Entrepreneurship & Sales
A high-school course in how real businesses are begun, tested, financed, marketed, sold and run, told through the true stories of the people who built them, from Cyrus McCormick’s reaper and the Wright brothers’ bicycle shop to Georges Doriot’s first venture fund and Elisha Otis’s safety elevator, ending with a small venture of the student’s own.
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What to cover
44 of 50 lessons are MUST COVER. They are tested on the unit tests and exams, or are skills the SAT/ACT relies on. OPTIONAL lessons are enrichment. Do them if time allows. The course is complete when the MUST COVER lessons are done.
Unit 1: The Entrepreneur
- MUST COVER 1.1 What Entrepreneurs Do: Cantillon, Say and McCormick’s Reaper · exam
- MUST COVER 1.2 Great Entrepreneurs in History: Andrew Carnegie and the Pattern of the Builder · exam
- MUST COVER 1.3 Risk and Reward: Milton Hershey’s Failures and the Caramel Company · exam
- MUST COVER 1.4 Character and Vocation: R. G. LeTourneau and the Trustworthy Entrepreneur · exam
- MUST COVER 1.5 The Six Stakeholders: The Cadbury Brothers and Bournville · exam
Unit 2: Finding and Testing an Idea
- MUST COVER 2.1 Seeing Needs: Clarence Birdseye and the Fish That Froze in Labrador · exam
- MUST COVER 2.2 Customer Interviews: Charles Coolidge Parlin and the First Market Research · exam
- MUST COVER 2.3 The Minimum Viable Product: Henry Ford’s Quadricycle · exam
- MUST COVER 2.4 Testing Demand: Richard Sears and a Box of Unwanted Watches · exam
- MUST COVER 2.5 Pivoting: The Wright Brothers’ Bicycle Shop and LEGO’s Wooden Toys · exam
Unit 3: The Business Model and Plan
- MUST COVER 3.1 The Value Proposition: Jacob Davis, Levi Strauss and Pants That Would Not Tear · exam
- MUST COVER 3.2 The Business Model: King Gillette’s Razor and Blades · exam
- MUST COVER 3.3 Competition and Market Size: Singer and the Sewing Machine War · exam
- MUST COVER 3.4 Legal Forms: Procter & Gamble’s Partnership and the Corporation · exam
- MUST COVER 3.5 The Written Plan: Frederic Tudor, the Ice King · exam
Unit 4: The Numbers
- MUST COVER 4.1 Start-Up Costs: Hewlett, Packard and $538 in a Garage · exam
- MUST COVER 4.2 Pricing Strategies: Frank Woolworth’s Five-and-Ten · exam
- MUST COVER 4.3 Unit Economics and Break-Even: Wedgwood’s Cost Book of 1772 · exam
- MUST COVER 4.4 The Projected Income Statement: Benjamin Day’s Penny Paper · exam
- MUST COVER 4.5 Managing Cash: Henry Ford and the Slump of 1920–21 · exam
Unit 5: Financing
- MUST COVER 5.1 Bootstrapping: J. L. Kraft’s Horse and Wagon · exam
- MUST COVER 5.2 Loans and Banks: A. P. Giannini and the Bank of Italy · exam
- MUST COVER 5.3 Partners and Equity: The Medici Branches and the Dutch East India Company · exam
- MUST COVER 5.4 Venture Capital: Georges Doriot and Digital Equipment · exam
- MUST COVER 5.5 Crowdfunding and Family Investors: The Statue of Liberty’s Pedestal · exam
Unit 6: Marketing
- MUST COVER 6.1 The Four P’s: Harley Procter and Ivory Soap · exam
- MUST COVER 6.2 Brands and Trust: Wedgwood’s Queen’s Ware and the Coca-Cola Bottle · exam
- MUST COVER 6.3 From the Catalog to the Website: Montgomery Ward and Sears, Roebuck · exam
- MUST COVER 6.4 Advertising Truthfully: The Printers’ Ink Statute and the FTC · exam
- OPTIONAL 6.5 Online Marketing with Safety and Privacy
