as a brief overview of how or why your company will be successful. To run a proper business, there should be an unmet need in the market that your company will fulfill.

Next comes the steps you will take to fulfill that need. In your plan, be sure to include everything you will need to meet the need of the market. This can include (but is not limited to) employees, machinery, investors, marketing, advertising, and office or warehouse space. Another important component of a business plan is a description of what your product or service actually does. Be sure to mention the feasibility of your company's product or service in this portion of the plan, also referred to as the business model. Also mention why someone would pay for what you are offering.

There are a few more steps to creating your plan. It is important to conduct an analysis of the current market. Take a look at other products that could be your competition. Look at what making your product or offering your services will actually cost you. Do not forget start-up costs! Before you turn a profit, you will need to spend some money. This may require you to ask of others in the form of investors. They are a great way for startups to get money to get your plan off the ground. Other aspects you might consider including in this portion are your sale projections and your qualifications for owning, running, and selling whatever it is that you are going to be doing.

Finally, here's the fun part: Once you have covered the previously mentioned topics, you get to be a little creative. Consider how you will market your product. What will your ads look like? What will your advertisements say? In what other ways will you promote your product? How will you educate people about your product or service? These are all great considerations for the marketing portion of your plan.

That is how you create a very basic business plan. Try doing so with your next great idea. It could just become a real company one day.

Find out more about business and economics lessons through the following resources:

• Lesson Plans and Projects for Business Classes
• Wharton High School Marketing and Entrepreneurship Course Lesson Plans
• Business and Marketing Curriculum Resources
• Financial Education Resources
• Economics and Personal Finance Lessons for High School Students
• Crucial Business Lessons You Learn in High School
• Risk Management Lesson
• Practice Money Skills (Grades 9-12)
• Ted Talks: Economics
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Teaching Entrepreneurship in High School

Posted by: Margarita Geleske on September 14, 2021

As the world becomes more globalized, teaching entrepreneurship is more critical than ever as students need the skills of an entrepreneur to solve complex problems, and artfully navigate ambiguity creatively.  In fact, employer expectations are increasingly in the arena of 'human skills' or ' durable skills ', according to the World Economic Forum Job Report .

High School Business Teacher vs Entrepreneurship Teacher

Teaching entrepreneurship in the classroom goes beyond teaching standard topics like marketing and accounting skills. The methods and perspectives taught in the average business class focus on sustenance and growth for already-established businesses. Entrepreneurship students learn practices that successful entrepreneurs use today to develop, test, and launch a business, all while gaining skills around problem solving, iteration, and collaboration.

Not to mention, established companies seek to hire employees with an entrepreneurial mindset to drive innovation, relevancy and competitive advantage at these organizations - often called intrapreneurship.  Those with these skills and mindset are prime for these roles as they are go-getters, self-starters, and—perhaps most importantly— entrepreneurs are comfortable navigating through the unknown - working to solve problems and create opportunities.

Bringing the Real World Into the Classroom

In the traditional classroom setting, students are taught not to fail—which is admirable, but not always realistic. In an INCubatoredu entrepreneurship classroom, failure is encouraged. Why is this?

“When you fail in regular classes, you’re failing within a simulation. But when you fail within an INCubatoredu class, you’re failing within the realm of real life,” says a former INCubatoredu student. “Being able to recover, and using skills that you will need for the rest of your life has a greater impact than knowing the name of the 18th president.”

“I have it in my head because we learned and used the concepts in the INC program,” says another former INCubatoredu student. “Those concepts are a part of me now, not a part of a textbook.” This anecdote demonstrates the deeper learning that takes place when a student applies concepts to their everyday life, instead of just memorizing and regurgitating them.

The content and skills taught in entrepreneurship classes, such as creating and testing a new business concept, help students gain confidence as they continue to explore their education, as well as possible future career paths.

Another INCubatoredu graduate shares, “If every class could incorporate an element from INCubatoredu, that would be a game-changer for education.”

