JA CATALYST

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT WWW.TRUSTYOURCRAZYIDEASCHALLENGE

FALL IDEATION CURRICULUM

TEACHER/VOLUNTEER GUIDE

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT WWW.TRUSTYOURCRAZYIDEASCHALLENGE

THE INNOVATORS OFTOMORROW SOLVING THEPROBLEMS OF TODAY. We are challenging our young entrepreneurs to look at the environmental and socialproblems of today: rising coastlines, warmer climate, pollution, clean water, andmore; and create a Big Idea that tackles these issues head-on!

Waste Management (landfills)Single-Use Plastics (water bottles, shampoo containers, toothpaste tubes)Energy Saving/EfficiencyAccess to Healthy Foods & Neighborhood Food DesertsEfficient Transportation Protecting Biodiversity: Protecting Bees and Other Pollinators; Plants and AnimalsDeforestation: Protecting Wildlife/EcosystemsNatural Disaster preparedness: Fire, Flood, Excessive Heat, IceAnd So Many More!

For more information on sustainable business building, check out this blog from Harvard Business School:https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/business-sustainability-strategies

What Problems Can my Big Idea Solve?

For example, Schmelly's Dirt Farm is a local compostingcompany. Customers pay a monthly fee to have theircompostable organic trash (greens, eggshells, coffee grounds,dead leaves, and more) collected. Schmelly's composts thisorganic trash into highly rich soil and sells it to gardeners.Companies like Schmelly's prevent tons of organic trash fromgoing into landfills in plastic garbage bags that will take yearsto decompose.

Social Entrepreneurs build businesses around socialand environmental solutions.

SESSION 1 Intro toEntrepreneurship/ProductDevelopment

SESSION 2Product Development

SESSION 3Business Model Canvas

SESSION 4Business Model Canvas

SESSION 5 Create Your Own Canvas

JA CATALYST: SESSION OVERVIEW

Students can define entrepreneurship and givecharacteristics of entrepreneurs.Students will brainstorm problems/solutionsand identify markets.Students can define Customer Segments andtheir pain points.Students will brainstorm new products.

Students can break down big problems intosolutions.Students can use user innovation to createproducts and services.Students will brainstorm problems and createsolutions for those problems.

Students will learn how to use the BusinessModel Canvas and gain an understanding of itsdifferent

Students will create a sample canvas based onSchmelly's business model.

Students will create their own business modelcanvas to map their own Crazy Idea.Students can use their completed businessmodel canvas to complete the submissionquestions.

Objectives:

Objectives:

Objectives:

segments.

Objectives:

Objectives:

SESSION PREP

Laptop with internet access anda ProjectorAccess to YouTubeStudent Innovative IdeasGraphic OrganizerSticky-Notes

Students can identify traits ofentrepreneurs.Students can define and identifycustomer segments and theirpain points.Students can use brainstormingtechniques to createinnovations.

Entrepreneur: a person whostarts a business.Business Model: a plan for howyour business will successfullycreate a product and sell thatproduct.Customer Segments: a group ofpotential customers withcommon defining traits.Pain-point: your customers'specific problems and concerns.Product Market Fit - achievedwhen you find the right solutionfor your customers, creating ademand in the marketplace foryour product.Problem Validation: When theproblem you are trying to solveis verified by your customer'sreal pain-points or concerns.

MATERIALS:

Objectives:

Key Terms:

Video links have been compiled at:https://www.trustyourcrazyideas

challenge.org/curriculum

Please be sure to preload all video contentin this session prior to getting started.

JA CATALYST: SESSION 1Instructor GuideSET UPTo help students to develop their crazy ideas, you will first help students tounderstand how entrepreneurs use problem-solving to create businesses. In thefirst two sessions of JA Catalyst, your students will learn the basics ofentrepreneurship and develop skills to become innovators.

For additional information, please refer to the Trust Your Crazy Ideas Challengewebsite: www.trustyourcrazyideaschallenge.org.

Introduce yourself to the class.

Explain to students that today they will beworking together to brainstorm “CrazyIdeas” that they could develop into a business.

Tell them that you will be using JA Catalyst, a JuniorAchievement program, to help them learn aboutentrepreneurship and get inspired to create theirown product or service.

Show TYCIC YouTube Video

Remind students that TYCIC is not only anopportunity to learn, but is an opportunityfor them to develop a business idea, makeimportant connections, and win up to$15,000 in continuing education funds.

Show ‘What is The Trust Your Crazy IdeasChallenge’ Slide

Students may have had a JA Launch Lessonwith a local entrepreneur, which is anoptional Step 1. Step 2 is participating in JACatalyst (this class) and submitting theiridea on the TYCIC website.