Unit 7: Selling
- OPTIONAL 7.1 The Honest Salesperson: Proverbs 20:14 and John Wanamaker
- MUST COVER 7.2 The Sales Process: John H. Patterson’s NCR Sales School · exam
- MUST COVER 7.3 Consultative Selling and Listening: Franklin’s Modest Questions · exam
- MUST COVER 7.4 Handling Objections and Closing without Manipulation · exam
- MUST COVER 7.5 Negotiation: Abraham at Machpelah and Principled Bargaining · exam
Unit 8: Operations
- MUST COVER 8.1 The Moving Assembly Line: Ford at Highland Park, 1913 · exam
- MUST COVER 8.2 Lean Production: Sakichi Toyoda’s Loom and the Toyota Production System · exam
- MUST COVER 8.3 Quality: W. Edwards Deming and the Red Beads · exam
- MUST COVER 8.4 The Supply Chain: Malcolm McLean and the Shipping Container · exam
- MUST COVER 8.5 Customer Service and Scaling Up: Marshall Field and the Speedee System · exam
Unit 9: Law, Ethics and Stakeholders
- MUST COVER 9.1 Contracts: Sam Walton’s Lost Lease · exam
- MUST COVER 9.2 Intellectual Property: Lincoln’s Patent and the “Fuel of Interest” · exam
- MUST COVER 9.3 Employees, Wages and Safety: After the Triangle Fire · exam
- MUST COVER 9.4 Taxes and Licenses: Rendering unto Caesar as a Practical Step · exam
- MUST COVER 9.5 Failure, Bankruptcy and Starting Again: H. J. Heinz · exam
Unit 10: The Venture
- OPTIONAL 10.1 Choosing the Venture: Ewing Kauffman and Marion Laboratories
- OPTIONAL 10.2 Launch: Clarence Saunders and the First Piggly Wiggly
- OPTIONAL 10.3 Selling and Measuring: A. C. Nielsen and Key Performance Indicators
- MUST COVER 10.4 The Books and a Stakeholder Review: Johnson & Johnson’s Credo · exam
- OPTIONAL 10.5 The Pitch: Elisha Otis and “All Safe, Gentlemen”
36-week pacing calendar
From the course’s own 33-week pacing guide, with catch-up and review weeks added to fill a 36-week (180-day) year.
| Week | Plan | Done | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | Day 1: Lesson 1.1 What Entrepreneurs Do: Cantillon, Say and McCormick’s Reaper: video, teaching and worked examples Day 2: Lesson 1.1: project and notebook Day 3: Lesson 1.1: practice set and corrections Day 4: Lesson 1.2 Great Entrepreneurs in History: Andrew Carnegie and the Pattern of the Builder: video, teaching and worked examples Day 5: Lesson 1.2: project and notebook | ||
| Wk 2 | Day 1: Lesson 1.2: practice set and corrections Day 2: Lesson 1.3 Risk and Reward: Milton Hershey’s Failures and the Caramel Company: video, teaching and worked examples Day 3: Lesson 1.3: project and notebook Day 4: Lesson 1.3: practice set and corrections Day 5: Lesson 1.4 Character and Vocation: R. G. LeTourneau and the Trustworthy Entrepreneur: video, teaching and worked examples | ||
| Wk 3 | Day 1: Lesson 1.4: project and notebook Day 2: Lesson 1.4: practice set and corrections Day 3: Lesson 1.5 The Six Stakeholders: The Cadbury Brothers and Bournville: video, teaching and worked examples Day 4: Lesson 1.5: project and notebook Day 5: Lesson 1.5: practice set and corrections | ||
| Wk 4 | Day 1: Unit 1 test Day 2: Lesson 2.1 Seeing Needs: Clarence Birdseye and the Fish That Froze in Labrador: video, teaching and worked examples Day 3: Lesson 2.1: project and notebook Day 4: Lesson 2.1: practice set and corrections Day 5: Lesson 2.2 Customer Interviews: Charles Coolidge Parlin and the First Market Research: video, teaching and worked examples | ||
