CREATING A NATION OF ENTREPRENEURS

Source:  EntrepreNews & Views, Volume 13 – 4,   adapted from the curriculum product, Risks & Rewards of Entrepreneurship, Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education, Columbus, Ohio
 
The activity supports the Entrepreneurship Content Standards/Performance Indicators as follows:
•	A.02 Discuss entrepreneurial discovery process,
•	A.05 Assess opportunities for venture creation, 
•	A.07 Generate venture ideas, 
•	D.01 Explain the nature of effective communications,
•	D.03 Use proper grammar and vocabulary, 
•	D.06 Address people properly, 
•	D.08 Make oral presentations, 
•	D.11 Write informational messages.

Have you heard of Cow Wow?  or Chip Chimes or Ewe Poo?   

These are just a few of the creative ideas of the Manure Gourmet™, a company started by Coy Funk and Skylar Schipper, as 8th grade students in Stillwater, Oklahoma.    

You may have seen them on TV on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.  Manure Gourmet™ provides composted manure products and novelty manure items as odor-free organic fertilizer.   

All products are solar aged for weeks, reaching temperatures over 150 degrees, killing anything in the manure and removing odors.  

Go to their website to see their remarkable business and outstanding marketing ideas.   www.manuregourmet.com   Call 405-372-DUNG and ask for a brochure detailing the whole story.

Experiences take place when knowledge (learning) or skills are acquired through watching or being involved in an event.  Past experiences help shape future skills and knowledge.  Experiences are also related to your background, values, life-style, and personal attributes.  Experiences can include a number of different events.  What do you guess might be the background of the Manure Gourmet™ partners?
	Examples of experiences follow.
•	Going to youth camp for a week
•	Watching or acting in a play
•	Participating in a Science Fair
•	Attending a class in a new location
•	Learning a craft, or learning how to play an instrument
•	Serving as an officer in a student organization such as DECA
•	Doing a community project (community cleanup, visiting a nursing home)
•	Receiving an award
•	Chairing a committee  
•	Taking part in family activities
•	Receiving your first paycheck

Classroom activities:
1.	What types of experiences would you think the Manure Gourmet partners have had before starting their business as 8th grade students?
2.	Think about some experiences you have had. Jot some of these down on a piece of paper.   
3.	In small groups brainstorm the types of businesses you might start that are related to your interests and experiences.    
4.	Discuss new and better ideas you might have for your business ideas and why innovation is important to business success.
5.	Each group should vote on the best business idea in the group....and share with the whole class.  Be prepared to say why this is the best idea and “Most Likely to Succeed”.

We have talked about experiences—and how we learn from them. Through repetition of activities, we become experts on certain subjects. For example, if you play tennis every day, you may soon become a tennis expert.  If you are fascinated by computers you may create a new and better computer game.   The same is true for business. Working for someone else in a business you want to start may help you become an expert. Planning for business ownership leads to avoiding problems. Entrepreneurs eliminate much of the risk of starting a business by planning for the future and developing their skills.

Remember, a series of planned experiences leads to a successful future. Whether you learn through planned educational, volunteer, or paid work experiences, becoming an expert helps you find opportunities for innovation and reduces the risk in creating your own business.