Curriculum
Making Cents’ curricula are effective tools for creating, strengthening and supporting current and future entrepreneurs and delivering financial literacy for all. The effectiveness is rooted in the experiential-learning methodologies the curricula use. Through simulations, structured discussions, participatory exercises, and peer-learning techniques, experiential-learning methodologies brings real-life experience and opportunity into the training room. They also creates learning that is relevant, immediately applicable and long-lasting.
Making Cents offers a range of classroom materials to training institutions, schools and after school programs that strengthen the quality and impact of their business and entrepreneurship training and advisory services. We also provide custom curriculum design services to address the needs of specific entrepreneurial populations. All curriculum are accompanied by exciting and high impact training-of-trainer courses.
Off-the-Shelf Curricula
Making Cents provides off-the-shelf curricula and tailored training materials for clients with a broad range of backgrounds. The following is a list of Making Cents’ curricula and training materials, which can be ordered individually or packaged to meet specific client needs.
Sector-Specific Curricula
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Agricultural Enterprise Curriculum™
The experiential nature of the materials allows for cultural adaptation to locally appropriate practices and behaviors. Concepts covered in the training include: farm business cycles, record keeping, planning farm business, purchasing decisions, group membership, monitoring production costs, basic cash flow, assessing costs and benefits, as well as savings and credit.
This course is adapted for each client to reflect their communities.
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Exercises contained in the curriculum promote active learning through group guided discussions, role-plays, and case studies, as well as group and individual activities. Two separate curricula are available and may be used together or individually. One curriculum focuses on Processors and Input Suppliers and the other focuses on Agricultural Producers.
Processors and Input Suppliers
This portion of the curriculum aims to enhance agricultural processors’, input suppliers’, and retailers’ understanding and awareness of basic business concepts and market linkages, which affect their ability to maximize profits and improve production. A key concept is understanding the relationships between firms at all levels of the value chain and how to access and use appropriate market information to create win-win relationships. This curriculum features role-playing, a simulation, and concept-based exercises that allow participants to experiment, take risks, and use creative problem-solving techniques applicable to thei r own individual businesses. The course runs, on average, 15 hours.
Producers
This portion of the curriculum aims to help agricultural producers develop a commercial approach to their agricultural activities. Key concepts include developing long-term planning skills, understanding market information, and breaking the debt cycle. It features role-playing, a simulation, and concept-based exercises that allow participants to experiment, take risks, and use creative problem-solving techniques applicable to their own individual farm businesses. The course runs, on average, 15-18 hours.
Course Outcomes Enhanced understanding and awareness of basic business concepts that maximize profits and improve production. Builds an understanding of the value chain and creative problem-solving skills. Provides the tools that allow for basic cost-benefit analysis leading to the adoption of improved agricultural practices. Beneficiaries - Agricultural processors,
- Input suppliers and retailers
- Producers
Duration 15-18 hours Languages English, French -
MicroEnterprise Fundamentals for Manufacturing and Service Businesses™
MicroEnterprise Fundamentals™ is for start-up or well-established grassroots micro-entrepreneurs with limited literacy skills. This course teaches participants basic and practical business concepts. Steeped in experiential learning, this curriculum uses visual aids, simulation, facilitated discussion, and peer-learning techniques. The course is designed for 30 to 40 hours of instruction.
This course is available “off-the-shelf” or is easily adapted to a specific community.
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Course Outcomes Teaches basic and practical business concepts for manufacturing and service businesses such as:
- Effective Planning and Record Keeping
- Income Allocation and Financial Planning
- Marketing
- Savings and Credit
- Adding Value
Beneficiaries Youth and adults with limited literacy and business education Duration 30 to 40 hours Languages English, French
Skill-Specific Curricula
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Smart Technology for a Smarter Business™
Technology can be the road to greater profitability for micro and small businesses. Developed with funding from Hewlett-Packard Corporation, the Smart Technology for a Smarter Business™ curriculum helps entrepreneurs improve the efficiency and growth of their business using information and communications technology. This curriculum builds real skills and demonstrates how these skills can be used to improve efficiency in the areas of communication, finance, marketing, operations and management, and managing technology.
