NxLeveL Training Programs

Get the Buzz on Biz

The purpose of this course is to build skills exposing youth to the world of small business as an alternative, but viable career option. The students will experience challenging educational activities and will develop insight to discover and create entrepreneurial opportunities. The Buzz on Biz training materials will provide the knowledge and skills necessary to test the feasibility of a student's business concept.

Course Materials 
NxLeveL™ Get the Buzz on Biz—This curriculum is engaging with its highly graphic, MTVTM like pages and worksheets.  Students use case studies and hands-on activities to learn and experience the world of entrepreneurship. Worksheets are included in the book.  Additional copies can be downloaded from the EDGE or NxLeveL website to use again or as a replacement for next year's students.

Course Outline
Module 1 - Being an Entrepreneur—Who are entrepreneurs?  Can it be you? What is a business plan?  This introductory module will start the students thinking and making decisions about their future.  It also helps them take stock of the skills and resources they bring into a business.

Module 2 - Mind Your “Own” Business--This module gets personal with self-assessment tools that help the students decide if they have the desire, skills, and type of lifestyle that could lead to a successful business.  If not, how do they fill that void? During module 2, students write their business vision and mission statement and begin to earnestly look at their business idea, its image, its name, its products.

Module 3 - Be a Legal Eagle-- This module covers the nitty-gritty of business regulations, taxes, legal structures of business, managing risk, intellectual property rights, and contracts. Complicated? Yes, it can be! Bringing in an attorney or accountant to talk with the students can help them understand this very important component of running a small business.

Module 4 - E-commerce--This is one area the students will know most about! The Internet is more than just chat rooms and games, it's new ideas and opportunities. This module shows students the other side of the Internet and what it takes to operate an e-commerce business.  

Module 5 - Researching Your Idea--Creativity is number one in marketing...learning how to get a product into the hands of a consumer. Students will research their industry, develop demographics, conduct interviews with potential customers, evaluate their competition, and learn how to present themselves to customers. Great skills that cross into many other situations. 

Module 6 - Big Time Marketing --Now that the students know who to target, they can now explore ways to position their product into the market place.  Students learn key concepts, terms, and “how-to’s” of marketing and selling.

Module 7- Building Your Business--Students will learn how to build a business, and it's no easy task!  This session works on fundamental skills: organization, management, leadership, motivation, communication, and negotiation. Students will explore what they would want want in a good employees, and in turn, learn how to become a good employee.

Module 8 - Accounting: the Language of Business --Applied accounting skills is key to the next two modules.  Students explore basic business concepts, and learn basic financial statements.  Even if a student has not taken an accounting class, the worksheets help to guide them through the process of forecasting and estimating expenses and sales.

Module 9 - Managing Your Cash--This is the second module using applied accounting skills.  With the forecasts developed in Module 8, student develop budgets, evaluate financial ratios and develop a comprehensive cash flow. This cash flow becomes a decision making tool to help students evaluate the feasibility of their business and problem solve any cash problems they may encounter.

Module 10 - Show Me the Money--In this module, students explore the cost of money and the different types of available monies.  If their cash flow projections showed a need for money, students will evaluate the different sources and costs to financing their business. It's a life skill that can be applied to many other financial situations.

Module 11 - Ready, Set, Charge!--This module wraps it all up into one package.  The students put the final touches into their business plan, hand it in for a grade and breathe a sigh of relief.  But wait!  Is the plan actually feasible?  Is this something to pursue?  Not only have the students learned many personal and business skills, they may have a great business idea! Bring in outside reviewers to help students evaluate and see the potentials. Have fun and celebrate their achievements!