20 semi-finalists teams will move on to Step3, the JA Idea Accelerator. JA Idea Accelerator is an8-week accelerator course that will help studentscreate a pitch. The accelerator culminatesin the Big Pitch, our local pitch competition.The winner of the Big Pitch then goes on torepresent New Orleans in the state finals.

Optional: Show "Guy Kawasaki at TEDxBerkeley2014: - "The Art of Innovation." Video (21:16)

You may choose to watchthis video with yourstudents for additionalenrichment. It is optional.

Session 1 - page 1

Tell students that today you are going to talk about where entrepreneurs get theirBig Ideas. Ask students to raise their hands if they already have a Big Idea. Ask anystudent to share their idea and talk about what inspired them.

"Every Big Idea- from the telephone to the electric car- is a solution to a problem.Good entrepreneurs are able to identify problems and come up with solutions thatcustomers will want to use. These solutions become the products 'sold' by asuccessful businesses.

Turning a great solution into a product requires a strong business model that tellsus how the product will be made, and how it will be marketed and sold tocustomers. Without a strong business model, even the best ideas can flop.

Over the next few sessions, you'll learn how to identify problems, how to turnsolutions into products, and how to build a business model to make that Big Ideainto a great startup!"

Show ‘Entrepreneurs Create’ Slide

Ask the students to brainstorm what problems these companies have solved:

Instagram: Users wanted to be able to edit photos

Amazon: Bookstores couldn’t carry as many books on their shelves; Amazoncreated an online store with a much larger selection. This idea evolved intoAmazon becoming the retail giant it is today.

Apple: Personal computers were difficult to use, so Apple created a personalcomputer with an easy-to-use user interface.

Dropbox: Sharing files, particularly large files, was difficult using email.

Show ‘What Makes an Entrepreneur’ slide.

Ask the students to brainstorm what traits entrepreneurs possess. Click through theslide to reveal words.

Focus on the word INNOVATIVE. Explain that being innovative means thinking ofnew ways of doing things. We'll get started today by looking at three commonobjects and coming up with as many brand new uses for those products as we can.

ACTIVITY #1: BRAINSTORMStudents will use this warm-up activity to starting thinking creatively.Students should work in pairs or teams and will have 3 minutes to come up with 20unconventional uses for each common object.

Session 1 - page 2

BRAINSTORM ACTIVITY #1 POTENTIAL ANSWERS:Brick: paperweight, stepping stone, window breaker, nutcracker, free weight, first stair, balance beam, doorstop, shelf, anchor,crushing rocks or sticks, bed raisers, as a hammer, cover holes in the ground, to mark an important place, press flowers, bake cookies.

Paper Clip: Bend into shapes, de-stressor, tie clip, hair clip, zipper tab, bread tie, key chain, lock pick, bookmark, fish hook, cleannarrow grout, keyboard cleaner, money clip, picture hanger

Newspaper: decorative hat, small boat, umbrella, sunshade, blanket, coat, belt, shoes, pillow, insulation, kindling, paper-mache, draftpreventer, soak up paint, paper towel, wallpaper, and streamers

Show Experiment Slide"Throughout the process of becoming an entrepreneur, you'll constantly testyour theories about what your customers want and the best ways to reachthem. You'll need to confirm that the problem you are trying to solve actuallyaffects enough people and that your customers will value your solution aboveall others. These experiments are called business models and finding a goodbusiness model is the best way to insure your business can be successful.

We know that Big Ideas start with a problem. Once we've identified a potentialproblem, the next thing we want to think about is WHO we are solving theproblem for. Remember, we are ultimately trying to get customers to pay forour solution, so we need to understand those customer's pain-points or specificreasons for having the problem.

Show Customer Segments Slide

"To try to understand our potential customers' pain points, we need to try toidentify and understand who our customers are. We break down thosecustomers into groups based on specific characteristics like age, gender, orinterests. We call these groups, Customer Segments. You will often hear ofthese groups referred to as the “target market” because every decision wemake, from how the product works to how it is sold, should be aimed at thosecustomers."

Remind students that their solution needs to appeal to enough customers tosupport their business- so if they are having trouble identifying customersegments, they may want to consider if their problem is good enough. Thisprocess of researching customer segments and pain points is called problemvalidation.

Show "Americans aren't recycling correctly" Slide

Ex: Problem: U.S. recyclables are often not recycled because of contamination.People often: don't sort their recyclables, put non-recyclable items intorecycling bins, or leave food residue on their recyclables that can't beprocessed by recycling plants.

