

Ask HN: I'm Talking to a High School Class about Entrepreneurship  - ValG

What are critical points to hit to make it relevant to them?
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whichdan
Since they'll most likely be sleep-deprived and bored, how about something
interactive?

You could have them all split up into groups of 1-3 people and brainstorm
business ideas for 10 minutes, and then as a whole class, spend 3-5 minutes
discussing whether each idea is viable. This would give you plenty of chances
to speak on certain topics without it being an hour of soapboxing.

~~~
keiferski
I agree completely. Don't try to teach about business via academic
abstractions. Come up with a project that allows you to explain basic
concepts.

Also, I highly recommend the book "Accounting Fresh from the Lemonade Stand".
It uses the story of a lemonade stand (in which the reader is the owner) to
explain accounting concepts. It's extremely effective and much more
interesting than a typical textbook on the subject.

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jjets718
Hi, OP! I'm currently a senior in high school, and I am also very interested
in entrepreneurship (created and am now marketing
<http://www.pillsoftware.com>). What really sparked my interest in startups
and technology was how technology can have a huge impact on others' lives and
be very profitable at the same time.

I like whichdan's idea of having the class split into groups and brainstorm
business ideas, and then coming back together to discuss the ideas. I also
think it is important to stress that starting a business involves a lot of
hard work, and that the media might portray certain businesses that seem to
find success very quickly, but in reality it's a long process on the road to
success.

~~~
ValG
Thanks jjets, I'm going to make sure to highlight both of those facts, the
ability to make a huge impact (and money), but also how hard it really is.

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alid
What a great opportunity!

If you can show a video, the Apple 'Think Different' ad would make an inspired
intro: <http://youtu.be/4oAB83Z1ydE>

A fun activity could be to get them into groups, and get them to look at a
certain product or issue through an 'Entrepreneurial Lens' - How can we make
this better? How could we reach customers? You could have them fill out a lean
canvas with their ideas :)

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helen842000
That they need to have an output for their ideas (coding, writing, designing,
audio etc) To become a successful entrepreneur you have to push your ideas
into a creative outlet. The more they master a route to producing/shipping the
easier it is to get feedback & achieve recognition,sales,profit & ulitmately
success.

