Unit One

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower”. Steve Jobs

Task One :

A) What words come to your mind upon hearing Unit Objectives: This unit
‘entrepreneurship’?
 Introduces learners, through listening, reading, speaking and
Entrepreneur ……………… writing activities, into entrepreneurship and its context-specific
vocabulary.
 Familiarizes apprentices with entrepreneurship-related issues.
Entrepreneurship  Stimulates learners’ opinions about entrepreneurship-related
…………. ………………. matters.
 Encourages learners to undertake entrepreneurial ventures.
B) Formulate correct sentences using the words you
came up with (include as many as possible)?
………………………….. Use these expressions :
Task Two: Discussion  In order to, so as to, (not) to, so that,
 In my opinion, as far as I am
A) Why is ‘entrepreneurship’ important? concerned, etc..
B) What types of ‘entrepreneurship’ can you distinguish?
C) What character traits would, in your opinion,
characterize an entrepreneur?
D) “Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and
are able to turn both to their advantage.” – Niccolo Machiavelli. Do you think so?

Task Three: Listening

Pre-listening: In pairs, discuss these questions and expose your ideas to the whole class.

1. What makes of someone an entrepreneur?

2. Are you for steady employment or in favour of undertaking some entrepreneurial venture?
3. What motivates entrepreneurs to start their own ventures?
4. Does entrepreneurship require any specific skills? If so, what are they?

While-listening: Listen/watch the video embedded in the link hereafter, then answer the subsequent
questions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aozlwC3XwfY&list=RDLVaozlwC3XwfY&index=1&ab_channel=CrashCourse

A) Listen attentively and respond to these queries:

1. What makes of Beetles an entrepreneur?
2. What mistake ruined Beetles’ entrepreneurial venture?
3. What change subverted the global job market?
4. How did gigging impact the global employment market?
5. According to the Social Sciences Research Network Journal, why do entrepreneurs start companies?
B) Listen carefully and fill in the gaps in these sentences with the right words:
1. The word entrepreneur seems to be ………………….. around everywhere for everyone doing anything.
2. Entrepreneurs ………………….. in all types of industries and can have widely different ………………….. .
3. Entrepreneurs give an ………………….. and the right tools to develop it into a ………………….. business.
4. Some people define an ‘entrepreneur’ in buzzwords like …………….., innovative, problem-solving and ……………
5. According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, over a ………………….. ………………….. businesses are launched
each year, that is ………………… ..………………….. per year, and ………………… new businesses per second.
6. Beetles notices the lack of cat transportation and ………………….. it to his boss.
7. Beetles’ sales of the cat board ………………….. because he failed to make ………………….. ………………….. in accordance
with his customers’ …………………...
8. Beetles cut his ………………….. by selling his designs to Me-Wow, which ………………….. his idea as the dog board.
9. Good entrepreneurs take the ………………….. to start a new business and stick with it through the ………………….. and
…………………..
10. Entrepreneurial ………………….. is full of ………………….. to ………………….. where people pitch the next snapchat and
are launched into the business stratosphere.
11. Entrepreneurship does create a culture of ………………….. that might work for some ……… - ………………….. workers.
12. Every entrepreneur with a massive ………………….. has also had hundreds of …………………..
13. ………………….. is perfectly fine if we learn as we go.
14. It is not that entrepreneurs never faced failures, but it is that they did not …………………..
15. The …………………. is anyone can be an entrepreneur with a little ……………….., determination and a bit of luck.
C) Listen again and fill in the following charts with the right information from the listening passage:
What is an Entrepreneur? Entrepreneur character traits Entrepreneurship definition
…………………..…………………………… …………………..…………………………… …………………..……………………………
…………………..…………………………… …………………..…………………………… …………………..……………………………

Undertaking some entrepreneurial venture

Benefits/advantages Shortcomings/drawbacks
…………………..………………………………………………………… …………………..…………………………………………………………
…………………..………………………………………………………… …………………..…………………………………………………………
 Unit One

