Chapter 3

Welcome to Chapter 3!

At this stage, the Big Idea has been chosen and it is time for ‘A Business Visitor to the Classroom’. Pupils love this business visit. It makes entrepreneurship come alive for them, and the business visitor usually gives them the kick-start they need to believe that they too can be entrepreneurs.

Pupils have the opportunity to ask a local business person various questions, from how they became entrepreneurs, to asking for business advice with regards to their own Big Idea.

If you are struggling with sourcing a local business person, do keep in mind that there are entrepreneurs dotted around your entire community, from the local hairdresser to the nearby shopkeeper. We have included a Business Visitor Template Letter (Resource Sheet 2) which you can send to a potential business visitor when inviting them to the classroom.

Don’t forget to complete the ‘Business Visitor Poster’ and the Pupil and Teacher Reflection on Business Visit (Activity Sheets 3 & 4), once the Business person has visited.

We hope the pupils gain valuable insights and inspiration that may influence  them as they continue along their educational journey into secondary school.

Chapter 2

We hope that your pupils’ minds are becoming familiar with the concept of ‘entrepreneurship’ after Chapter 1, and that they are realising how one person with a great idea can change the lives of many.

Chapter 2 is all about Exploring New Ideas. This stage incorporates ‘Meet the Dragons’. At the beginning of this Chapter, each pupil should generate at least one potential Junior Entrepreneur project idea. This is the Individual Ideas stage. The next stage involves the pupils getting into groups and agreeing on one idea per group to present to the Dragons. The next step is to do some research on the project idea, before presenting it.

When developing the group idea, the pupils will need to consider further details about the product or service. For example, with the idea of personalised printed T-shirts, the pupils could choose a theme for their T-shirts that they love, for example, a family theme, pets theme. They will then need to design a variety of layouts. They will need to calculate how much it will cost to produce each T-shirt and how much they will charge per T-shirt. They will need to discuss who might buy the T-shirts and how they will advertise the product. The pupils will need to design a visual chart or account describing their group project idea. This might include a sample of the proposed product, if appropriate. Finally each group will write a short description of their proposed project idea which will be presented to the Dragons.

Many teachers last year reflected on ‘Meet the Dragons’ as their most memorable moment of the Junior Entrepreneur Programme. It’s one stage of the programme where quieter pupils get a chance to make their voices heard, and the creative ideas that pupils generate are often a source of wonder to teachers and Dragons alike!

The panel of Dragons should consist of at least three dragons and must include at least one person from the business community. Other members can include the school principal, a learning support teacher or other member of staff. It is not recommended that a parent of any participating pupil take part in this process.

Through the ‘Meet the Dragons’ process, and consultation with their class teacher, the pupils will eventually reach agreement of a ‘Big Idea’ for their class Junior Entrepreneur project.

Once the Big Idea is chosen, the next step is Chapter 3, wherein pupils will get a have a business visitor to the classroom, which will provide inspiration and a business perspective for the whole class as they progress on their entrepreneurship journey.