“If every class could incorporate an element from INCubatoredu, that would be a game-changer for education.” ~ Kat Mena, INCubatoredu alum

Key Traits of an Entrepreneurship Teacher

Entrepreneurship teaches students confidence, creativity, and collaboration—and it’s important that the teacher leading the course honors the same attributes. Entrepreneurship teachers should have a growth mindset and a willingness to explore possible solutions with students, rather than a desire to have all the answers on the ready. Often, an entrepreneurship teacher will have a background in business education (but certainly not necessary), but importantly, a willingness to embrace a new way of teaching. 

How to Teach Entrepreneurship?

Today’s Students, Tomorrow’s Leaders

With entrepreneurship classes like INCubatoredu , they will be.  From creating and iterating on a business idea, to learning to recover from failure, the skills gained in entrepreneurship classes will set them apart while fostering creativity, collaboration, and confidence at an early age.

Get a feel for what an INCubatoredu class is like.  Download a lesson plan to get started, or set up a 'curriculum preview' of our resource library.  Or read more: We asked INCubatoredu student alums: "What Did This Class Do For You

Related Posts:

Student Entrepreneurs Answer Why This Course Matters

New Report: Creating Student Agency & Teacher Joy Through Entrepreneurship Education

My Experience as a High School Entrepreneur

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Home | Blog | 40 free lesson plans for exploring CTE careers

40 free lesson plans for exploring CTE careers

FCS career exploration curriculum

Realityworks began with the creation of RealCare Baby® , and it seemed natural that the first career exploration curriculum we wrote related to Baby and our line of infant simulators and models. This set of 5 lesson plans explores careers related to our RealCare® Pregnancy Profile Simulator , RealCare™ Drug-Affected Baby , RealCare™ Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Baby , RealCare™ Shaken Baby and of course, RealCare Baby. Use these lessons to learn more about the jobs of labor and delivery nurses, early childhood teachers, child care workers and more.

Click here to access our FCS career exploration curriculum.

Agriculture career exploration curriculum

What skills and abilities do successful employees working in occupations relating to animal systems possess? What does a day in the life of an agribusiness professional look like? These questions ad others are addressed in our agriculture career exploration curriculum. Use the six included lesson plans to teach your students about jobs related to our agriculture training tools , including animal and plant systems, agribusiness, food products and processing, and more.

Click here to access our agriculture career exploration curriculum.

Health science career exploration curriculum

Health science careers are in demand, and that demand is only going to increase as more Americans age into retirement. Use these lesson plans to help your students identify career opportunities relating to healthcare, therapeutic services, biotechnology research and development, and others. They will discover the educational requirements, typical job duties, occupational outlook and more for each explored health science profession.

Click here to access our health science career exploration curriculum.

Welding career exploration curriculum

A background in welding can lead to opportunities in education and management, especially with the demand and need for skilled welders. This free curriculum takes a closer look at the variety of opportunities available in welding today. Use the five free lesson plans as a supplement to your current welding program content or as a stand-alone unit for 1-2 weeks.

Click here to access our welding career exploration curriculum.

Culinary career exploration curriculum

We partnered with subject matter experts to create curricula that provide valuable culinary arts and food science career exploration opportunities. Use this one-week unit to expose your students to careers related to food service, food science, food production and nutrition in five different career clusters.

Click here to access our culinary career exploration curriculum.

Business and marketing career exploration curriculum

Use the 5 lesson plans in this free curriculum to introduce your students to careers in business management and administration, entrepreneurship, finance and more. As they complete each lesson, students will research and explore pathways in related occupations.

Click here to access our business and marketing career exploration curriculum

Resources for learning more

Looking for more classroom resources? Consider these:

• Explore our free infographics and posters , which address topics related to our training tools and simulators
• Check out our f ree, downloadable guides to learn more about the impact our hands-on learning aids can have on CTE programs
• Browse our selection of on-demand and upcoming webinars

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Lesson Plan: Ethics in Business

Description.

In this lesson, students will learn about ethics, analyze actions for ethical dilemmas, and write a personal code of ethics for business and personal use.

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Please encourage your students to consider agricultural education as a career, because without them, there won't be enough ag teachers to keep our programs going.

Use these resources to celebrate & bring awareness to the career of agricultural education, whether it's on NAAE National #TeachAg Day or any day. For details on any of these activites, just click the link.

Ideas for...