D) Follow up: Select the choice that means almost the

same as these words that occurred in the listening passage.
1. Acumen: D. Fix
A. Dullness 9. Revamp:
B. Insight A. Remake
C. Stupidity B. Revise
D. reason C. Renovate
2. Strive for: D. Rework
A. Devote 10. ‘Something is not all blue skies and
B. Struggle rainbows’ involves:
C. Contend A. Joy and merry
D. work B. Grief and sorrow
3. Trailblazing: C. Regret and remorse
A. Modern D. Astonishment and surprise
B. Traditional 11. ‘From rags to riches’ means almost the
C. Conservative same as:
D. innovative A. From dawn to dusk
4. Cookie-cutter: B. From extreme poverty to great wealth
A. Lacking originality C. From cradle to grave
B. Lacking individuality D. From sunrise to sunset.
C. Stereotyped 12. Grit:
D. Sharp-edged A. Strength of mind
5. Aggregate: B. Fearlessness
A. Collect C. Inedible particles
B. Take D. Measurement.
C. Compose 13. ‘Stumbling’:
D. Consider A. Misstep
6. Lore: B. Fall
A. Adage C. Rise
B. Mythology D. Awkward walk
C. Tradition 14. ‘Bottom line’:
D. Belief A. Final balance
7. Leap: B. Amount of money
A. Jump C. Profit
B. Action D. Result or summary
C. Initiative 15. Pitch:
D. Risk A. Attempt
8. Plummet: B. Present
A. Drop C. Throw
B. Rise D. Cause.
C. Soar
Post-listening: Reflect on these questions and present your thoughts to the whole class.

1. What is a non-traditional worker?

2. What can entrepreneurs learn from failures?
3. Is your country attractive to entrepreneurs? If not, why?
4. What hurdles might hold back entrepreneurs from undertaking any business ventures?

Task Four: Reading

A) Pre-reading: In pairs, give these queries a thought, then expose your reflections to the whole class:
1. What challenges, do you think, entrepreneurs might face when they think about embarking on some business
venture?
2. How might start-uppers finance their entrepreneurial venture?
3. In your opinion, what does successful entrepreneurship require?
B) While-reading: Read the text carefully and answer these two questions:
1. What is the most serious hurdle the writer brings up?
2. What is the most useful and worthwhile piece of advice he mentioned?
3. Give the text a suitable title?

…………………………………………………………………………………..
Millions of people dream of becoming entrepreneurs, but they never take that all-important first step. Too many things
get in the way of their pursuit of business ownership, or they keep convincing themselves that their dream is not realistic.
If you ever want to move past this phase and found your own business, you need to acknowledge the specific obstacles
that are holding you back and work to resolve them.
Launching a business takes money, and most people do not have ample cash to throw at a startup. There are several
options here. First off, you could begin saving now for the funds to establish your business. If you shop for a better mortgage
and reduce your house payments by refinancing, you can sock the savings away in your startup fund. You can trim costs in
other areas to put away a few hundred dollars each month or save even more by picking up a side gig.
Barring that, you can secure funding in a variety of ways, such as borrowing from friends and family, crowdfunding,
seeking loans and grants or even working with angel investors and venture capitalists. There is always a way forward.
Becoming a successful entrepreneur typically demands experience; you need to understand your industry and business
management in general if you want to earn a living from your venture. When you have limited experience, you may be
reluctant to move forward, and understandably so.
 Unit One