Available for free download http://smarttechforsmartbusiness.org/english/default.htm or for purchase from in printed format from Making Cents.
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This curriculum builds real skills and demonstrates how these skills can be used to improve efficiency in the areas of communication, finance, marketing, operations and management, and managing technology. Smart Technology for a Smarter Business™ also prepares participants to make informed choices about future investments in equipment, software, and technology training. Each of the 19 modules can be used as a stand-alone course or integrated into your existing business or technology courses.
Course Outcomes Builds business management skills and demonstrates how to use basic technology to increase efficiency and overcome common challenges faced by entrepreneurs.
Available for free download.Beneficiaries Adult entrepreneurs with experience or limited experience Duration 40-50 hours Languages English, French, Spanish, Chinese ,Portuguese, Romanian , Russian -
Market Opportunities™
Market Opportunities™ brings the world of value chain study into perspective for young entrepreneurs, helping them discover market opportunities and business relationships that are critical to sustainable business growth. This curriculum provides students with the knowledge and experience they need to take their learning beyond the classroom and into the real world. The Market Opportunities™ curriculum is designed for students who possess working business knowledge as well as basic literacy and numeracy skills. This curriculum consists of approximately 30 hours of coursework.
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Course Outcomes Learn key business concepts and understand the value chain Beneficiaries Literate and Illiterate youth and adults Duration 15 to 24 hours Languages English, French -
Money Minds!™
Financial management is a fundamental life skill. Money Minds!™ is a unique curriculum designed to provide youth and adults alike with a forum to understand how their beliefs about money shape their actions with money, as well as the opportunity to redefine their personal and financial goals and priorities. Minds!™ can be used as a stand-alone curriculum or as a complement to other financial literacy programs.
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This curriculum prepares participants to better understand how and why traditional services can support their journey to financial independence. This curriculum consists of 12-20 hours of coursework.
Currently in development...
Cross-Sector Entrepreneurship Curricula
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Business Simulation™
Business Simulation is appropriate for a very diverse range of youth and adult participants. By assuming the role of manufacturers and retailers in a simulated business environment, participants develop real skills in negotiation, teamwork, recordkeeping, risk management, and taking initiative. The activities are engaging, fun, and invigorating. The simulation provides a safe setting to experiment with new behaviors - such as being a better communicator amongst team members, analyzing, taking more risks, or using a win-win style of negotiating - that lead to more successful business strategies.
An excellent stand-along training tool or complement to an existing training course such as marketing, accounting or communication.
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The four modules of the business simulation help participants to learn by giving them hands-on experience. Material can be used for between 3 to 20 hours of instruction. The Business Simulation™ can be used in a myriad of ways that include: an orientation to entrepreneurship; a way to bring theory alive in courses such as accounting and negotiation; and as a stand-alone training tool.
The most basic module (module 1) is relevant for limited literacy and numeracy learners, and it also can provide a challenging learning experience for practiced business practitioners and entrepreneurs. The higher modules require at least one member, if not most members, of the learning teams to be literate and able to keep basic records to achieve the maximum impact. Business Simulation™ is an excellent complement to other courses, such as accounting and marketing.
Course Outcomes - Improved business skills
- Understanding of the inter-relation of business concepts
- Improved financial literacy
Beneficiaries Youth and adults with a range of experience and literacy levels Duration 3-20 hours Languages English; French; Spanish; Arabic; Armenian; Hebrew; Portuguese; Russian; Turkish; and the Indigenous African languages of: Bambara; Diola; Mandingue; Pulaar, and Wolof -
MicroPlan™
Individuals with the heart and passion of an entrepreneur may lack the experience and relevant skills to get started in pursuing their business goals and objectives. This innovative and comprehensive curriculum consists of four modules and is designed for adults and young adults. Combined together, the 30 to 40 hour curriculum provides a comprehensive business training and planning course for literate adults with no business experience and/or those who have a microenterprise they want to take to the next level. Individual components can be purchased separately, or collectively as MicroPlan™.