• Middle/High School Students
• Postsecondary Students (2-year tech schools)

Adult Farm Business Management Instructors

• University Level - Teacher Educators, Ag Ed Majors, Ag Ed Student Organizations
• State Agricultural Education Leaders (state supervisors, etc.)

Ideas Using Social Media

• #TeachAg Promotional Materials (video, graphics, ringtones, news release templates, state proclomation examples, and more)
• Games & Other Cool Stuff to Promote Agricultural Education as a Career

Missouri NAAE National #TeachAg Day Lesson Plan Contest Resources

Check out these great lesson plans to use in your classroom to promote agricultural education, developed by top-notch ag teachers in Missouri as part of their 2017 NAAE National #TeachAg Day celebrations! Click here to download the zip file.

Ideas for Middle/High School Students

Sample Class Outlines for Middle or High School Use the outlines coupled with the lesson plans below to make NAAE National #TeachAg Day planning easy.

• Class outline for 40-50 minute period
• Class outline for 75-85 minute period

Other Activities and Ideas

• Have a student who you think would be a good ag teacher? Send them a Tagged to #TeachAg Kit !
• Play "Are You Smarter than your Ag Teacher?" Details and download games
• Have the students be the teacher for the day. Put them in charge of the class for 10 minutes; they have to create a meaningful lesson on a topic of their choice with instructor preapproval. Lesson plan
• Research the duties, salary, job outlook, education, etc. needed to become an ag teacher or other agricultural education professional. Lesson plan
• Share your individual path to becoming an ag teacher and encourage your students to ask you questions about your career. Lesson plan
• Host a university agricultural education student or former student who is currently an ag teacher from your program to share his or her experiences. Lesson plan
• Host a Farm Business Management instructor to talk about his or her job. Lesson plan
• If you have a student or students who are interested in teaching agriculture, line up a job shadowing experience with a teacher at a nearby program. Activity guide
• Set-up a PALS program in your school or make arrangements for students who are interested in being an ag teacher design and present lessons to the elementary and junior high on agriculture.
• Bring in representatives from the ag education department at the colleges in your state that offer ag education. Use the college finder here on the #TeachAg Website for a listing of universities.

back to top

Post-Secondary Students (2-year technical schools)

• Give each student a slip of paper with a career related to agriculture on it. Have them research and share with the rest of the class how agricultural education plays a role in the prosperity of that career. Lesson Plan
• Play "Are You Smarter than your Ag Teacher?." Details and download games
• Have your students contact a nearby high school ag program and shadow the teacher for a day. Lesson plan
• Arrange an event on campus about agricultural education or set up a booth or display in a high-traffic area. Activity guide
• Host a departmental open house for students, members of the community, and other school personnel. Activity guide
• Send a letter to those enrolled in your program thanking them for allowing you to be an ag teacher. Example
• Contact a local high school and talk to the class about how having a degree in agricultural education can lead to many different career paths, like being a farm business management instructor. Example
• Hold an appreciation event for all the other agricultural educators in the region/district.
• Host an open house for students, members of the community, and other school personnel. Activity guide

University level: Teacher Educators, Ag Ed Majors, & Ag Ed Student Organizations

• Set up a booth in an area of campus where agricultural education might not be as widely recognized and pass out literature about being an ag teacher. Activity guide
• Have ag ed students write a letter to their high school principal, superintendent, or other administrator thanking them for having an ag program and talking about how their ag teacher has influenced their lives.
• Play "Are You Smarter than your Ag Teacher? " Details and download games
• Create an ag education major mentoring program with new or transfer students and junior/senior ag education majors. Activity guide
• Contact local high school ag programs and ask if you can be part of the NAAE National #TeachAg Day celebration in their school.
• Host a high school student for the day and have them attend classes with you. Give them a tour of your school and introduce them to the agricultural education professors. Activity guide

Ideas for State Agricultural Education Leaders

• Create a personalized letter for students you think would make good ag teachers. Include information about why you think he or she would be a good ag teacher as well as information about the career. You may even want to send a carbon copy to the parents. Letter Example
• Invite ag ed undergraduates to your summer ag teachers conference and offer workshops designed for undergraduates and first year teachers.
• Recognize senior students who will be majoring in ag education on stage at the State FFA Convention. Contact Ellen Poeschl for more information about #TeachAg Signing Events.
• Implement a #TeachAg CDE at your State FFA Convention.
• Have students create mini commercials about their ag teacher and show the commercials at convention or at the summer ag teachers conference.
• Work with other leaders in your state and offer a #TeachAg Workshop at State FFA Convention for students considering a career in ag education. Workshop can be open to anyone or by special invitation only. Give each attending teacher a few Tagged to #TeachAg stickers with their registration packet to designate students selected for the workshop. Access sticker templates here. | Workshop planning resources