You can make up for this, however, by actively seeking the

experience you lack. Take an online course to gain a grasp of business management basics. Strive for a leadership position
with your current employer so you will acquire strategic planning and people management skills. Work with a mentor or
shadow an entrepreneur you admire.
You cannot build a business if you do not have a promising idea for a product or service you can sell. Without a solid
business plan, you will not be able to convince investors or partners to join you—and you will not even know where to begin.
Without a good idea, you cannot start a business!
Luckily, there are ways to stimulate better idea generation, such as talking to a broad range of people, reading
entrepreneurial content and taking a more robust approach to brainstorming. Techniques like mind mapping and word
banking can get your creative juices flowing.
Some people avoid starting a business because of existing responsibilities or constraints on their time. Their current
full-time job, their status as a parent or other personal responsibilities hold them back from their entrepreneurial ambitions.
The best approach is to determine how much of an impact these responsibilities have and consider ways to delegate or
remove them. Could you realistically quit your day job, for example, or hire someone to help with household duties or
childcare?
Lack of confidence is an entrepreneurship killer. It is true that the failure rate for new businesses is relatively high, with
half of new companies failing within five years. To buck those odds, you will need a healthy dose of confidence in yourself
and your idea.
The only solution to a fear of failure is to change your mindset. You have to see failure as an opportunity for learning
and growth and stop seeing it as the end of the road, an indictment of your abilities or a stain on your character. Reading
accounts by successful entrepreneurs will inspire you to see the possibilities rather than focusing only on the risks.
Starting and running a business demands a lot of effort. You will likely be putting in long hours and dealing with stressful
issues. On top of that, your first few years are apt to be highly inconsistent with your business only making a profit some of
the time. This can wreak havoc on your finances and peace of mind. If you are not feeling up to this kind of pressure, or if
you are loath to work more than 40 hours a week, entrepreneurship may not be for you.
Again, the only way around this obstacle is to change your attitude. Remember that all this hard work will be in service
to yourself, not an employer. While the risks are on you, so are the rewards.
One of the most common excuses you will hear is that it’s “just not the right time” to start a business. The truth is, there
is never a truly “right” time—you can always find some reason that today, or this month or this year is not ideal for launching
your venture.
But like beginning a diet on a Wednesday or joining a gym in February, the trick is to make your own right time.
Microsoft was born during the oil crisis of the 1970s, while Airbnb and Uber were founded in the depths of the Great
Recession. Remind yourself that the success of your business will depend not on “the times” but on you.
It is true that anyone can become an entrepreneur with enough grit and persistence. Most entrepreneurs with solid ideas
have a good chance of becoming successful if they remain adaptable. But, it is also important to realize that not everyone is
cut out for entrepreneurship.
If you are intimidated by the stress, inconsistency and long hours associated with startup life, or if you truly love your
day job and you are afraid to leave, maybe business ownership is not right for you. That said, if you feel the pull of
entrepreneurship but keep making excuses to avoid getting started, you owe it to yourself to challenge those excuses and try
to move past them. Serenity Gibbons is a former assistant editor at The Wall Street Journal. Accessed on August 24th, 21 at
https://www.forbes.com/sites/serenitygibbons/2020/10/20/7-obstacles-that-prevent-people-from-starting-businesses-and-how-to-
overcome-them/?sh=56892e30641a
C) Comprehension Tasks: Read the text carefully then answer these questions:
1. Find in the text words meaning almost the same as :
a. Curb and withhold: ………………………………………………
b. Loan to buy property: ………………………………………………
c. Strike and hit hard: ………………………………………………
d. Curtail and cut back: ………………………………………………
e. Any job, especially one of short or uncertain duration: ………………………………………………
f. Hesitant: ………………………………………………
g. To make strenuous efforts toward any goal: ………………………………………………
h. To throw or attempt to throw and proceed against an obstacle: ………………………………………………
i. Charge and accusation: ………………………………………………
j. a spot not easily removed : ………………………………………………
k. To inflict or execute (punishment, vengeance, etc.: ………………………………………………
l. Great destruction ruinous damage: ………………………………………………
m. Averse and unwilling: ………………………………………………
2. Fill in the table with information from the text in NOTE FORM:
Undertaking some entrepreneurial venture
Common challenges and hurdles Suggested pieces of advice
…………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………

3. Complete these sentences with information from the text:

a. The writer advises ……………………………………………………………………
b. He also warns ……………………………………………………………………
c. He strongly recommends ……………………………………………………..
 Unit One

4) Follow-up: Vocabulary
A) Fill in the gaps in the following sentences with the right word from the list:

Monopoly, oligopoly, venture, profit, supply, demand, offer, scarcity, abundance, needs, wants,
innovation, risk, investment.

1. An ……………………………………. is an asset that is acquired with the goal of generating income in the future or will later
be sold at a higher price for a profit.
2. ……………………………………. is an economic principle referring to a consumer's desire to purchase goods and services and
willingness to pay a price for a specific good or service. ……………………………………., however, is making something
available for sale.
3. An ……………………………………. is a market characterized by a small number of firms who realize they are interdependent
in their pricing and output policies.
4. The process through which more and more citizens gain unconditional access to the material resources for survival and
participation in society is …………………………………….; whereas, ……………………………………. means there is not enough for
everyone to have all of everything they need or want.
5. The complete control of trade in particular goods or the supply of a particular service is …………………………………….
6. ……………………………………. is the introduction or development of new things, ideas or ways of doing things.
7. ……………………………………. are things that are necessary for survival, such as food and shelter, but
……………………………………. are simply desirable things that a person would like to have.
8. ……………………… is a commercial undertaking characterized by risk of loss as well as opportunity for ………………………..
9. ……………………………………. is the quantity of goods and services that can be made available for people to buy.
10. When something might have unpleasant or undesirable results and is most likely to cause harm; it therefore, involves
a great ……………………………………..
B) Post-reading: A) The following lexical items collocate with the word ‘business’. Form the right
collocation, then match it with its related sense:

Venture, angel, capital, continuity, analyst, cycle, plan, process, sense, strategy, trip, trust, administration, failure,
tycoon, advantage, magnate.

