STUDENTPATHS

connecting students to their future

Lesson Plan Guide 1
TITLE: Aspiring to Entrepreneurship
GRADE LEVELS: 9 - 12
CONTENT AREAS: Live Your Path

STUDENT PATHS OUTCOME:

3-3: Students take practical steps to transition to post-high school options.

IN THIS LESSON, STUDENTS WILL:

• Read an article about young entrepreneurs.
• Dictate and interpret advice from Steve Jobs.
• Brainstorm ideas to start a business.

COMMON CORE STANDARDS ADDRESSED:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1c Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence;
ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote
divergent and creative perspectives.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1d Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made
on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additional information or research is required to
deepen the investigation or complete the task.

ASCA STANDARDS ADDRESSED:

PS:A2.2 Respect alternative points of view
PS:A2.6 Use effective communications skills

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE:
No prior knowledge necessary

MATERIALS:
• “High School and College Entrepreneurs” article from Student Paths
• Paper and pencils/pens
• Whiteboard or large paper for brainstorming

LESSON OVERVIEW:
Students first read an article from Student Paths. Second, they dictate and interpret quotes from Steve Jobs. Finally, they brain-
storm ideas to start a business.

ASSESSMENT:

There is no formal assessment for this lesson. Instructors may note which students participate more in the interpretation of quotes
and generation of ideas in the brainstorming.
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connecting students to their future Lesson Plan Guide 2
LESSON PROCEDURE:

Read Student Paths article (5 minutes)

Instruct students to silently read “High School and College Entrepreneurs.” Allow students a few minutes, and then ask: What is
an entrepreneur? The groups should come to a common understanding that entrepreneurs create new products and processes in
the world. Students may be familiar with famous examples of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg. Remind students that
small, local businesses, such as a restaurant or construction company were also started by entrepreneurs.

Introduce inspiring quotes for entrepreneurs (15-30 minutes)

This activity and discussion uses quotes from Steve Jobs to spark inspiration for students to find courses of interest, to trust what
they do, to find love, and to stay hungry in life. The four quotes are from his Stanford University commencement speech in 2005.
Instructors should modify this section to best fit the time constraints. Using the quotes without video will save time, or the lesson
could be delivered over two class periods.

For ideal inspiration, instructors should first dictate the four quotes below to students and then watch the 15-minute video of the
speech. Dictation is a skill many students lack, but is a way for students to pay particular attention to the exact words a person
says, and this allows deeper contemplation of the meaning of the words. Once the students have the quotes, the video provides
context, examples, and extended meaning to the advice from Steve Jobs.

A video of the speech and the full text can be found at

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html

Dictate these four quotes:

1. “The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn’t interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones
that looked interesting.”
2. “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots
will somehow connect in your future.”
3. “The only way to do great work is to love what you do. Don’t settle.”
4. On the back page of the last issue of Stewart Brand’s Whole Earth Catalogue was a photograph of an early morning country
road; beneath it were the words, “Stay hungry, stay foolish.”

After students have dictated the four quotes, assign them to groups of three. Students discuss these quotes within their groups,
but each student should write his or her own answers for this activity.

The task is to determine the value and risk of each piece of advice. First, students must interpret a fuller meaning of the advice
Steve Jobs gives. Then students must determine why this may be good advice and also how this advice could lead to potential
problems. Instruct students to discuss and write three things about each quote:

1. Use your own words to rewrite each piece of advice and give an example from your own life.
2. Explain why this could be good advice.
3. Explain how this advice could create potential problems, conflict, and greater risk in life.

After the triads have discussed each quote and students have completed their own answers, discuss these interpretations as a
class. The point of the discussion is to better understand some of the internal conflicts present in entrepreneurship and innovation,
and to inspire students to find their passion and to persist in difficult tasks.

Brainstorming as aspiring entrepreneurs (15-30 minutes):

This activity is to provide students a taste of how to think like an entrepreneur. This brainstorming activity should be light and fun
for students. Encourage both wild ideas and more practical ones that students could actually do. Brainstorming is more effective
when the group is able to suspend judgment and allow creativity to motivate more creativity.

The task is to brainstorm business ideas. Explain the task to students by reading the following aloud:

Creativity and innovation are buzzwords, but too often we continue in routine and dogma instead of developing better ways
of doing things in life. Brainstorming allows us to list lots of ideas, and to build momentum in order to identify real solutions
to real problems and needs. In brainstorming, we want to suggest both practical ideas that are likely to work as well as wild,
game-changing ideas that would change the way we do things. Steve Jobs was a very successful entrepreneur because he found
ideas that were both game-changing and practical.
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connecting students to their future Lesson Plan Guide 3

An entrepreneur could frame this brainstorming with two questions:

• What are problems in society and possible solutions?
• What are market demands and possible products to meet this need?

As a class, let us brainstorm and list everything mentioned on the board. At this stage, every idea is a good idea. Instead of say-
ing, “No, that will not work,” we say, “Yes, and we could …” This technique is an effective way to build momentum and encourage
more creative ideas.