| Wk 5 | Day 1: Lesson 2.2: project and notebook Day 2: Lesson 2.2: practice set and corrections Day 3: Lesson 2.3 The Minimum Viable Product: Henry Ford’s Quadricycle: video, teaching and worked examples Day 4: Lesson 2.3: project and notebook Day 5: Lesson 2.3: practice set and corrections | ||
| Wk 6 | Day 1: Lesson 2.4 Testing Demand: Richard Sears and a Box of Unwanted Watches: video, teaching and worked examples Day 2: Lesson 2.4: project and notebook Day 3: Lesson 2.4: practice set and corrections Day 4: Lesson 2.5 Pivoting: The Wright Brothers’ Bicycle Shop and LEGO’s Wooden Toys: video, teaching and worked examples Day 5: Lesson 2.5: project and notebook | ||
| Wk 7 | Day 1: Lesson 2.5: practice set and corrections Day 2: Unit 2 test Day 3: Lesson 3.1 The Value Proposition: Jacob Davis, Levi Strauss and Pants That Would Not Tear: video, teaching and worked examples Day 4: Lesson 3.1: project and notebook Day 5: Lesson 3.1: practice set and corrections | ||
| Wk 8 | Day 1: Lesson 3.2 The Business Model: King Gillette’s Razor and Blades: video, teaching and worked examples Day 2: Lesson 3.2: project and notebook Day 3: Lesson 3.2: practice set and corrections Day 4: Lesson 3.3 Competition and Market Size: Singer and the Sewing Machine War: video, teaching and worked examples Day 5: Lesson 3.3: project and notebook | ||
| Wk 9 | Day 1: Lesson 3.3: practice set and corrections Day 2: Lesson 3.4 Legal Forms: Procter & Gamble’s Partnership and the Corporation: video, teaching and worked examples Day 3: Lesson 3.4: project and notebook Day 4: Lesson 3.4: practice set and corrections Day 5: Lesson 3.5 The Written Plan: Frederic Tudor, the Ice King: video, teaching and worked examples | ||
| Wk 10 | Day 1: Lesson 3.5: project and notebook Day 2: Lesson 3.5: practice set and corrections Day 3: Unit 3 test Day 4: Lesson 4.1 Start-Up Costs: Hewlett, Packard and $538 in a Garage: video, teaching and worked examples Day 5: Lesson 4.1: project and notebook | ||
| Wk 11 | Day 1: Lesson 4.1: practice set and corrections Day 2: Lesson 4.2 Pricing Strategies: Frank Woolworth’s Five-and-Ten: video, teaching and worked examples Day 3: Lesson 4.2: project and notebook Day 4: Lesson 4.2: practice set and corrections Day 5: Lesson 4.3 Unit Economics and Break-Even: Wedgwood’s Cost Book of 1772: video, teaching and worked examples | ||
| Wk 12 | Day 1: Lesson 4.3: project and notebook Day 2: Lesson 4.3: practice set and corrections Day 3: Lesson 4.4 The Projected Income Statement: Benjamin Day’s Penny Paper: video, teaching and worked examples Day 4: Lesson 4.4: project and notebook Day 5: Lesson 4.4: practice set and corrections | ||
| Wk 13 | Day 1: Lesson 4.5 Managing Cash: Henry Ford and the Slump of 1920–21: video, teaching and worked examples Day 2: Lesson 4.5: project and notebook Day 3: Lesson 4.5: practice set and corrections Day 4: Unit 4 test Day 5: Lesson 5.1 Bootstrapping: J. L. Kraft’s Horse and Wagon: video, teaching and worked examples | ||
| Wk 14 | Day 1: Lesson 5.1: project and notebook Day 2: Lesson 5.1: practice set and corrections Day 3: Lesson 5.2 Loans and Banks: A. P. Giannini and the Bank of Italy: video, teaching and worked examples Day 4: Lesson 5.2: project and notebook Day 5: Lesson 5.2: practice set and corrections | ||
