Element One:
Led by qualified faculty, students learn the basics of business by using Junior Achievement's award winning "It's My Business" as prerequisite classroom work.
Element Two:
Working in small groups, students brainstorm their own business ideas and organize their collaborative findings into reports that will incorporate all the features of a traditional business plan.
Element Three:
Following a collegiate business school model, students will “pitch” their business plans to panels of peers who provide feedback and determine by vote the viability of each.
Element Four:
Students build their business from scratch and put their plan into practice.
Element Five:
Concurrent to the coursework students will be provided a turnkey business opportunity in the form of a brick and mortar “Thrift Shop”. The “Shop” will become a lab where students hone skills related to good business practices.
Element Six:
A basis for Social Responsibility will be built through Thrift Shop operations. Students will hold community events where other schools or nonprofits participate in the sale of Thrift Shop items and a percentage of gross receipts for that particular event are shared with the participating group.