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Intro to Small Business

Career Field/Area: Business/Administration

Adult Career Pathway: Entrepreneurship

NRS Levels Addressed:

  • Beginning ABE Literacy

Part of an approved IET program? IET: yes

Year IET Approved (if applicable): 2020

Credentials the Course Prepares Students for: NONE

Also Prepares Students for: This course prepares students for an internal certification and they prepare a business plan that they could share with lenders, etc.

Target Student Population: TABE M 430 -535

Access Curriculum: View Materials

Additional Access Instructions/Links: No

Course Description: This course is designed to help students understand the basics of operating a small business. Students will write a business plan, research and design what it takes to start their own business. They will learn financial planning, marketing skills and gain knowledge of online sales. Students will also meet with small business owners from our community through guest speakers. In addition, learners will build customer service skills through operating the Hubbs store. Women Venture and Goodwill EasterSeals are partnering programs which will support students in their pursuit to small business ownership.

Duration: 12 wks, 4x/wk, 2hrs/session = 96 instructional hours

Curriculum Materials/Description: Teacher-created materials, lesson slides and handouts, Syllabus, Assessment (business plan and presentation)

Delivery Method(s):

  • In person
  • Online synchronous (live instruction)

Curriculum Pluses: Aligned to ACES TIF (Transitions Integration Framework), Aligned to CCRS (College & Career Readiness Standards), Organization of materials is easy to follow. Student centered, project based, Math integration, enter second tier training with project partner.

Curriculum Drawbacks: Incomplete instructional materials/lesson plans, Teacher guide/answer keys not included, Not easily modified for different contexts or levels, Approval required to access materials. Instructor Content knowledge is vital. Instructor should have an understanding of small businesses.

Setup of the service learning portion- Hubbs utilizes a student store to offer hands on learning in context for this pathway.
Instruction expands on Neighborhood Development Center’s “Plan it!” curriculum, which programs would need to purchase from them. https://www.ndc-mn.org/entrepreneur-training/plan-it-entrepreneur-training/

Additional Curriculum Notes: Works best within an LMS to organize student documents, tasks, etc. Students need to select an business idea; skills are transferable to future business plans.

Author: Lia Olson, Hubbs Center

Year Created: 2020-2021

Year Updated: N/A

Contact: 

Karen Gerdin
Hubbs Center
[email protected]
(651) 744-7522