A new Entrepreneurship class for Principia Upper School freshmen has unleashed a spirit of innovation. In this semester-long class, students identify and set up both for-profit and social enterprises—while developing a range of skills that will benefit them in all areas of life, not just in business.
“Writing and developing other communication skills are essential parts of the course,” says teacher Brian Webster, a longtime serial entrepreneur himself. “Plus, students are provided with plenty of presentation opportunities, before audiences and a camera. They learn the importance of planning before executing an idea, and they have to practice teamwork and team management.”
The students are making creative use of web and social media technologies to help share their products and ideas with a wide consumer base. One of the freshmen entrepreneurs has designed a website—www.BiznizZone.com—to showcase the products and services offered, which include handcrafted items, apparel, information services, and a community-focused social enterprise.
The students recently participated in a Shark Tank-style presentation, where local entrepreneurs judged each enterprise and gave constructive feedback—and both the audiences and the “sharks” voted on the top three businesses. (At a previous Shark Tank, one judge offered a student a job because of his strong marketing skills; another judge offered to carry a business’s t-shirts in his chain of stores!)