Junior Achievement 5.1 “Being Entrepreneurial”

Congratulations! You have received your job description and you are ready to meet with your team.

Every Job Counts! ► It may not be your first choice, but you should know that every job is equally important for the success of your team.

But first, let’s review some vocabulary. ► Job Interview: ► An interview to determine whether an applicant is suitable for a position of employment. ► Applicant: ► A person who requests or seeks something, such as employment. ► Ethics: ► The standards that help determine what is good, right, and proper.

“The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is not to try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it.” -Debbi Fields (Mrs. Fields Cookies)

Do you agree with this statement? ► Why or why not?

“Take a Chance” ► Why do you think it is important to “take a chance” when operating a business?

Today you will learn about some of the most important characteristics that a person needs to be successful in the world of business.

From this point forward, please sit with your business team during Junior Achievement.

Your team will receive a business workbook which describes specific job responsibilities.

Please start by completing your Business Introductions Worksheet on page 64 of your workbook.

Now take turns introducing yourselves to each other using the worksheet as a guideline.

You may have what it takes to be an entrepreneur!

What’s an entrepreneur, you ask?

An Entrepreneur: ► Fills a need: They find something that people want that is not available or that people want offered to them in a new way (like Mrs. Field’s cookies).

An Entrepreneur: ► Knows their customer and product. They have expert knowledge of the goods and the people who use them (like Michael Dell of Dell computers).

An Entrepreneur: ► Is creative and innovative. They develop new ideas that are original (like Thomas Edison – the inventor of the light bulb).

An Entrepreneur: ► Believes in themselves. They are almost always risk takers, and they are willing to keep on trying new ideas even when they may fail at first (like J.K. Rowling – the author of the Harry Potter series).

Your job is to come up with an innovative idea for the future. Invent a new good or service that people will want. Write down your ideas in page 65 in your workbook.

Now, as a team, share your ideas and decide which idea is the best to present to the class. The person who originally thought of the idea gets to present it to the class.

We will vote for the best idea of all. (You are not allowed to vote for your team’s idea, though.) This is great practice for the process you will use at JA BizTown. You will have to work together as a team to come up with ways to improve your business.

Please complete the Word Map on page 66, entrepreneurs.