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The four components are:
- Business Idea Generator (BIG) ™ - stimulates entrepreneurs to develop business ideas and to consider those ideas in light of their abilities, interests, and expertise
- Business Basics™ - Teaches business concepts
- Business Simulation™ - Provides participants the experience of running a business
- Business Planner™ - A basic business planning guide.
Course Outcomes - Basic individual business plan
- Improved business skills
- Understanding of personal skills, preference and abilities
- Improved financial literacy
- Understanding of the inter-relation of business concepts
Beneficiaries - Start-up entrepreneurs
- Existing entrepreneurs with limited experience
- Experienced entrepreneurs looking to refine their business skills
Duration 30 to 40 hours Languages English, French, Spanish, Albanian , Armenian -
MasterPlan™
Nothing is more important then being able to identify an opportunity and to develop a plan around it! This challenging, modular-based curriculum takes university-educated entrepreneurs or small business owners with experience, through the process of identifying or refining their business idea.
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Additionally, participants are provided a rigorous grounding in core business management skills, and are guided in developing a viable business plan. Through this process, entrepreneurs are also given the opportunity to identify their individual strengths and weaknesses and understand how to best address them.
Course Outcomes - Individual business plan
- Improved business skills
- Improved understanding of personal skills, preference and abilities.
Beneficiaries - Experienced entrepreneurs who wish to expand and learn new business skills, improve their strategy and improve their own performance.
- Start-up entrepreneurs with post-secondary education.
Duration 40 hours Languages English, French
Region-Specific Curricula
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Afghanistan: Youth Agripreneurship™
Reap the benefits of being a great Agripreneur! This curriculum was originally designed to introduce Afghan youth ages 16-20 to key business management skills to help them identify and grow agriculture-based enterprises in the Eastern region of Afghanistan. Through a series of experiential learning exercises, students learn the fundamental business management skills of business planning, marketing, finance, management, operations, budgeting/cash flow, and presentation skills to apply to their existing or future agriculture-based enterprises. The curriculum consists of 35-40 hours of coursework.
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Course Outcomes Learn fundamental business management skills and the knowledge necessary for entering the agricultural based workforce. Promotes growth of local economies through licit entrepreneurial activities. Beneficiaries Literate youth Duration 35-40 hours Languages English, Pashto -
Middle East: Cross-Sector Business Skills Training for Women™
Offering material for both intermediate and advanced participants, the curriculum is specifically geared toward empowering Jordanian women entrepreneurs who have an operational business making and selling their own products and services. This course encompasses critical business topics such as planning, marketing, cmmunications, leadership, finance, operations, and business synthesis
– a process of looking at the business as a whole. This practical course covers a range of business skills topics in an interactive format through 35-40 hours of classroom instruction.
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Course Outcomes - Expanded understanding of the business skills required to operate a small or microenterprise
- Enhanced expertise in operating a business
- Development of a strategy appropriate to their own business.
Beneficiaries Adult Arab-speaking women entrepreneurs (This curriculum was originally designed for women entrepreneurs in Jordan) Duration 20 to 30 classroom hours, plus 8-12 field market hours Languages Arabic -
Uganda: Village Phone Operators™
The key to success is only a phone call away. Developed for the Grameen Foundation, this simulation allows participants to experience the responsibilities of owning a village phone business. Participants learn to identify services that respond to market opportunities and develop pricing and costing strategies as well as valuable skills in negotiation, record keeping, managing cash flow, and creative problem solving. This course runs about 8 hours and can be easily adapted for other countries. This curriculum may be used with both literate and semi-literate populations.
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Course Outcomes - Improved business skills
- Enhanced knowledge of pricing and costing strategies
- Greater skills in income allocation and record keeping
Beneficiaries Youth and adults with a range of experience and literacy skills Duration 8 hours Languages English
Curricula for School & After School Settings
Secondary/High School Level
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Shake Out!™
Nothing encourages teenage entrepreneurs like respect for their ideas. This curriculum begins by teaching students key business concepts, which are reinforced by business simulation games that become increasingly complex.