Though many people are impacted by recycling problems, our potentialcustomers are groups of people who want to recycle but are not recyclingcorrectly. We have listed four sample groups on the slide. Can you list somecharacteristics for each of these groups?"

List out characteristic on the board using sticky notes. Remind students thatgetting to know their customer segments is the best way to learn how to solvetheir problems. Ask students why they think recyclers aren't recycling correctly.Accept all answers.

Show Pain Points Slide

"They may not know the rules or they may be too lazy to follow them. Each ofthese "reasons" is called a 'pain point' that your solution can address."

Session 1 - page 3

Show Key Slide

"Entrepreneurs test hundreds of versions of their product with their customersegments. Each iteration (version) teaches them more about the needs and painpoints of their customers. Once you have matched a product with the customersegments who value your solution and loyally use your product for the price you'veset, you've achieved Product Market Fit!

"Think about the companies that you are loyal to. Why is their solution the best foryou? What specific problems do they address? Why do you keep coming back?Take a look at a few companies with loyal followings and identify their customersegments. Then, come up with a brand new product that appeals to theircustomer segments."

ACTIVITY 2: INNOVATION LAB (15 MIN)Divide students into teams of 4-6.

Tell students that they are now part of the R&D (research anddevelopment) department for a major company. The company isdeveloping a brand-new item that is TOP SECRET! Students will design a productfor the brand they are assigned.

Ask students to design the new product for the brand while keeping inmind the brand’s current customer segments, marketing strategies, and image.

Turn to page 7, randomly select a word from each column – give eachteam a “brand” and a “product.” Be sure to give them uniquecombinations (i.e., if you select “Nike” as the brand, do not selectsomething apparel related as the product).

Students should name the product and describe the product's features,benefits. They'll also need to list the customer segments for this product and thespecific pain-points or problems they are solving for those customers.

Remind students that they have limited time, and to focus theirbrainstorming accordingly. After 15 minutes, ask students to share.

END OF SESSION

Session 1 - page 4

ACTIVITY 2: INNOVATION LABUse the lists below to assign students 1 brand and 1 problem thatbrand. Students will work in groups to create a brand-new product

with that brand’s image and customer segments in mind.

Brand Names ProductUnder Armor

Patagonia

Converse

Fender

Great Value

Forever 21

Gap

Martha Stewart

Mattel

LEGO

Google

McDonalds

H&M

Coach

MTV

Dove

Hershey

Adidas

BMW

Starbucks

Covergirl

Samsung

Kraft

Apple

Nike

Polo

Nintendo

Tesla

Chanel

Crayola

Coca-Cola

Nabisco

Rolex

Birkenstock

Shampoo

Shoes

Snacks

Vitamins

Backpack

Headphones

Cereal

Pet Accessory

Makeup

Microwavable Dinner

Jewelry

Clothing

Soda Drink

Video Game

Session 1 - page 5

Laptop with internet access anda ProjectorAccess to YouTubeSticky NotesStudent Innovative IdeasGraphic Organizer

Students will explore innovativeideas and recognize innovationas a necessary skill toentrepreneurs.Students will brainstorm theirown innovative idea, identifyingthe need and market for theirproduct.Students will decide on 1 CrazyIdea to use as their entry in theTrust Your Crazy IdeasChallenge.

Innovation: to createsomething new, original, orgroundbreaking.User Innovation: innovationscreated by individuals solvingtheir own problems.Social Entrepreneur: anentrepreneur whose venturehas a positive impact ontheir community,environment, or society.

Materials:

Objectives:

Key Terms:

Video links have been compiled at:

www.trustyourcrazyideaschallenge.org/videos

Please be sure to preload all video

content in this session prior to gettingstarted.

JA CATALYST: SESSION 2Instructor Guide

SET UPThe focus of Session 2 will be for students to learn how entrepreneursuse problem solving to generate their Big Ideas.Please be sure to preload all video content in this session prior togetting started. Use sticky notes to add to slides when needed.

Explain to the students that in this section, they willstart to brainstorm innovative ideas for their TrustYour Crazy Ideas Challenge entry.

Play Video (15:15)

Ask students: 1. Define User Innovation.2. Can you think of a time when you created yourown innovation?3. What problems do you encounter in your dailylife? Is there an opportunity to solve them with aproduct or service?

Flip to the Circle Slide

"Because you are a customer segment, or apotential customer for a Big Idea, you can thinkabout your own experiences to identify problems tosolve.

Think about your own life. What problems do youencounter every day? What about yourcommunity? The country? The world? All aroundyou, you can identify problems that are big andsmall; that create an impact on you and thosearound you."

