Entrepreneurship

Develop the attitudes, behaviors, and skills for success!

• Open to 9th-12th graders

In today’s dynamic world, success often hinges on the way we think and act. Our mindset has the power to differentiate us and empower us to do the extraordinary. In this course, students will develop the attitudes, behaviors, and skills for success. This includes setting purpose, vision, and goals; identifying talents, developing them into strengths, and leveraging those strengths personally and in teams; creating and implementing a trusted productivity system; developing networking and hiring skills by writing and reviewing resumes and conducting mock interviews from both the applicant and hiring manager roles; and defining a problem and iterating human-centered solutions using Design Thinking. Students will also verify their skills with the Intuit Design for Delight Innovator certification exam. With a focus on the human side of business and the operational foundation needed to be successful, these are invaluable skills to any endeavor, including entrepreneurship. Do you want to challenge yourself to grow and set yourself apart as a thinker and leader? Take Entrepreneurial Mindset!

Take your idea from concept to pitch!

Formerly CTE84130 Entrepreneurial Business Development

• Open to 10th-12th graders
• Prerequisite: Recommend CTE80105 Entrepreneurial Mindset (but not required).

Great ideas and successful businesses are often grown from fierce passion combined with disciplined process. In this course, students will learn the process of taking an idea from concept to pitch and apply it to developing a business idea of their own, while learning valuable product management skills.This includes identifying a problem; forming a team; learning about the customer; developing a solution that meets customers’ needs; analyzing and differentiating themselves from competitors; creating a marketing strategy; projecting financials; and creating a prototype. By the end of the course, students will have a pitch deck, which they will pitch to industry professionals. Students will also verify their skills with the Entrepreneurship and Small Business (ESB) certification exam. Do you want to learn the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and how to take your idea–something you are passionate about–to market? Take Entrepreneurial Journey: Concept to Pitch!

Efficiently and effectively get the right things done! 

• Open to 10th – 12th Graders
• Prerequisite: Recommend CTE80105 Entrepreneurial Mindset (but not required).

Life is full of projects, and mastering the art of project management is the key to turning your vision into reality. Whether it is a weekend project at home, a semester project at school, a passion project in your spare time, or starting a business, it is important to manage that project for optimal success, efficiently and effectively getting the right things done. In this course, students will learn project management fundamentals by taking a real-world project of their choice from initiation to close. They will create and maintain comprehensive project documentation and present high-level summaries to key stakeholders, cultivating technical expertise while honing interpersonal skills for effective collaboration. This includes developing a project charter; completing stakeholder analysis; building a project plan that encompasses scheduling, risk management, communication, and budgeting; executing the plan using agile methodologies; applying quality and change management methodologies; and closing the project. By the end of the course, students will have a project management portfolio, which they will present to industry professionals. Students will also verify their skills with the PMI Project Management Ready certification exam. Project management is a skill set used in a variety of career paths, including entrepreneurship. Do you want to take your vision to the next level through implementation? Take Project Management!

Make data-informed decisions!

• Open to 11th – 12th Graders
• Prerequisite: Recommend CTE80105 Entrepreneurial Mindset (but not required).

Data is everywhere; it is the currency on which modern business relies. Businesses set themselves apart when they can leverage their data to drive insights and inform decisions across and in every aspect of the organization. In this class, students will learn the fundamentals of cleaning, preparing, analyzing, visualizing, and communicating data, using it to inform decisions. Do you want to make informed decisions that will drive progress? Take Business Analytics I!

Elevate your business!

• Open to 10th – 12th Graders
• Instructor Approval Required
• Prerequisite: Any one of the following
  • CTE80105 Entrepreneurial Mindset
  • CTE80107 Entrepreneurial Journey
  • CTE84135 Project Management
  • CTE84141 Business Analytics
• This course is for students who are actively operating a business. You must have a product or service you are currently selling or can feasibly sell within a couple months.

Calling all student entrepreneurs: Take steps to elevate your venture in the supportive environment of a think tank. In this class, students will bring their current businesses into a collaborative environment, where they will identify areas of growth within their business and set specific goals to achieve tangible results. The focus is on student entrepreneurs sharing their knowledge and experiences with one another and using this peer support and insight to grow their ventures. This includes a presentation on the current state of their business and identified areas of growth; teach backs on areas of success or learning; collaborative problem-solving sessions; implementation, testing, and iteration of new strategies; engagement with industry professionals; and a presentation demonstrating progress in the identified focus areas. Do you have a business you want to grow or a product or service you want to commercialize now? Do you want the support of entrepreneurial peers? Take Entrepreneurship Think Tank!