Building a Foundation for the Future:
Junior Achievement
Entrepreneurship Programs
Entrepreneurship Education Forum
Columbus, Ohio
November 13, 2010
John Box
Senior Vice President, Education
JA Worldwide®
Session Overview:
• Entrepreneurship – A Pillar of Student
Success
• Scope and Sequence of JA
entrepreneurship programs
• JA Entrepreneurship Programs – Two
Examples
– JA It’s My Business!
– JA Be Entrepreneurial
• Q&A
JA Worldwide’s Core Purpose
To inspire and prepare young
people to succeed in a global
economy.
Pillars of Student Success
• Entrepreneurship
• Work-Readiness
• Financial Literacy
Scope and Sequence
• K-12 Scope
• Mode of Delivery
– Classroom-Based
– Afterschool
– Capstone
• Involvement of Business Volunteers
• Experiential Learning
JA It’s My Business!
Through their involvement in
JA It’s My Business! students
are encouraged to use critical
thinking to learn
entrepreneurial skills that
support positive attitudes as
they explore and enhance
their career aspirations.
JA It’s My Business!
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Emphasizes entrepreneurship.
Designed for students in grades 6-8.
Composed on six volunteer-led sessions.
Developed for use in after-school settings.
Strong focus on social studies, reading, and writing
skills.
• Includes access to an online Entrepreneur Journal
at www.ja.org.
• Designed to support the skills identified by the
Partnership for 21st Century Skills.
JA It’s My Business!
• Session One: I Am an Entrepreneur
– Students begin to identify
entrepreneurial characteristics they
possess by learning about the lives of
entrepreneurs both past and present.
JA It’s My Business!
• Session Two: I Can Change the
World
– Students identify the first
entrepreneurial characteristic – Fill a
Need. They begin to identify the skills
and knowledge needed to start a
business by considering customer
needs and brainstorming product
designs.
JA It’s My Business!
• Session Three: I Know My Customer
– Students learn the second
entrepreneurial characteristic- Know
Your Customer and Product – and
discover ways to market specific
products to the appropriate customer.
JA It’s My Business!
• Session Four – I Have an Idea
– Students participate in an auction
designed to highlight creative and
innovative entrepreneurs and their
businesses.
JA It’s My Business!
• Session Five – I See a Need
– By analyzing current examples of social
entrepreneurs, students identify
businesses they can start. The examine
ways entrepreneurs use the four
entrepreneurial characteristics to
develop their business plan.
JA It’s My Business!
• Session Six – Celebrate
Entrepreneurs!
– Students create Entrepreneur Profile
Cards to showcase their understanding
of the fourth entrepreneurial
characteristic – Believe in Yourself.
JA It’s My Business!
Hands-on Activity
JA Be Entrepreneurial®
By developing the
essential components of a
business plan, JA Be
Entrepreneurial
challenges students to
start creating a functional
business plan while still in
high school.
JA Be Entrepreneurial
Program Basics
• Designed for high school students.
• Seven, 45 minute, volunteer-led sessions.
• Additional Resources including:
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Supplemental lessons
On-Your-Own Activities for students
Podcasts
Business Plan Challenge
JA Be Entrepreneurial
Program Objectives
Following participation in the program, students
will be able to:
• Recognize characteristics and practices of
successful entrepreneurs.
• Evaluate an entrepreneurial idea based on product,
customer, and competitive-advantage criteria.
• Demonstrate business-planning skills for venture
start-up, marketing, financing, management, and
ethical decision-making.
JA Be Entrepreneurial
• Session One Overview: Introduction
to Entrepreneurship
– Students are introduced to the
elements of successful business startups, myths and facts about
entrepreneurship, and early product
development.
JA Be Entrepreneurial
• Session Two Overview: 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.
JA Be Entrepreneurial
• Session Three Overview: Who’s My
Customer?
– Students examine how market needs
and demographics contribute to
successful entrepreneurial ventures.
JA Be Entrepreneurial
• Session Four Overview: What’s My
Advantage?
– Students learn the importance of
intentionally selecting and applying
competitive advantages to an
entrepreneurial venture.
JA Be Entrepreneurial
• Session Five Overview: Competitive
Advantages
– Students apply competitive advantages
to entrepreneurial ventures.
JA Be Entrepreneurial
• Session Six Overview: Ethics Are
Good For Business
– Students learn to anticipate ethical
dilemmas and consider consequences
in making ethical business decisions.
JA Be Entrepreneurial
• Session Seven Overview: The
Business Plan
– Students apply the six elements of
successful start-ups to their products
and services.
JA Be Entrepreneurial
Downloadable Resources
On the JA Be Entrepreneurial program page at
ja.org, the following are downloadable:
1. Four, full-length supplemental sessions related
to entrepreneurship, following business
start-up.
2. Podcasts, highlighting real entrepreneurs and
successful start-up decisions.
3. Practical and motivational On Your Own
activities.
JA Be Entrepreneurial™
The Business Plan Challenge
The Business Plan Challenge is designed to
assist young entrepreneurs bridge the gap
between business planning and actual startup, through a business plan competition
culminating in an entrepreneurial expert
panel.
JA Be Entrepreneurial
Hands-On Activity
Q&A
Thank you!