Use post-it notes to brainstorm problems in eachcategory. Note how each of those problemsimpacts the other categories.

Show ‘Social Entrepreneurs’ Slide

"Social Entrepreneurs create solutions to social,cultural, or environmental issues. In this program,we challenge our young entrepreneurs to look atthe environmental and social problems of today:rising coastlines, warmer climate, pollution, cleanwater, equity and accessibility, and more; andcreate a Big Idea that tackles these issues head-on!"

SESSION PREP

Session 2 - page 6

Read about Schmelly's Compost, a local business that solves anenvironmental problem with a business solution.

Ask students what problem Schmelly's is solving.a: Schmelly's allows people to compost their trash so that it doesn't end up in a landfill. Schmelly's also provides high-quality soil togardeners.

Ask students who Schmelly's CUSTOMER SEGEMENTS are.a: environmentally conscious people; gardeners...

Ask students to identify the specific pain points or problems thatSchmelly's customers are facing.a: Schmelly's customers may not have time or space to compost intheir own yards. They may be too lazy to do it themselves or they maynot know how to compost. They may also need soil for their gardens.

ACTIVITY #3: Finding the Problem (5 min)Tell students that they will have 5 minutes to brainstorm 3 problemsthat they would like to solve. They should also identify their customersegments for each of these problems. Remind them that if they arehaving trouble listing customer segments, they may not have a "goodenough" problem. They can work by themselves or in pairs.

After 5 minutes ask students to share. Note some of the biggerproblems (like global warming, plastics in the ocean, etc.) that thestudents list.

Show ‘Breaking Down Big Problems’ Slide

Explain to students that breaking down large problems into smallersolvable problems is something that entrepreneurs do every day.Use this example big problem: "Single-Use Plastic"

Walk through breaking this problem down and brainstorm possiblesolutions with your students. Remind students that these are not theonly ways to break down the problem of single-use plastics. Use stickynotes to add additional solutions.

Explain to students that now that you have broken down yourproblem in to smaller solvable problems, you can create productsfrom those solutions.

Example Solutions: 1. Bamboo containers, 2. dried toothpaste, 3.recycling pick up, 4. t-shirts or construction material made out of oldplastics.

If you have time, choose one of the big problems noted from thestudents’ list and use this technique to break down that problem.

Show Intel Video

Session 2 - page 7

ACTIVITY #4: Big Problem BreakdownAsk students to choose one problem from their list. Tell students thatthey will have 10 minutes to breakdown their big problem intosmaller solvable issues and brainstorm solutions for each of thosesmaller solvable issues. They will use the Breaking Down BigProblems graphic in their student workbook. They should work bythemselves or in the same pair from the previous activity.

After 10 minutes, ask students to share their problem/solution andask their classmates to identify potential customer segments for theirproduct.

ACTIVITY #5: Product OverviewNow that students have identified a problem and solution, ask themto complete their product overview. Remind them that they need tobe specific about who their customers are and what pain points theyare solving for their customers.

END SESSION 2

Session 2 - page 8

Ask studentsWhat was the problem this student solved?a: People with visual impairments often read braille, but braille printers aretoo expensive for most people to purchase and many people don't haveaccess.Who are the customer segments for his product? What were their painpoints?a:The visually impaired community, schools, offices, government buildings.Braille printers are costly and inaccessible.How did this student break down the bigger issues related to accessibilityfor the visually impaired?a: The student chose to focus on solving the issue of home printing. Whilethis doesn’t solve every problem visually impaired people face, it does helpcreate more access.

OPTIONAL ACTIVITY: SWOT Competitive AnalysisUse an online search to look for products and services that are similar to yours. Answer the following questions about thatproduct and compare that product to your own. What is that product/service doing better? What are you doing better?How can you improve an existing product? Remember to think about your customers’ pain points, wants, and needs!

DEEPER DIVEOnce you have settled on your Big Idea- research competing products and companies on the internet. Every ideawill have some competition. Learning from your competitors is a great way to innovate! Complete the optionalactivity below to learn how to innovate around your competition and win more customers.

Session 2 - page 9

SESSION PREP

Laptop with internet accessand a ProjectorAccess to YouTubeSticky NotesStudent Innovative IdeasGraphic Organizer

Students will learn about theBusiness Model CanvasStudents will be able todefine each segment of thecanvas.Students will decide on 1Crazy Idea to use as theirentry in the Trust Your CrazyIdeas Challenge.

Business Model Canvas: atool used by entrepreneursto map their business ideas.The canvas shows how eachelement of a business isinterconnected and can beused to test an idea.Competitive Advantage:individual attributes thatmake your product betterthan the competition.