| Wk 15 | Day 1: Lesson 5.3 Partners and Equity: The Medici Branches and the Dutch East India Company: video, teaching and worked examples Day 2: Lesson 5.3: project and notebook Day 3: Lesson 5.3: practice set and corrections Day 4: Lesson 5.4 Venture Capital: Georges Doriot and Digital Equipment: video, teaching and worked examples Day 5: Lesson 5.4: project and notebook | ||
| Wk 16 | Day 1: Lesson 5.4: practice set and corrections Day 2: Lesson 5.5 Crowdfunding and Family Investors: The Statue of Liberty’s Pedestal: video, teaching and worked examples Day 3: Lesson 5.5: project and notebook Day 4: Lesson 5.5: practice set and corrections Day 5: Unit 5 test | ||
| Wk 17 | Catch-up and review week (no new lessons) | ||
| Wk 18 | Day 1: Review day for the midterm Day 2: Midterm exam Day 3: Lesson 6.1 The Four P’s: Harley Procter and Ivory Soap: video, teaching and worked examples Day 4: Lesson 6.1: project and notebook Day 5: Lesson 6.1: practice set and corrections | ||
| Wk 19 | Day 1: Lesson 6.2 Brands and Trust: Wedgwood’s Queen’s Ware and the Coca-Cola Bottle: video, teaching and worked examples Day 2: Lesson 6.2: project and notebook Day 3: Lesson 6.2: practice set and corrections Day 4: Lesson 6.3 From the Catalog to the Website: Montgomery Ward and Sears, Roebuck: video, teaching and worked examples Day 5: Lesson 6.3: project and notebook | ||
| Wk 20 | Day 1: Lesson 6.3: practice set and corrections Day 2: Lesson 6.4 Advertising Truthfully: The Printers’ Ink Statute and the FTC: video, teaching and worked examples Day 3: Lesson 6.4: project and notebook Day 4: Lesson 6.4: practice set and corrections Day 5: Lesson 6.5 Online Marketing with Safety and Privacy: video, teaching and worked examples | ||
| Wk 21 | Day 1: Lesson 6.5: project and notebook Day 2: Lesson 6.5: practice set and corrections Day 3: Unit 6 test Day 4: Lesson 7.1 The Honest Salesperson: Proverbs 20:14 and John Wanamaker: video, teaching and worked examples Day 5: Lesson 7.1: project and notebook | ||
| Wk 22 | Day 1: Lesson 7.1: practice set and corrections Day 2: Lesson 7.2 The Sales Process: John H. Patterson’s NCR Sales School: video, teaching and worked examples Day 3: Lesson 7.2: project and notebook Day 4: Lesson 7.2: practice set and corrections Day 5: Lesson 7.3 Consultative Selling and Listening: Franklin’s Modest Questions: video, teaching and worked examples | ||
| Wk 23 | Day 1: Lesson 7.3: project and notebook Day 2: Lesson 7.3: practice set and corrections Day 3: Lesson 7.4 Handling Objections and Closing without Manipulation: video, teaching and worked examples Day 4: Lesson 7.4: project and notebook Day 5: Lesson 7.4: practice set and corrections | ||
| Wk 24 | Day 1: Lesson 7.5 Negotiation: Abraham at Machpelah and Principled Bargaining: video, teaching and worked examples Day 2: Lesson 7.5: project and notebook Day 3: Lesson 7.5: practice set and corrections Day 4: Unit 7 test Day 5: Lesson 8.1 The Moving Assembly Line: Ford at Highland Park, 1913: video, teaching and worked examples | ||
| Wk 25 | Day 1: Lesson 8.1: project and notebook Day 2: Lesson 8.1: practice set and corrections Day 3: Lesson 8.2 Lean Production: Sakichi Toyoda’s Loom and the Toyota Production System: video, teaching and worked examples Day 4: Lesson 8.2: project and notebook Day 5: Lesson 8.2: practice set and corrections | ||
