A2/B1 Being a successful entrepreneur 1. Read the definition of ‘entrepreneur’ and name three advantages and three disadvantages of being an entrepreneur. entrepreneur: a person who uses a new idea to start a business and make a profit Make sure students know how to pronounce the word ‘entrepreneur’ correctly: /ˌɒn.trə.prəˈnɜːr/. T After students have suggested their ideas of advantages and disadvantages, ask them: What questions would you like to ask a successful entrepreneur? 2. Read the answers to some questions about being an entrepreneur. Create questions for the answers. EXAMPLE: People decide to start a business so they can do what they are passionate about. Why do people decide to start a business? Possible answers: A. Entrepreneurs find new opportunities by studying markets. How do entrepreneurs find new opportunities for their business? B. It is important for entrepreneurs to think outside the box to be able to make better decisions. Why is it important for entrepreneurs to think outside the box? C. Entrepreneurs can expand their knowledge by networking at different events, which can make their business more successful. How can entrepreneurs expand their knowledge and make their business more successful? D. The hardest thing about creating a product is finding an original idea. What is the hardest thing about creating a product? E. If an entrepreneur doesn’t want to take risks, their business might stop growing. What might happen if an entrepreneur doesn't want to take risks? F. Qualities that can help an entrepreneur run a company successfully include leadership and the ability to build a strong team. What qualities can help an entrepreneur run a company successfully? Copyrights by ESL Brains. For use only with license. A2/B1 Being a successful entrepreneur 3. Discuss other possible answers to the questions. • Why do people decide to start a business? • Why is it important for entrepreneurs to think outside the box? • How can entrepreneurs expand their knowledge and make their business more successful? • What qualities can help an entrepreneur run a company successfully? 4. Watch a video [https://youtu.be/rRpMrAMesbA] and compare your ideas from ex. 3 with the information in the video. T Ask students to name one or two ideas that were similar and/or different. 5. Watch the video again and complete each statement with one word. A. An entrepreneur decides to start a business to bring their ideas to life. [00:03] B. Entrepreneurs love thinking outside the box. [00:31] C. Entrepreneurs don't just accept things as they are. [00:42] 6. Choose a word from each pair of options and complete the statements with your ideas. • It is common/uncommon to be an entrepreneur where I live because… • I think/don’t think more people should become entrepreneurs because… • We should/shouldn’t encourage young people to become entrepreneurs because… • New technology can make it easier/harder for people to become entrepreneurs because… 7. Read the stories about two entrepreneurs and choose the best ending for the final sentence in each one. There are two endings you do not need to use. A. …success is impossible without people who can support you on your way. B. …no matter how hard life gets, you can change it. C. …a great team and hard work can a make a difference to the community and its economy. D. …it’s important to keep expanding your knowledge. Copyrights by ESL Brains. For use only with license. A2/B1 Being a successful entrepreneur Josh Schmieder, from Rochester, USA, started mowing lawns when he was ten to save money. When he was 16, he founded JOSH Landscape. He continued to work in landscaping while studying at college. Twenty years later, Josh became New York State Small Business Person of the Year. Josh even got to meet President Biden during the National Small Business Week celebration. When he started his business, he worked from his family barn but later he bought a building for his company. Since then, the staff has grown from 15 to 150+, creating stable jobs and supporting the local community. Today, JOSH Landscape also sponsors youth sports organizations and donates to nonprofits. Josh believes that… C. …a great team and hard work can a make a difference to the community and its economy. Source: SBA Sophia Amoruso’s story is really inspiring. She had a tough time when she was young due to ADHD, so she didn’t finish school. In her early years, she did different jobs like working at a sandwich shop. After her parents’ divorce, she lived in Sacramento with no money and had to hitchhike, steal food from shops and look through trash to survive. When she was 22, Amoruso decided to make her life better. She began selling vintage clothes on eBay under the name Nasty Gal Vintage. At first, progress was slow, but she didn’t give up. In the first two years, she earned $223,000, and after three more years, she was earning around $23 million. The New York Times even called her the “Cinderella of Tech.” Later on, Sophia wrote a book that became a Netflix series and made millions working with big brands like Boohoo. Amoruso’s story tells us that… B. …no matter how hard life gets, you can change it. Source: Viliantceo Copyrights by ESL Brains. For use only with license. A2/B1 Being a successful entrepreneur 8. Decide if each statement is about Josh (J), Sophia (S) or both (B). A. They started their company in their teens. J B. They experienced big changes in their business over time. B C. They didn’t go to college. S D. They have received an award. J E. It took them just a few years to become a millionaire. S 9. Discuss the questions. • In which way are these stories similar and in which way are they different? • Which story do you find more inspiring? Why? • Can both Josh and Sophia be called successful entrepreneurs? Why/Why not? • Do you know stories of other entrepreneurs that inspire you? 10. Say what the pictures in each set have in common. Then, discuss the questions below. Use the phrases in the boxes. SET A create a product find new opportunities start a business run a company • Is it easier to start an offline or online business? Give reasons. • Do you think you need the same or different skills to run offline or online businesses? Why/Why not? Copyrights by ESL Brains. For use only with license. A2/B1 Being a successful entrepreneur SET B take risks T think outside the box expand your knowledge find new opportunities • Do you think young adults who study at college or university have more chances to become successful entrepreneurs than those who get work experience? Why/Why not? • Are there any skills people learn from their families that can help them become successful entrepreneurs? This worksheet includes an additional task that you can use as homework or revision. It’s only available in the teacher’s version of the worksheet. Print it, cut it up and hand it out to your students. Copyrights by ESL Brains. For use only with license. Being a successful entrepreneur Read the first lines from stories about successful entrepreneurs, choose one and continue the story using five of the phrases in the box. create a product expand your knowledge run a company take risks find new opportunities start a business think outside the box A. As a child, Sarah didn’t often ask her parent to buy her new toys because she was really good at fixing her old ones. B. When he was at high school, David watched a cooking show with his girlfriend, after which he got interested in trying a few recipes from the show. C. One day, Maria ran out of her face mask cream so she tried to make a face mask from the ingredients she had at home and she was very happy with the result. D. When Daniel’s relative died of a rare genetic disease, he promised himself he’d learn how to help people with the same condition. E. Emily was a fantastic swimmer and took part in many competitions, but after a recent trauma she couldn’t continue to compete. Read the first lines from stories about successful entrepreneurs, choose one and continue the story using five of the phrases in the box. create a product expand your knowledge run a company take risks find new opportunities start a business think outside the box A. As a child, Sarah didn’t often ask her parent to buy her new toys because she was really good at fixing her old ones. B. When he was at high school, David watched a cooking show with his girlfriend, after which he got interested in trying a few recipes from the show. C. One day, Maria ran out of her face mask cream, so she tried to make a face mask from the ingredients she had at home and she was very happy with the result. D. When Daniel’s relative died of a rare genetic disease, he promised himself he’d learn how to help people with the same condition. E. Emily was a fantastic swimmer and took part in many competitions, but after a recent trauma she couldn’t continue to compete. Copyrights by ESL Brains. For use only with license.