1. …………………………………….: the systems, the way things are organized and the order in which things are done inside a
company in order to produce a product or service.
2. …………………………………….: a person who is successful in business or industry and has become rich and powerful.
3. …………………………………….: the process of making sure that the important parts of a business continue working if there
is a disaster.
4. …………………………………….: an association that manages investments, property, etc. for businesses and people involved
in them.
5. …………………………………….: a business project or activity, especially one that involves taking risks.
6. …………………………………….: a person whose job is to analyze the needs of a business company or an organization and
then design processes for working efficiently using computer programs.
7. …………………………………….: a plan for what a business wants to achieve and how they will do it that joins together all the
different parts of the business.
8. …………………………………….: the study or practice of planning, organizing and running a business.
9. …………………………………….: an investor who helps new companies develop by lending them their own money, which may
involve a lot of risk.
10. …………………………………….: a written document that states what a company, or part of a company, aims to do to sell its
products, develop new products, etc. within a particular period, and how it will get the money it needs.
11. …………………………………….: a journey to a place and back again in order to do business.
12. A …………………………………….: someone who has achieved great success and enormous wealth through the ownership of
multiple lines of enterprise.
13. …………………………………….: a thing that helps a business to be better or more successful than other businesses.
14. …………………………………….: action that may help to make a business make money, be efficient, etc.
15. …………………………………….: a company ceasing operations following its inability to make a profit or to bring in enough
revenue to cover its expenses.
16. …………………………………….: the usual pattern of a country’s economy over a period of time, with periods of success and
growth and periods of recession happening regularly one after another.
17. …………………………………….: money or any other asset that is invested in a business and can be reasonably expected to
produce future revenue.

B) Now, fill in the gaps in these sentences with the right collocation from the exercise above:

1. William Henry Gates III or Bill Gates is a global famous American ……………………………………. who held the positions of
CEO, Chairman and Chief Software Architect during his career at Microsoft whose goods or services are widely
consumed.
2. Successful entrepreneurs usually have a keen ……………………………………. of managing budgets, projects, and people
besides a strong inclination towards teamwork.
3. Diversification is an important ……………………………………. that enables the company to come up with new products or
new services and explore novel product lines, or new markets involving considerably dissimilar skills, technology and
knowledge.
4. Reputable blue chips have established excellent brand image and ……………………………………. upon years’ operation.
5. Ambitious young entrepreneurs, apart from being innovative, need to elaborate clear …………………………………….
susceptible to attract potential ……………………………………..
6. While Peter Drucker claimed that the most important reason why businesses fail is because management didn't ask
"what is our business?" in a "clear and sharp form.", a survey of more than 1000 Australian SME business owners found
that ……………………………………. was most likely due to an inability to manage costs.
 Unit One

7. Last August21, the millionaire Richard Branson combined a

……………………………………. to Mountain Hotels in Morocco, Asni & Imlil with a visit to Kasbah Tamadot which is a
luxurious hotel in the high Atlas Mountains and which he bought during one of his ballooning expeditions.
8. Almost all banks would be pleased to lend money to any ……………………………………. which they perceive to be profitable
and lucrative.
9. Maintaining business functions or quickly resuming them in the event of a major disruption which may be caused by a
fire, flood or malicious attack by cybercriminals is often referred to as ……………………………………..
10. Without ……………………………………., companies would not be able to fund their operations; thus, they would not
generate revenue, nor could they stay afloat.
11. Intervals of expansion followed by recession in a nation’s economic activity are commonly known as
……………………………………. and are usually measures by its GDP.
12. The process of investigating and evaluating a company’s structure and operations in the aim of unveiling opportunities
and threats to its viability in the marketplace is the focal point of ……………………………………..
C) Match part A with part B to form the right idiom. Then, match the full idiomatic expression with its
meaning:
Part A: Part B :
1. Throwing caution A. are tied
2. Think outside B. a dead horse
3. To cut C. in the door
4. Hands D. the green light
5. Learn E. corners
6. To go through F. and a hard place
7. To flog G. the book
8. By H. to the wind
9. A foot I. ground up
10. Get down J. the ropes
11. Back to K. the box
12. Sleeping L. the roof
13. From the M. square one
14. To be given N. more than you can chew
15. It is not O. rocket science
16. Sharp P. to business
17. Between a rock Q. practices
18. Bit off R. partner.

Idiomatic expressions’ meaning

A) Be unable to do what one wants to do because something such as rules, laws, etc., prevent it.
B) Waste time on something that you know is not going to happen or bear fruit.
C) An initial step towards some not easily attainable matter.
D) To give permission for someone to do something or for something to happen.
E) Economize of time; money, materials
F) Faced with two equally undesirable alternatives.
G) Strictly following the rules or systems for doing something
H) Being reckless or taking the risk.
I) Starting with the most basic things
J) Learn how to do a particular job or task.
K) Explore ideas that are creative, are unusual and are not controlled by rules or tradition
L) Increase quickly to a very high level
M) Start working on a plan from the beginning because one’s previous attempt failed completely
N) To take on more responsibility than one can handle.
O) It something is very difficult to do or to understand.
P) To start doing what needs to be done or discussed.
Q) A person who provides some of the capital for a business but who does not take an active part in managing
the business
R) Clever but dishonest professional ways of behaving in business.