Materials:

Objectives:

Key Terms:

Video links have been compiled at:

www.trustyourcrazyideaschallenge.org/videos

Please be sure to preload all videocontent in this session prior to getting

started.

JA CATALYST: SESSION 3Instructor Guide

SET UPThe focus of Session 3 is to teach students about the business modelcanvas and how to use it. Students will watch videos and will create atemplate of questions for each segment. In the next session, studentswill work on a sample Business Model Canvas before completing theirown.

Explain to the students that in this section, theywill learn to use an important tool called theBusiness Model Canvas.

Explain that they may be familiar with or havewritten a business plan in the past. A businessplan is a report that details how a business willearn money, gain customers, and how thebusiness will become profitable.

"The Business Model Canvas is a visual diagramthat maps out how you will create and sell yourproduct. The diagram shows entrepreneurs howeach element of their business works together andhow changes can impact the rest of the model.

Unlike a business plan, a Business ModelCanvas allows you to test your business idea tomake sure that your plan can be sustainableand ultimately, profitable."

Explain to students that today they will becomefamiliar with the canvas.

Play Videos (3 total)• Ask students: 1.What was the Value Proposition for the airline? 2.What was their competitive advantage? 3.Who were the customer segments?

a:The value proposition for the airline is a low-costairline with few amenities for travelers to keep thecost of the flight at a minimum. Their competitiveadvantage is that they are the cheapest option.Their customer segments are thrifty travelers.

Session 3 - page 10

Think of the PROBLEM. What is the need that you are meeting?Remember your customer's PAIN POINTS- how are you solving those?Your Value Proposition breaks down the specific value your customerssee in your solution.Focus on a 1 sentence explanation of what you do. That’s the First

Add additional ‘Values’ below that address your customers' specific painpoints."

Explain to students that you are now going to take a closer look at each ofthe 9 building blocks of the Business Model Canvas. Each block will bereduced to a few simple questions that they will eventually need to askthemselves about their own Big Idea. Have students turn to the ‘BusinessModel Canvas Explained’ sheet in their packet and fill out questions foreach section.

Show ‘Value Proposition’ Slide

"What does your customer want?

Point of your Value proposition.

Explain to students that this is also where they will describe theircompetitive advantage - or what makes their product better than thecompetition.

"How is your solution better than what’s out there? How are you competingwith other products that solve this problem or that could solve thisproblem? Don’t be discouraged by competition! This is the place toINNOVATE! Find a way to make it better!"

Show ‘Value Proposition Canvas Slide’.

Ask students to write these questions on their own blank canvas. Remindstudents that in the next session, they will complete a canvas for their ownBig Idea.

Show ‘Customer Segments’ Slide

"Remember, Customer Segments are groups of customers who sharecommon defined traits. You should be able to demonstrate why each of yourcustomer segments need your product by listing their specific pain points."

Session 3 - page 11

For example, one customer segment for the airline in the video was 'budgettravelers'. Their main pain point was the cost of flying. Through researchingtheir customer segments, the entrepreneurs found that these customersdidn't need a carry on bag and other amenities provided by traditionalairlines and didn't want to pay for them. They will need to break down theircustomers even more to uncover pain points they can solve for theircustomers to provide the BEST solution to the problem.

Remember: If you can't identify customer segments or their pain pointsrelated to the problem you are solving, you may need to choose a differentproblem!"

Show ‘Customer Segments Canvas’ Slide. Have students complete the block on their own canvas.

Explain to students that 'Customer Channels' refer to how they willreach their customer (to either purchase or hear about theproduct).

Explain that the 'Customer Relationships' block is asking how youwill interact with your customers. Note that some companies donot interact with customers.

"There are 2 main parts of the 'Customer Channel' Block:

• How does your customer buy your product? Store? App Store?

• How does your customer hear about your product?

Note that this block is asking HOW you plan to market. The KeyActivities block will ask you what you need to do to launch yourcompany and this will include marketing."

'Customer Relationships' describes the kind of relationship that youhave with your customer. This depends on your product. If you arean online retailer like Amazon, you pride yourself on your goodcustomer service: quick shipment, easy returns, and qualitycontrol. However, other companies like UBER rely on a fullyautomated service, so ideally—your customer never has to contactyou.

It’s important to think of how you are going to maintain a goodimage with your customers (high quality, ethical). Even if you won’t havecontact with your customers after they purchase, you want to build brandloyalty.

The 'Customer Relationships' block is often confusing to studentsbecause of the overlap it has with Customer Channels. WhileCustomer Channels covers how customers receive the product andhow customers hear about the product (Marketing), CustomerRelationships is more about the company’s customer service andhow they maintain a good reputation.