Ideas for Everyone

• Organize a visit to your state legislative body on NAAE National #TeachAg Day to talk with lawmakers about agricultural education and the importance of ag teachers in your state. Use NAAE's Legislative Action Center to help plan your visit.
• Send a letter of appreciation to ag teachers in your state (state supervisors and Alumni or advisory boards). Example
• Mentor and connect with new teachers in your state to encourage them to stay in the profession.

Twitter: Challenge yourself to share an agricultural education story in 140 characters or thread your story throughout the day with multiple tweets. Tag us with @Teach_Ag or use hashtag #teachag. Follow the #TeachAg feed to stay up to date with ag ed, learn about scholarship opportunities, or stay focused on your goals of becoming an agriculture teacher.

Sample tweets:

• Get tagged to #TeachAg.
• College- and career-ready thanks to ag ed! #TeachAg
• Ag teachers teach by doing, not just telling. #TeachAg
• Teach the new 3Rs: rigor, relevance, and relationships. #TeachAg
• How do you feed 7 billion people? #TeachAg
• Vet science, ecotourism, floral design, & nanotechnology under one major. #TeachAg
• Ag ed: a special blend of tradition and the future. #TeachAg
• Want a career with flexibility, variety, and travel? #TeachAg
• No two days are the same in one program & no two programs are the same. #TeachAg

Facebook: Tag your friends to #TeachAg with a status update, or write your ag ed story as your status or on our Facebook wall; don't forget that you can tag your local program, agriculture teacher, media, and supportive local businesses with the @ symbol and their name. You can also post to your legislator's Facebook wall. Don't forget that you can use Facebook to facilitate event planning. "Like" the Teach Ag page to stay up to date with ag ed, learn about scholarship opportunities, and stay focused on your goals of becoming an agriculture teacher.

Sample updates from students:

• I’m tagged to #TeachAg! @Teach Ag
• Agriculture is the nation’s largest employer with 28 million jobs. Thanks @[your instructor] for giving me career skills!
• There are over 11,000 ag teachers in the US, but mine is the best. Thanks, @[your instructor]
• FFA taught me leadership; my SAE gave me experience; Ag Ed brought it together in one classroom. @Teach Ag
• Ag is my only class that uses all five senses. Thank you @[your instructor]

Sample updates from teachers:

• Today, I’m tagging @[insert student] to teach ag!
• I love being an ag teacher because [insert reason] @Teach Ag
• There are 800,000 ag students nationwide but I have the best every year. @Teach Ag
• I know what the future leaders look like because I teach ag. @Teach Ag
• Why try to explain miracles to kids when you can have them plant a garden, raise a calf, or look at an atomic structure? @Teach Ag

Sample updates from anyone:

• @[insert friend], I’m tagging you to teach ag!
• Never have the same day twice! #TeachAg! @[insert friend]
• Be a trendsetter and know the latest technology! Think about teaching ag! @[insert friend]

Instagram: Post a picture of the great things your are doing in your ag program! #teachag

Blog: Write a blog post about agriculture education and send us the link.

Sample posts prompts:

• What role does agricultural education play in your community? Think of your current ag program, alumni groups, local businesses, industry supporters, and those who might not even realize the connection.
• How has agriculture impacted your life?
• Why are you studying to be an ag teacher or why did you become one?
• What the one thing that you wish everyone knew about ag education?
• Should STEM change to STEAM?

Video: Post a video to YouTube and send us the link.

General Tips:

• Link to outside information.
• Use active verbs.
• Alternate facts and a story.

Use this Powerpoint game to challenge your students. A fun way to get them thinking about the knowledge and skills required to become an agricultural educator. You can also change the answers and questions on the template and use as a review tool for any subject.

Download game Download instructions

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