D) Fill in the gaps in these sentences with the right idiomatic expression from the previous exercise (C):
1. Before undertaking some business adventure, young entrepreneurs had better familiarize themselves with their
competitors’ …………………………………….
2. It is a viable alternative to find out any ……………………………………. before considering bank loans.
3. Young entrepreneurs should be fearless and need not avoid …………………………………….
4. Entrepreneurship and creativity go hand in hand. Creativity is the cornerstone for generating new ideas and novel
processes. This is why, young entrepreneurs are advised to ……………………………………. so as to explore untrodden
paths and come up with unprecedented solutions and unexplored options.
5. Though their ……………… could ……………………., young entrepreneurs ought to be agile and versatile to struggle
whatever obstacles that might come their way.
6. Employees who wish to undertake some business venture need also ……………………………………. in order to
accumulate enough savings that they might draw later on when embarking on their own projects.
 Unit One

7. Fledgling entrepreneurs struggle for years while they

……………………………………. and set their ……………………………………. of success and excellence.
8. Patient, innovative and hardworking entrepreneurs will soon see their profits …………………………………….
9. Ingenious entrepreneurs always avoid ……………………………………. by coming up with creative ideas that propose
innovative solutions to folks’ mundane problems.
10. Fresh entrepreneurs, especially in the early years of practice, need to strictly abide by law and operate in full
accordance with the rules. They need to do things ……………………………………..
11. After listening to a long boring speech of welcome, the guest felt bored and said: ‘I am afraid we are running short
of time; it is high time we ……………………………………..
12. Fresh entrepreneurs had better avoid ……………………………………. by abstaining from borrowing more money than
they can afford to pay back.

Follow-up: Talking point

A) Go through these pictures carefully and tell your classmates:

a. What piece of advice does it communicate?

b. What do you think about this flow of money?

c. What fact does this representation communicate?

d. Summarize the idea conveyed and share it with the class?
e. Do you agree with this idea?

f. What message does this illustration vehicle?

g. Sum it up and tell your classmates about it?
h. What do you think?
Unit One

i. In your opinion, why are the poor poor?

j. And what do you think makes the rich richer?
k. Do you agree with the idea conveyed through the opposite picture?

l. Is entrepreneurship age-dependent?
m. At what age, do you think, it is more preferable to embark on one’s
entrepreneurial venture and why?

n. What mistakes might young entrepreneurs make and which may ruin
the business venture?
o. Considering the opposite illustration, what other factors might speed
up new businesses’ failure?

p. Suppose you want launch your own business venture, tell your
classmates about the steps you intend to follow?
q. What do you think about the steps conveyed in the opposite picture?
r. Are there any steps you can add or delete?

s. Consider the opposite

illustration, what piece of
advice is communicated?
t. How useful do you
think it is?
 Unit One

u. Finally, consider the opposite picture and tell your

classmates:
a. The message you drew from it, and
b. The implications entrepreneurs need to make out of
it.
c. How does it characterize today’s corporate world?

Grammar notes:
1. What parts of speech make up English language?
2. What are these parts of speech?
3. How different are they?

Consider the following illustration, then do the subsequent tasks:

1. Go through paragraph1 in the reading text and find out:

A. Four adjectives: ………………………………………………..
B. Six nouns: ………………………………………………………..
C. Three adverbs: ………………………………………………….
D. Three prepositions: …………………………………………..
E. Two conjunctions: ……………………………………………
F. Two pronouns: ………………………………………………..
G. One word that is both a verb and a noun: …………..
H. Find out other words in English that fit in more than one
grammatical category without any change? ……………..
I. What gives these lexical items such ability?
J. Find out the nine parts of speech of English in this sentence:

The young entrepreneur was impatiently sitting in the

reception waiting for the banker to study his business plan
and decide on his loan request.

Task Five: Writing

Write an article to be published in the business section of The Young Entrepreneurs Journal telling the readers about:

 Your idol entrepreneur,

 Why you idolize him/her,
 What entrepreneurial skills and qualities s/he possesses,
 What was his/her business idea,
 How and when s/he got it,
 What are his/her achievements,
 What setbacks s/he had to face,
 Etc..

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