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With the concepts firmly ingrained, students generate ideas for small businesses, research the viability of those ideas, and develop business plans. This course culminates with students presenting their business plans to local business leaders—an encounter that inspires mentoring in the adults and confidence in the young entrepreneurs.
Course Outcomes - Understanding of business plan development
- Confidence and strategic thinking skills
Beneficiaries Secondary/High School students or similar education level Duration 30 hours Languages English Work Out!™
Learning the basics of business can be easy and fun. Work Out!™ provides entry-level entrepreneurship education for secondary school students or adults with limited educational backgrounds.
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Using a combination of interactive exercises that teach theory and simulations to reinforce learning, Work Out!™ culminates with students working in groups to identify a business opportunity, develop a business plan, and run their own business. Work Out!™ grounds students in basic business skills and entrepreneurial thinking and prepares them for more advanced learning. This exciting curriculum is one of Making Cents’ most popular products because it is appropriate for a wide variety of students.
Course Outcomes - Understanding of key business concepts
- Understanding of how to identify opportunities
- Understanding of how to develop and run a business
Beneficiaries Suggested for U.S. Grade 10 level education Duration 30 Hours Languages N/A Break Out!™
This curriculum encourages students to “break out” by creating and running businesses based on one of 12 sectors that interest them, such as sports, art, or music.
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As they learn fundamental business and leadership skills, students are inspired to identify entrepreneurial opportunities to turn an interest or hobby into a business enterprise. They then develop their ideas into a business plan.
Course Outcomes - Understanding of fundamental business concepts, entrepreneurship and leadership skills
- Understanding of how to Identify, plan, implement and report a business plan in teams, with a project-based curriculum
- Increased confidence and strategic thinking skills
Beneficiaries Secondary/High school students or education level Duration 38- 45 hours Languages English -
Start Out!™
Start Out!™ begins with a thrilling business simulation game where students get their first taste of what entrepreneurs face daily - that every decision has consequences for their business.
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Students then deepen their understanding of core business concepts by applying them to their own lives and their communities. This curriculum culminates with students, working in groups, selecting a manufacturing business idea, creating a simple business plan, and running their businesses for a short period of time.
Course Outcomes - Understanding of key business concepts
- Basic understanding of how to create a business plan
- Basic understanding of how to run a business for a period of time
Beneficiaries U.S. 7th-9th grade level learners Duration 30 hours Languages English, French Try Out!™
Get to know the exciting lives of over thirty internationally-recognized entrepreneurs who have made history, including Henry Ford, Bill Gates, Estée Lauder, and Oprah Winfrey! The stories of these business heroes show students that hard work, coupled with smart thinking, is the key to financial success and making an impact on their communities.
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Successful “role model” entrepreneurs and their businesses are used to teach concepts such as accessing finance, the importance of savings, conducting a SWOT analysis, managing information, and starting a business.
This curriculum is about the theory of business, business ethics, and the stories of entrepreneurs. Students use the stories of the entrepreneurs they read to inspire their thinking and like Break Out™, students translate their learning into project-based action that often takes place outside of the classroom. This curriculum is especially great for implementing in communities where adults and students work together.Course Outcomes - Introduction to the theory of business,
- Understanding of business ethics
- Introduction to business role-models and stories of successful entrepreneurs
- Understanding of business planning and strategic thinking skills
Beneficiaries U.S. 6th grade level learners Duration 25-30 hours Languages English Look Out!™
In a colorful world of business, six fictional cities in this curriculum represent economic activity and opportunity around the world. By exploring these fictional cities, students learn to see their own communities with an entrepreneurial vision and “look out” for hidden opportunities to generate income for themselves while providing employment for others. This curriculum contextualizes the impact that students’ business ventures have in their communities and beyond.
