JA Be Entrepreneurial®
JA Be Entrepreneurial introduces students to the essential elements of a practical business plan and then challenges them to start an entrepreneurial venture while still in high school.
Students will learn about advertising, competitive advantages, financing, marketing, and product development.
The program is composed of seven sessions, each 45 minutes in length. The program is recommended for students in grades nine through 12. Materials are packaged in a self-contained kit that includes detailed session plans for the volunteer and materials for 32 students.
All JA programs are designed to support the skills and competencies identified by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. JA programs also correlate to state standards in social studies, English, and mathematics, and to Common Core State Standards.
| Pillars of Student Success | Entrepreneurship: | Financial-Literacy: | Work-Readiness: |
|---|
| Program Implementation | Program Grade-Level |
|---|---|
| Classroom-Based | High School |
| Program Concepts | Program Skills |
|---|---|
| Advertisement, Business plan, Competitive advantages, Customer, Demographic, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurial spirit, Ethical dilemma, Ethics, Financing, Franchise, Long- vs. short-term consequences, Management, Market, Market needs, Marketing, Nonprofit business, Product, Product development, Profit, Social entrepreneur, Social responsibility, Stakeholder, Voting | Analyzing information, Business planning, Categorizing data, Decision making, Evaluating alternatives, Expressing multiple viewpoints, Graphic presentation, Oral and written communication, Presenting information, Reading for understanding, Weighing consequences, Working in groups, Working in pairs |
Program Sessions
Session One: Introduction to Entrepreneurship
Students are introduced to the elements of successful business start-ups, myths and facts about entrepreneurship, and early product development.
Session Two: What's My Business?
Students continue to develop their product or service idea by analyzing various sources of successful entrepreneurial ventures, culminating in their selection of a product or service as the basis of their business plan.
Session Three: Who's My Customer?
Students examine how market needs and demographics contribute to successful entrepreneurial ventures.
Session Four: What's My Advantage?
Students learn the importance of intentionally selecting and applying competitive advantages to an entrepreneurial venture.
Session Five: Competitive Advantages
Students apply competitive advantages to entrepreneurial ventures.
Session Six: Ethics Are Good For Business
Students learn to anticipate ethical dilemmas and consider consequences in making ethical business decisions.
Session Seven: The Business Plan
Students apply the six elements of successful start-ups for their products and services.