A Presentation for Instructors/Career Counselors on Entrepreneurship
Introduction
In this tumultuous economy, entrepreneurs are stepping up with new ideas. President Obama is counting on small business owners and new entrepreneurs to help get this economy going. While you are getting an education and acquiring new skills to build successful careers, learning more about entrepreneurship should be on your agenda. Whether you choose to work as an employee, or want to be self-employed, learning to think like an entrepreneur will be invaluable. To give us a better idea about entrepreneurship, let's watch this short video clip: The Call of the Entrepreneur.
Discussion
Let's talk a little about what we just saw. (Get students involved in the discussion. Write down important points on the white board.)
- What is an entrepreneur? (a person who organizes and manages a business undertaking, assuming the risk for the sake of the profit ... )
- Why are entrepreneurs important in today's economy? (we need their creativity to start businesses and create jobs.)
- Who do you know that is an entrepreneur? (neighborhood restaurant owner, local plumber, electrician, builder ... )
- What do you think it takes to become an entrepreneur? (hard work, persistence, help from your family ... )
Exercise
The road to entrepreneurship is not easy. Besides having a great idea, successful entrepreneurs have many personal characteristics and qualities that support their more independent lifestyle. Here is an activity: Do You Think Like an Entrepreneur? Read the directions, then I will give you a few minutes to complete it. (Make sure students answer the questions, and then team up with another student to identify the traits measured by each question. After a few minutes, review the “correct” answers you can find right here. This activity is based on a lesson from Nebraska Entrepreneurs.)
These questions were given to thousands of successful entrepreneurs. There are no right or wrong answers, but the majority of entrepreneurs answered yes to all the questions except 10, 14, and 15. (Ask a few questions like: What's your strongest trait? Do you think you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Do you want to learn more entrepreneurial skills?
Additional Activities
There are many people and organizations on the look out to help and support aspiring entrepreneurs. SCORE is one of the best. SCORE has more than 10,000 seasoned and talented entrepreneurs who volunteer their time to share their knowledge and skills with others. In addition, The Small Business Administration (SBA) is a government agency and offers free online courses in how to start a business.
Support Resources
For more resources and ideas on entrepreneurship, suggest students try the online lesson Entrepreneurship: An Alternative Career Choice. In addition, consider having magazines in your career center that promote entrepreneurship like Entrepreneur or INC. These are both inspirational and have great resources for students.