Show ‘Customer Relationships’ and ‘Customer Channels’ Slide. Havestudents complete the blocks on their own canvas.

Session 4 - page 12

Show Revenue Streams slide.

"The Revenue Streams block describes how the business will makemoney. Will it sell a product or service? Will the customer purchaseonce or be a repeat customer? Does your company make moneyfrom ads or direct sales?"

Explain that some companies have multiple revenue streams. Forexample, Uber offers Uber Black, UberX, and UberXL, as well as UberEats. These are all separate streams of revenue for the company.

"Many companies use a hybrid of models- for example, Spotify offersa free service with ads- in this case, revenue is made fromadvertising. They also offer a premium monthly service wherecustomers pay a monthly fee. Over time, the company hopes tobecome so important to the customer, that they upgrade theiraccount and begin paying for the higher quality service. This model isnot for every business and depending on your cost structure, may notbe possible.

Think about your customers and what they want- are they willing topay directly for the service you are offering? Should you offer a 'freeversion' that allows customers to try your product out?

Show ‘Revenue Streams Canvas’ Slide. Have students complete theblock on their own canvas.

Show ‘Key Resources and Key Activities’ Slide

"The 'Key Resources' block describes what you need to HAVE to getstarted. This can include buildings, equipment, technology,intellectual property, financial resources, and human resources.

The 'Key Activities' block describes what you need to DO to getstarted or to make your idea work. This includes developing yourproduct and marketing.

You’ll notice that we cover marketing in a lot of different blocks. It’simportant to understand that the canvas is not separating yourbusiness idea into different departments (marketing, production,sales) but is mapping how your business will function. Think of thefirst half of the canvas as the storefront or side that the customerssee: Value Proposition, Customer Segments, Customer Relationships,Customer Channels, and Revenue Stream.

The back half of the canvas is how you will get the job done!

Session 3 - page 13

Do you need materials to make your product? Do you need people todesign or create the product? How will you store your stock? Are thereshipping costs?What are your business start up costs? Do you need insurance?How does you customer access the product? Store? App? Is there a feeor percentage for using these outlets?How does your customer HEAR about your product or service? Consideryour marketing costs.

Show ‘Key Partnership’ Slide

"Remember that you won't own all of the resources that you'll need to startyour business. For example, if your product comes in a package, you won'twon't own the factory that creates your packaging. The key partners thatyou will list here are the other companies that you'll need to use or partnerwith to get your product into the hands of your customers.

The majority of these businesses will be distributors or producers. Forexample: You may sell your app on the App Store or Google Play. Or,you could sell your product through Walmart.

Some partners may be what we call strategic partners or partnerswho, in exchange for a stake in your company or some other benefit, willhelp promote you or provide money."

Show ‘Key Partnerships Canvas’ Slide. Have students copy thesequestions on to their canvas.

Show ‘Cost Structure’ Slide

"Your Cost Structure lays out what will cost your business money. Everybusiness requires some amount of startup capital (money). It is veryimportant to know how much it will cost you to start your business and tocontinue to run your business. This information will help you to price yourproduct and will help you to choose the best business model for yourproduct.

Ask yourself:

Show ‘Cost Structure’ Slide. Have students copy thisquestion on to their canvas.

Now that it is complete, review each segment of the canvas with yourstudents. Remind them that they will use these questions to complete asample canvas and their own canvas. Remind them that using this canvaswill allow them to test their ideas by mapping out different business models.

Session 3 - page 14

Laptop with internet access

Sticky NotesStudent Innovative IdeasGraphic Organizer

Students will learn aboutthe Business Model CanvasStudents will be able todefine each segment of thecanvas.Students will decide on 1Crazy Idea to use as theirentry in the Trust Your CrazyIdeas Challenge.

Materials:

and a Projector

Objectives:

Video links have been compiled at:

www.trustyourcrazyideaschallenge.org/videos

Please be sure to preload all video

content in this session prior to gettingstarted.

SESSION PREPJA CATALYST: SESSION 5Instructor Guide

SET UPThe focus of Session 5 is to work through an example of the BusinessModel Canvas, utilizing a local composting company's current businessmodel. Once they have completed the example canvas, students will beready to create their own canvas for their own Crazy Idea. Students canalso complete an optional additional canvas for Uber.

Use the chart below to guide your conversation. Help students tocomplete a canvas for Schmelly's Dirt Farm.

If you think your students could use additional practice, map Uber's BusinessModel Canvas with them. You can also use the blank Business model Canvasslide with sticky notes to map as many examples as you would like.

