#467. How to Prepare Students for Entrepreneurship

Last week, we shared with our readers 3 Reasons High Schools Should Teach Entrepreneurship. This week we will share the conclusion of the article by Wheeler del Torro, which includes How to Prepare Students for Entrepreneurship.

How to Prepare Students for Entrepreneurship.

Starting and running a business requires a basic understanding of a broad range of topics. Here’s what we should teach high school students:

Computer Skills: Learning basic programs, including the Windows and Adobe suites, will serve budding entrepreneurs well. Students can create business plans in Microsoft Word, put together pitch decks in PowerPoint, create basic accounting templates in Excel, design logos in Photoshop, format an e-book in InDesign, and set up a basic website with WordPress. Knowing how to use these programs makes starting a business easier and cheaper.

Programming Skills: These are increasingly useful across the board, and skilled programmers are in high demand in large businesses and startups.

Art and Design: Every growing business eventually needs a graphic designer for everything from logos and marketing materials to product design. This skill is highly transferrable and can lead to job opportunities across many industries.

Personal Finance: Anyone who can manage his personal finances is one step ahead of his peers. The ability to adjust to fluctuating income and maintain creditworthiness is a necessary skill for entrepreneurs.

Accounting: Handling a company’s money takes additional bookkeeping skills. Many entrepreneurs are thrilled when they start making money but don’t have systems in place to keep track of where the money is going and what future expenses and revenue might look like.

Marketing: Like design, marketing is a skill that applies to all businesses. Businesses have to sell products and services to stay open. It’s one thing for a student to have a great idea; it’s another to successfully share it with an audience.

Branding: Branding, including the use of effective social media, is becoming more critical for companies and individuals. It’s easy for a great idea to get lost in a confusing message, but the better a startup can brand itself, the more likely it is to attract customers, investors, and media attention.

Business Writing: Entrepreneurs have to unlearn just about everything they were taught in high school English classes. They’ll need to skillfully compose emails, proposals, and presentations instead of research papers and essays. Students will have an easier time adjusting to business writing if they are exposed to the style earlier.

There are some good entrepreneurial programs available, but these skills need to reach more kids who will need them in the future. Even if students never decide to open their own businesses, these skills will give them a huge leg up in college or in their first job. Teenagers today will face a very different professional landscape than preceding generations, and it’s our job to prepare them for it.

For the complete article, visit here.

As we noted last week, we truly believe in the power and value of entrepreneurs to their communities. The CEO program that is in its 6th year in Effingham County schools, has grown to 15 for the Fall 2014 school year. If you would like to learn more about CEO, please visit www.effinghamceo.com or contact Craig Lindvahl via email.