| Wk 26 | Day 1: Lesson 8.3 Quality: W. Edwards Deming and the Red Beads: video, teaching and worked examples Day 2: Lesson 8.3: project and notebook Day 3: Lesson 8.3: practice set and corrections Day 4: Lesson 8.4 The Supply Chain: Malcolm McLean and the Shipping Container: video, teaching and worked examples Day 5: Lesson 8.4: project and notebook | ||
| Wk 27 | Day 1: Lesson 8.4: practice set and corrections Day 2: Lesson 8.5 Customer Service and Scaling Up: Marshall Field and the Speedee System: video, teaching and worked examples Day 3: Lesson 8.5: project and notebook Day 4: Lesson 8.5: practice set and corrections Day 5: Unit 8 test | ||
| Wk 28 | Day 1: Lesson 9.1 Contracts: Sam Walton’s Lost Lease: video, teaching and worked examples Day 2: Lesson 9.1: project and notebook Day 3: Lesson 9.1: practice set and corrections Day 4: Lesson 9.2 Intellectual Property: Lincoln’s Patent and the “Fuel of Interest”: video, teaching and worked examples Day 5: Lesson 9.2: project and notebook | ||
| Wk 29 | Day 1: Lesson 9.2: practice set and corrections Day 2: Lesson 9.3 Employees, Wages and Safety: After the Triangle Fire: video, teaching and worked examples Day 3: Lesson 9.3: project and notebook Day 4: Lesson 9.3: practice set and corrections Day 5: Lesson 9.4 Taxes and Licenses: Rendering unto Caesar as a Practical Step: video, teaching and worked examples | ||
| Wk 30 | Day 1: Lesson 9.4: project and notebook Day 2: Lesson 9.4: practice set and corrections Day 3: Lesson 9.5 Failure, Bankruptcy and Starting Again: H. J. Heinz: video, teaching and worked examples Day 4: Lesson 9.5: project and notebook Day 5: Lesson 9.5: practice set and corrections | ||
| Wk 31 | Day 1: Unit 9 test Day 2: Lesson 10.1 Choosing the Venture: Ewing Kauffman and Marion Laboratories: video, teaching and worked examples Day 3: Lesson 10.1: project and notebook Day 4: Lesson 10.1: practice set and corrections Day 5: Lesson 10.2 Launch: Clarence Saunders and the First Piggly Wiggly: video, teaching and worked examples | ||
| Wk 32 | Day 1: Lesson 10.2: project and notebook Day 2: Lesson 10.2: practice set and corrections Day 3: Lesson 10.3 Selling and Measuring: A. C. Nielsen and Key Performance Indicators: video, teaching and worked examples Day 4: Lesson 10.3: project and notebook Day 5: Lesson 10.3: practice set and corrections | ||
| Wk 33 | Day 1: Lesson 10.4 The Books and a Stakeholder Review: Johnson & Johnson’s Credo: video, teaching and worked examples Day 2: Lesson 10.4: project and notebook Day 3: Lesson 10.4: practice set and corrections Day 4: Lesson 10.5 The Pitch: Elisha Otis and “All Safe, Gentlemen”: video, teaching and worked examples Day 5: Lesson 10.5: project and notebook | ||
| Wk 34 | Day 1: Lesson 10.5: practice set and corrections Day 2: Unit 10 test Day 3: Review day for the final Day 4: Final exam | ||
| Wk 35 | Catch-up week: finish any MUST COVER lesson not yet done | ||
| Wk 36 | Year-end review, portfolio and records |
Grading: Practice sets (completed and corrected) 15%, Projects and portfolio (real numbers, honest records, the improve-it step) 25%, Ledger notebook (dated pages, labeled tables, scorecards) 10%, Unit tests 30%, Midterm exam 10%, Final exam 10%. Scale: A 90–100, B 80–89, C 70–79, D 60–69, F below 60.