Flip through the slide below. Ask students to help you brainstorm.Add students’ additional ideas with sticky notes.

Session 4 - page 15

Value Proposition:Value Proposition is what your business does.What PROBLEM does your business solve? Whatis the value of the service or product you areoffering? What makes your product or serviceBETTER? Your Value Proposition shouldcompletely describe what your business does. Remind students to think about Schmelly's cust-omers' specific pain points!

Schmelly's:Schmelly's is a composting service that providescustomers with weekly pickup of their compost andsells high quality organic soil.

• Ask students for additional ‘Values’ they thinkSchmelly's provides for their customers. Add to thecanvas using sticky notes.

Customer Segment:Whose problem are you solving? Who are yourCustomers? What GROUPS of people will be yourcustomers? You can have multiple groups, butyou must be specific about who you want totarget. Note that many of these customer segmentsdon't have the time, knowledge, or land to compostthemselves. These are the pain points Schemelly's service addresses.

ADDITIONAL PRACTICE UBER:UBER’s customer segments tend to be Gen-Z, Millennials,urban professionals, vacationers, tech-savvy peopleand teens.

Session 4 - page 16

NOTES:

ADDITIONAL PRACTICEUBER:UBER is a rider-sharing service that connects riderswith drivers through an app. The app allows customers torequest a ride from anywhere, using GPS. It also allowscustomers to pay through the app for convenience.

NOTES:

Schmelly's:Schmelly's Customer Segments include:homeowners and renters who care about theenvironment & eco-friendly restaurants, businesses,and events companies.

•Remind students to connect customers to thespecific values the company is offering. For Example:Businesses may see value in being Green or CarbonNeutral.

Channels:

ADDITIONAL PRACTICE:UBER:The UBER app will be downloadable through Apple AppStore, Google Play Store, and other app stores.

UBER will market by pairing with large events andoffering new users ride credits.

Customer Relationships:How will you build your relationships with yourcustomers so they stay customers? How will youget new customers? What kind of customerservice do you offer?

UBER:UBER is an automated app service. Customers will notinteract directly with customers unless they areexperiencing difficulties. Ideally, the app is entirely self-service.

How will your customers have access to yourproduct to buy it? How will you market yourproduct/service to each of your customer groups(segments)? How will you communicate withyour customers? How will you build soliddistribution channels to your customers?

Revenue StreamHow will you make money? How much will youcharge your customers? What are they willing topay?

ADDITIONAL PRACTICEUBER:UBER makes 20% on all rides that they facilitatethrough the app.They charge extra fees including “Surge Pricing” and theyoffer additional services like UBER Plus and UBER Black.

Session 4 - page 17

NOTES:

NOTES:

NOTES:

Schmelly's:Schmelly's composting service is a subscriptionmodel. Customers sign up for the service onSchmelly's website. For large events, Schmelly'sprovides a consultant to assist customers one onone.

Schmelly's:Schmelly's provide compost consultants to work withlarge customers. They will partner with festivals andevents to promote green events. Schmelly's socialmedia highlights customers providing positive pr.

Schmelly's:Schmelly's utilizes a subscription model forresidential and commercial customers. Schmelly'ssells high-quality gardening soil and will also providespecial event services.

Key Resources

ADDITIONAL PRACTICEUBER:UBER needs the software platform and drivers to start.

Key ActivitiesWhat do you need to get started?

ADDITIONAL PRACTICEUBER:UBER must build the UBER software platform,recruit drivers, and market to both customers anddrivers.

What will it take to start your business? Whatsupplies, intellectual property, people, moneywill you need?

Key PartnersHow will you make money? How much will youcharge your customers? What are they willing topay?

People who drive for UBER are not employees;

It also partners with app stores like Apple App Storeand Google Play Store.

ADDITIONAL PRACTICEUBER:UBER’s main key partnership is with its drivers.

they are contract drivers who use their own cars, gas, and insurance. This keeps the cost of KEY RESOURCES down for UBER

Session 4 - page 18

NOTES:

Schmelly's:Natural Resources: Land for compostingLabor: Drivers, Composters, Sales ConsultantsCapital: Composting Equipment, Transport Equipment, Website

Schmelly's:Weekly Compost Pick UpMarketingCompost ProcessingCompost Sales

Schmelly's:Farmer's/Community MarketsCommunity Farming OrganizationsLocal Government and NPO Ecology InitiativesVenues, Stadiums, Events Companies

Cost Structure

ADDITIONAL PRACTICEUBER:UBER will need to pay for the cost of developingtheir app, marketing, legal, and IT costs.

