Session 1:
Course Content
Thinking Like An Entrepreneur
Class Activity/Discussions
ICEBREAKER! Medusa: Students stand in a circle. Countdown from 3, 2, 1, with all heads down & eyes closed. When counting reaches 1, all heads up to look towards someone. If 2 people are making eye contact, they are out. We can extend the game to 3 looks each. To spell the letters O.U.T.
CLASS ACTIVITY: Here are some questions to discuss among the class. Why did you register for this class? Students…..share something super interesting about yourself.
SESSION 1: GETTING STARTED
Class Activity:
What is your greatest strength? What is your biggest fear? If you had one wish, what would it be?
SESSION 1: CULTIVATING / BECOMING AN ENTREPRENEUR
Class Activity - Discussion
Do you know who one of the most outstanding entrepreneurs of all time was? It was King Solomon from ancient times. Here are his helpful rules! Let’s read through these together.
1. BE DILIGENT AND WORK HARD
2. WORK WISELY
3. PURSUE EXCELLENCE
4. WORK PROACTIVELY
5. BE HONEST – ALWAYS
6. USE DEBT SPARINGLY
7. WORK COOPERATIVELY
8. ESTABLISH POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS
9. REMAIN FOCUSED AND PATIENT
10. HONOR GOD
Class Activity: The Entrepreneur Search!
Each student should find a video of a young entrepreneur on YOUTUBE, specifically looking for a child or teenager who has created a successful business. It can be an online or regular business. Students should watch the video (for about 5 minutes, even if the video is longer) and share what they discovered with the class.
Class Activity: Public Speaking Practice
Many times entrepreneurs need to speak in front of an audience.
Let’s discuss how to present like a pro! Instructors can ask each question aloud. (Did you know….public speaking is the #1 fear of human beings)
Who here has a fear of public speaking?
What do you think would help you overcome your fear?
What are the attributes and characteristics of a good public speaker?
How do you think they prepare?
Who would be nervous right now getting up in front of the class and making a speech?
Phase 1:
Let’s discuss HOW someone should speak in front of an audience. Can anyone give examples?
examples….eye contact, speaking concisely, not rushing, relaying the message effectively, appropriate body language, etc.
Ask for volunteers….Let’s try standing up in front of the group and staying quiet for 30 seconds. This may be awkward but could also be funny. It may be easy for some and tough for others. Students do not need to feel pressured. Each student will sit back down after each “phase”.
Phase 2:
Each individual student will stand in front of the group and describe something (anything) for a minute (at least). Take a few minutes so students can make a few notes and can use those during their presentation. Just ask that they don’t depend on their notes. THEY MAY WORK IN PAIRS. Have students critique each other.
Suggestions: A morning routine, how to make a sandwich, their daily school schedule, one of their favorite summer vacations, demonstrate how to do something, etc.
Continue to Session 2 (CLICK HERE)
Video Transcription:
Welcome to the E-Teen Lab (MS Edition), teaching students how to become business savvy and create and then promote their new business using their newly created website on WIX. If allowed, their parents can also give them permission or join them in marketing their new business on Social Media.
The first question I am always asked by my students is, ”What kind of online business could I start? Well, that depends on your interests, passions, or objectives. What are you interested in? Do you want to sell something? Do you want to provide a physical service, and market the business to your community? Do you want to teach people online how to do something? The first step is identifying the things you like and things you may be good at. Maybe you have a gift, a talent, a skill, or even a hobby that you could share with others and earn multiple streams of online income. Or maybe you just want to sell stuff. We are going to work through this process together!
Here are some things you will learn about in this course::
How People Make Money Online
Business Ideas
Business Ethics
Digital Marketing - Finding Customers
Getting Your Business Noticed Through Branding
Content Development/Creation
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Video Production
Website Development
Digital Design/Canva
This course is for educational purposes only. Students will however gain valuable life skills and a great understanding of how people earn money using the internet with an online business. And most businesses start with a website. The course is designed to strengthen critical thinking, improve communication skills, encourage integrity, teach leadership qualities, set goals, and help students become entrepreneurs and succeed in many areas of life.
I am not an accountant, lawyer, or financial advisor. Please ask your parents to contact one of these professionals if you have any questions regarding taxes, require legal support of any kind, or need financial advice.
How to follow the course
Sessions cover topics and should not be associated with each “class” set by your school/center. Some sessions may take multiple classes to complete. Sessions do not equate to “classes”.
Section 1: This section will introduce the characteristics of an entrepreneur, discuss internet safety, and help our students identify their interests, skills, and talents. Later in the section, students will learn how to create a simple website using a free program called WIX.
After naming their new business, students will begin creating a new Google email account and social media accounts (if allowed by parents). They will then write out a business plan which will help them think through and plan their business
Section 2: Students will learn how to create and find great content (text, photos, videos, etc.) and learn how to use “keywords” which will help bring visitors to their website and social media platforms (i.e. SEO/digital marketing).
This section will provide a tutorial on how to create a website/blog. It’s essential to create a website to be used as a landing page/home to “brand” the business, used to post content or products and to collect email subscribers. Then learn how to implement the best SEO (search engine optimization) strategies.
Section 1: Business Exploration & Creation
Cultivating the Entrepreneurial Mindset
Do you know what entrepreneur means? An entrepreneur is an individual who creates a new business, bearing most of the risks and enjoying most of the rewards. The entrepreneur is known as an innovator, a source of new ideas, goods, services, or procedures.
You have great potential to create an income in the world of digital marketing just by sharing what you already know and doing what you love. You can positively influence many lives by sharing your skills and talents even at a young age.
Success comes with honesty, putting forth your best effort, and offering something of value. While it may take time to develop, your business has the potential to last for years. Can you imagine building an online presence that generates passive/residual income that lasts for years after your content is created? Let’s use Youtube as an example. YouTubers who posted videos years ago still earn income on those same videos today. “Are you familiar with any successful Youtubers?” Can you name one?
Ultimately, your goal as an entrepreneur is to work smart towards generating “passive” or “residual” income. Passive income, described by Dave Ramsey, is money you earn in a way that requires little to no daily effort to maintain. So put the work in now, and reap the rewards later! Some passive income ideas like publishing ebooks/books, songwriting, podcasting, starting an eCommerce store, or building a website, may take some work to get up and running but can make you money for many years.
Building a business is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s not a “Get-Rich-Quick” strategy. It’s going to take time, effort, diligence, and patience. And if you want faster growth, create and post content more frequently. The most successful online digital marketers post at least one “thing” per day.
To be successful in business, one needs to adopt the habits and qualities of an entrepreneur. An entrepreneur has great, innovative ideas that identify the need to create a business. Entrepreneurs can be people of any age (from 10 to 100). Their characteristics are creativity, imagination, and they have a passion for what they do.
Entrepreneurs generally start businesses to fill a void, solve a problem, and meet a need. If you “do” something specific or “sell” something distinctive and learn how to market to an audience who would pay money for it, you can be very successful. The secret to online business success is finding customers that want what you are selling or teaching in a specific field of interest. This is called a niche ( pronounced NEESH). Before we get into niches, let’s take a look at some entrepreneur rules by one of the greatest business people of all time, King Solomon.
Continue to Session 2 (CLICK HERE)