Don’t Just Build an Entrepreneurship Class

Build a Program That Transforms Students Over Time

Author

Stephen Carter
November 17, 2025

Over the past decade, I’ve noticed a pattern in K–12 education. Schools are increasingly aware of the need to teach entrepreneurship, and many begin by creating a single semester or year-long class. They choose a curriculum, assemble a few hands-on activities, and offer students a taste of what entrepreneurship looks like.

It’s a wonderful start—but it’s only a start.

Entrepreneurship thrives in long arcs, not short bursts. While a single class can lead to a launch, a program can cultivate leaders who return year after year to grow that launch into something meaningful, sustainable, and deeply transformational.

When schools build a true entrepreneurship program, something remarkable happens. Year one becomes the foundation—students imagine, create, and launch a student-run business on campus. The energy is high, the hands-on learning is real, and students experience the joy and vulnerability of putting something into the world that didn’t exist before.

But the real magic happens in year two.

Students who return become leaders. They mentor the next class. They refine systems. They begin to see entrepreneurship not as a project but as a way of thinking, choosing, and showing up. Launching a business is one thing. Running that business—and helping it grow—is something else entirely.

We talk often about the excitement of the launch, and rightly so. Launching is exhilarating. And electric. But if we stop there, we shortchange students because so much of the richness of the entrepreneurial mindset comes from the ongoing grind, the continuous improvement, the small pivots, the unexpected challenges, and the incredible satisfaction of seeing effort compound over time.

This is why I encourage schools not to build a class, but to build a three-to-five-year pathway. Start with mindset and then add hands-on business experience. Layer in financial literacy while integrating mentorship and developing a leadership pipeline. Finally, add in a certificate track that gives students a formal credential—something that recognizes their mastery, celebrates their growth, and prepares them for whatever comes next.

This is the Seed Tree Group model. It’s the model being used in over 30 schools around the nation. And it works—because it takes the long view. It builds a culture, not a course. It builds leaders, not just learners. It builds a program that transforms students in year one—and even more in year two, year three, and beyond.

If you are ready to launch an entrepreneurship program—not just a class—reach out today and let’s build something incredible together.

Standing out as a Christian school while staying true to your values is more challenging than ever. At Seed Tree Group, we help schools implement a proven entrepreneurship program that empowers students to take ownership of their education, equipping them with life-ready skills and creating a distinguished school with engaged students, inspired parents, and energized donors.

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Imagine your culture infused with growth mindset, grit, redefining failure, and opportunity seeking. Imagine your team acting and thinking like entrepreneurs.

Stephen Carter