How much money will you need to run yourcompany? This is the cost of operation. Howmuch will your Key Resources and Key Activitiescost the company?

DEEPER DIVETake a look at the Business Model Canvas for Uber. Walk through each segment together. You’ll want to illustrateto students how each block relates to the others & how one change can impact many others.

OPTIONAL ACTIVITY:Change the main customer segment for UBER to elderly people. Walk through the changes that would have to occur ineach block to make that customer segment work. The first major change would be to the Customer Channel. Elderlypeople are unlikely to want to use an app to access the service. Change the channel from an app to a call center. How doesthis impact the rest of the canvas?

ANSWER:Value Proposition: Instead of a convenient mobile app, customers can call in and speak with a person over the phone.

Customer Relations: Now, Customers get to interact with a person over the phone. This is more of a personal assistancerelationship.

Key Activities: Hire and train a call center staff. Develop software to help phone dispatchers send drivers to customers.

Key Resources: Human- call center staff, call center building, costs related to phone communication

Key Partners: Still drivers, not app stores.

Cost Structure: Human resources will be a significant cost, call center costs, software/IT costs, legal costs.

Ask Students to reflect—does this business model work? Does this model work better than the original UBER model?

Answers: No, the cost of switching the customer segments to the elderly makes this business model less stable than theoriginal model because the cost of the call center is too high. Also, our other customer segments will not want to use thecall center over the app.

Tell Students that they will be working on mapping their own big ideas on the final day of JA Catalyst.

Explain that students will use this skill to be able to answer the Trust Your Crazy Ideas Challenge submission questions.

Session 4 - page 19

Schmelly's:Marketing; City/State Permitting; Trucks; Personelle:Drivers/Loaders, Composters, Sales Team; CustomerBins, Website/Processing Fees, Equipment

Session 4 - page 20

Session 4 - page 21

Laptop with internet accessand a ProjectorAccess to YouTubeSticky NotesStudent Packet: InnovativeIdeas Graphic Organizer

Students will create theirown business model canvasto map their Crazy Idea.Students can use theircompleted business modelcanvas to complete thesubmission questions.Replay YouTube videos toreview.

Materials:

Objectives:

Video links have been

compiled at:www.trustyourcrazyideas

challenge.org/videos

Please be sure to preload all videocontent in this session prior to getting

started.

SESSION PREPJA CATALYST: SESSION 6Instructor Guide

SET UPThe focus of Session 6 is for students to create their own businessmodel canvas for their own Crazy Idea. Allow students as much timeas possible to create their canvas and to answer the submissionquestions. Teachers may allow students to work in groups of up tofour students.

Explain to students that today, they will be creating their own businessmodel canvas. Remind students that their idea must follow this year's theme ofSocial Innovation. Refer to the flyer at the beginning of this guide for moreinformation.

Remind students to use their Business Model Canvas Explained worksheetsto ask themselves questions about their Crazy Idea.

Walk around the classroom helping groups or individuals. If students needa refresher, you can replay the YouTube videos from the previous session.

At about the halfway point, once at least half of your students havecompleted their canvas, show the submission questions.

Go through each question and explain that judges will be awarding pointsfor their answers. The top twenty scoring teams will be invited toparticipate in the JA Idea Accelerator and meet Drew Brees.

Session 5 - page 22

Student devices withinternet access Access to JA ConnectStudent Pitch deck template

Students will learn thecomponents of a pitch deck.Students can use theircompleted business modelcanvas to complete theirown pitch deck.Students can present theircrazy ideas as a pitch.

Materials:

Objectives:

Video links have been

compiled at:https://connect.ja.org/

entrepreneurship/funding-and-legal/

Students may work together tocomplete the lessons. Teams of up to

4 students can create their pitch.

SESSION PREPJA CONNECT: Create Your PitchInstructor Guide

Educators have the option to continue to the "Create YourPitch" interactive self-guided program through JA Connect.Students will have access to JA Connect and can use theirpersonal devices to work independently and learn aboutcreating a pitch deck and making their pitch to investors. Theywill also have access to additional deep dives like where to findfunding and how to protect their intellectual property.

Explain to students that today, they will work independently to learn aboutcreating their own pitch deck for their Crazy Ideas. Students should completethe "Create Your Pitch" lesson on their own.

Once they have completed the lesson, you can choose to have your studentswork in teams of up to four students or alone. Students will use the templateprovided to create their own pitch deck based on the lesson.

At the end of this session, students should be prepared to present their pitchwith their completed pitch deck to your class.

Session 5 - page 23

OPTIONAL SELF-GUIDED DEEPER DIVE