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Course Outcomes - Facilitates exploration of new business opportunities
- Facilitates exploration of new cultures and communities
- Complements well a social studies class
Beneficiaries U.S. 5th grade level learners Duration 30- 40 hours Languages English Help Out!™
Enter a world of business opportunities and challenges. Students learn key business concepts and must apply their knowledge as business advisors to “help out” a range of entrepreneurs with how to address their business problems. Seven jungle animal characters, who each have a unique way of looking at a problem, guide students by introducing problem-solving skills in a fun and unforgettable way. The process challenges students to analyze problems and apply resourcefulness and out-of-the-box thinking in order to “help out.”
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Course Outcomes - Understanding of key business concepts in a fun environment
- Development of problem-solving and strategic thinking skills
Beneficiaries U.S. 4th grade level. learners Duration 25-30 hours Languages English Pop Up!™
Pop Up™ is an exciting, story-led curriculum that introduces children to important life skills in the world of business and personal finance. Poppet, the puppet, draws participants into the curriculum by embarking on entrepreneurial adventures.
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By interacting with other characters, Poppet introduces basic business skills and concepts such as numbers and counting, savings, pricing, selling, and marketing. Poppet’s fun approach keeps students engaged and excited. Classroom projects allow students to build on what they have learned from Poppet.
Students complete this curriculum with an understanding of important business and personal finance skills. This curriculum has many cross-curricula linkages with mathematics and writing.
Course Outcomes - Understanding of key business concepts in a creative, interactive environment,
- Numeracy skills and financial concepts
Beneficiaries U.S. 2nd and 3rd grade learners Duration 30 hours Languages English
Primary/Elementary - Middle School Level
Custom Curriculum Design
Making Cents offers curriculum design and customization services to address the needs and opportunities of specific entrepreneurial populations.
Making Cents' expertise is in developing high-quality, relevant, and enjoyable materials that use a range of experiential learning methodologies, including case studies, role playing, and group-based learning. Making Cents ensures relevancy by paying close attention to cultural and language adaptations.
We work closely with our clients to understand their objectives, the needs of their intended participants, and the intended outcomes for the curriculum. Working with you, we will design high-impact, culturally relevant curriculum that engages and empowers participants.
The following is a sample of customized curricula we have designed for our clients, and which they are currently implementing:
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HP SMART Technology for a Smarter Business - As Hewlett Packard’s Global Curriculum Development Partner, Making Cents developed a technology-rich curriculum aimed at training micro and small entrepreneurs. Read more...
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Agricultural Markets, designed for an agribusiness project in Nigeria, this curriculum teaches subsistence farmers to take a more business-minded approach to their activities. It has been utilized by over 100,000 small-scale farmers.
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Cooperative Development Training, created for a HIV/AIDS income generating activity by CHF in Rwanda; this curriculum was further expanded to strengthen agribusiness cooperatives receiving technical support from a USAID-funded project in Morocco. Read more...
Let us know how we can meet your curriculum/training needs. Please take a moment to fill out a Project Needs Form.
Training & Capacity Building for Instructors
Making Cents offers a range of courses to institutions to strengthen the quality and impact of their business and entrepreneurship training and advisory services.
All Making Cents training-of-trainer programs are facilitated by certified Master Trainers.
Required by all instructors using Making Cents’ curricula
Tailored Content Training Programs
Making Cents builds the technical understanding and capabilities instructors need to feel confident using their selected curriculum with their students. This course concentrates on:- the theory and techniques of experiential learning
- how to adapt the curriculum to your learners
- developing action plans to implement the curriculum
The course is designed to allow instructors to practice their new skills in a supported environment. This course provides the ultimate training experience with immediate, measurable feedback from participants and fellow facilitators.
Optional depending on trainer’ level of experience
Business Skills Development Courses
These courses are specifically designed to equip instructors with the basic business knowledge they need to succeed in the entrepreneurial training classroom.
Business Advisor’s Training
The advisor’s course teaches listening skills and coaching techniques, while reinforcing and expanding knowledge of business terminology, financial systems, cash flow analysis, costing, pricing, and marketing. The key outcome is a corps of compassionate listeners who are well-versed in business topics with the ability to give knowledgeable, useful, and practical guidance to business owners.
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Indigenous African Languages Acholi |
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