Allow 10 minutes to brainstorm ideas, and conclude this activity by explaining that brainstorming can be fun and energizing, but a
real entrepreneur must determine the ideas with the most potential and begin working on them.
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HANDOUT A
connecting students to their future Lesson Plan Guide 4

High school and college entrepreneurs — by Lauren Winfrey

Yes, you can start your own business -- and you can do it now.

H
ave you ever considered going into business for yourself or
wondered what life might be like if you were to establish your
own company? If you have, you might be destined for the life
of an entrepreneur.
The career path of an entrepreneur doesn’t necessarily start once
you have finished high school or college. In fact, many high school and
college-aged students are forging their own path. The thought of having to
graduate before embarking upon entrepreneurial endeavors is a thing of
the past.
“You don’t have to wait until you’re thirty,” says Ariana Pierce, who at
23 is the chief executive officer of two companies: Super Star Nail Lac-
quer and Style Shoppe.
Pierce, a native of Grand Rapids, Mich., and a self-proclaimed “fashion-
preneur,” wasted no time pursuing her passion for fashion and making her
mark in the beauty industry. Upon graduation from Lakeside Christian High
School, Pierce embarked on a beauty venture of her own. The end result
was Super Star Nail Lacquer—a fast-drying and eco-chic nail polish line.
Pierce was in her first year at Michigan State University during the nail
line’s inception.

The challenge is managing time

As a sophomore, she was handed the reins to her mother’s company,
Style Shoppe. “My syllabus was my best friend,” says Pierce. “I relied on
my planner, and I learned the importance of writing things down. I complet-
ed my school work early, and I handled business on the weekends.”
Nick Spaulding, a 17-year-old budding entrepreneur, shares Pierce’s
sentiments. “Learning to budget my time has been most challenging,”
says Spaulding. As the creator of Phone Doctor Now and full-time student
at Colerain High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, he has a full plate. He estab-
lished Phone Doctor Now in December 2012 as a venture dedicated to
the restoration of broken phones, and the selling of refurbished phones.
Like many innovative ideas, Phone Doctor Now was born of necessity.
After breaking his own phone and realizing he had the skill to fix it, Nick
decided to go into business. “I think the biggest thing is kids don’t really
see [owning their own business] as an option,” says Spaulding.
But it is a viable option, and it doesn’t require a ton of money. Spauld-
ing warns against letting money be a deterrent for those interested in
establishing a startup. “If you’re interested in doing it, you can’t worry
about losing the money,” Spaulding suggests. “If you’re good enough,
you’ll make the money back anyway.”
Thiel Fellows get $100,000
If you are still in high school, there are great opportunities for you. The
Thiel Fellowship program is designed for students 19 years old or younger;
it brings together the world’s most innovative young people and helps
them bring their business ideas to life. For those selected as fellows,
the program awards $100,000 to forgo college (for at least two years) to
focus on their work and self-education. The program emphasizes doing
as opposed to merely studying what it is you’d like to do. Equipped with a
network of visionary thinkers, investors, scientists, and entrepreneurs, it
offers fellows guidance and assistance as they work toward realizing their
dreams.
Beginning your own business as a student is an achievable goal, and
Colorado State University seems to agree. Recently, the university intro-
duced 13 new student-based startup companies in its Venture Accelerator
program.
According to Steve Porter, reporter for InnovatioNews, the stdent-based
startups “are incubated for a successful business launch after the
12-month program under the university’s Institute for Entrepreneurship
in the College of Business.” This program proves there is assistance for
students interested in entrepreneurship, and one of the best ways to gain
access to this type of support is to apply to a university with a strong
business program.
Chasing your dream isn’t easy, but it’s possible
As a developing entrepreneur, you don’t have to shy away from your
goal due to lack of experience. Pursue your passion with an unwavering
sense of boldness, and utilize the resources around you.
The key for young successful entrepreneurs like Pierce and Spaulding
is having the focus and drive to manage business, schoolwork, and a so-
cial life. It’s a challenge, but chasing after one’s passion is worth the work.

Help for high school entrepreneurs

There are many resources for aspiring young entrepreneurs. Here are just a few
places you can begin.
• Start where you are: Many high schools have Junior Achievement, DECA and
other programs, so check with your counselor about these and other opportunities
in your community.
• Colleges, universities and technical schools can help: Many have imple-
mented student startup accelerators like the one at Colorado State University. See
what’s available in your area.
• http://www.thielfellowship.org/: With the 20 Under 20 Thiel Fellowships,
students “pursue innovative scientific and technical projects, learn entrepreneurship
from the ground up, and begin to build the innovative companies of tomorrow.”
• http://www.nfib.com/foundations/yef/: The National Federation of Indepen-
dent Business’ Young Entrepreneur Foundation “promotes entrepreneurship through
scholarship programs, classroom games and teacher and student programs.”