MINI COURSE
Throughout the school year, our Business World staff travels the state facilitating our One-Day MINI Business World programs. Students are broken into small groups and are tasked with building a business from the ground up, and will showcase their new product in an engaging mock trade show at the end of the day. These condensed programs are fully-customizable and can be held directly in your high school, on a college or tech school campus or on a manufacturing site.
MINI BUSINESS WORLD
MINI Business World is a one-day immersive program where students practice building a business from the ground up. Students come up with a full business plan including creating a new product, building a prototype, creating a marketing plan, and forming a budget. Students leave MINI Business World with a better understanding of business principles, entrepreneurship, career opportunities in Wisconsin, and the important role businesses play in our communities.
Business World staff will start the day leading the group through ice breakers and a discussion on innovation and entrepreneurship. Students then work in pre-assigned groups of 4-7 students to build their own business from the ground up. The team is responsible for brainstorming an idea and coming up with a full business plan including building a prototype, marketing plan, financial budget, and administration. Each group presents their business plan in front of the class at the end of the day.
MINI Business World is free! We provide supplies, snacks, and a pizza lunch with the help of our generous sponsors. We just ask schools to provide transportation to any off site location.
We have held MINI Business World in school libraries, cafeterias, gyms, and multi-purpose rooms. We can also hold your MINI Business World off site at a local company or community room. Let us know what works best for you and we will find a space!
We typically run the program from 9a.m. until 2p.m., but we can be flexible based on your school schedule. We can change the start and end times and expand or condense the program to fit your timing needs. Just let us know and we will work with you!
Prior to the program: We ask teachers to send a roster of participating students a week before the event. This allows us time to randomly assign students to each company and ensure we have enough food and materials for the day.
If we are holding the program at your school, we will need a space with movable tables and chairs for students to work at, a screen and projector to show a PowerPoint, and a microphone. The number of tables and chairs needed will depend on the number of students participating.
During the Event: Teachers often act as advisors to the students as they work on their projects and judge the final competition, but your participation is completely up to you! We do ask a teacher be present for the entire program to help us with behavioral corrections and ensuring school rules are appropriately followed.
TESTIMONIAL
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I think this is very valuable, I think Wisconsin Business World is an excellent opportunity. The key takeaway I would take from the program is the experience of actually starting a business, launching a product, communicating and working with my team members.
”
Summer Camp Student
Wisconsin Business World
Interested in bringing the MINI Business World program to your area?
If you would like to learn more about our program or how to register, please contact the Business World Program Coordinator, Shelby Paradowski, via e-mail.
RESOURCES
The MINI Business World program condenses the core curriculum of our summer program and brings it on-site to high schools across the state. Since its inception, our MINI Business World attendance has skyrocketed as counties from Marinette to Monroe have sponsored students of all studies to participate in the program’s activities.
