Stimulus — watch together
5 minBefore we do anything else, we need to agree on what a business actually is. One short definition clip, then we'll talk about what we just heard.
Before playing
- Ask pairs to write down one keyword from the video — forces active watching.
- Check both laptops are unmuted; YouTube mutes by default on embeds.
Timing cue
Around 5 minutes total including getting settled. One video, then move on. The other video clips and the Dragons' Den pitch arrive later in Topic 1 — Lesson 2 (forms of business) and Lesson 5 (USP).
Whole-class discussion
12 minTwo discussion blocks. Talk in pairs first, then share with the class. No workbook writing yet — the workbook starts in Stage 3.
A · Name a successful business
B · Where's the line? Jersey edge cases
Running block A — successful businesses
- Build the class list on the whiteboard as pairs call out. Aim for ~12 names. Cluster them into "global tech" / "high street" / "local Jersey" so students see the spread.
- When you ask "why successful?", push past "they're rich" — fish for: lots of customers, repeat customers, strong brand, big profits, solves a real problem, hard to copy.
Running block B — edge cases
- Cold-call 2 pairs per prompt. Don't let the same hands dominate.
- Prompt 3 (the busker) is the richest — push back on "yes" and "no" answers equally, ask what counts.
- Prompt 4 (the charity shop) is the bridge to social enterprise / not-for-profit — the answer is yes, it is a business, just one that gives its profits to a cause. Sets up section 1.2 of the textbook and feeds into Stage 4.
What's been moved out of this lesson
- The logo adjectives activity (Apple/Facebook) → Lesson 5 (USP & brand), where it belongs as a brand-feeling primer.
- The Jersey businesses flip-cards → Lesson 2 (forms of ownership), where the sole-trader / Ltd distinctions are taught.
Pair task — invent a business
15 minYou and your partner are going to develop a business idea across all five lessons of Topic 1 — this is the "Idea" section of your business plan. Today you invent it. In Lesson 2 you'll add an ownership type, in Lesson 3 you'll set objectives, in Lesson 4 you'll apply the Sue Baker case study to it, and in Lesson 5 you'll write a USP. Pick an idea you can live with for five lessons.
Worked example
- Customer
- Office workers in St Helier who want hot lunch at their desk
- Why a business
- Solves a problem they'll pay for regularly; competes with Deliveroo but focused on local food
- Not a hobby because
- It's designed to make revenue, not just something we enjoy doing
Circulation priorities
- Pairs who pick three near-identical ideas (all food, all tech) — prompt them to diversify before locking in.
- Pairs who propose hobbies as businesses — ask "who pays you, and why?" Don't rescue them; let them reach the insight.
- If a pair finishes fast, give them this stretch prompt: "Would your business work anywhere other than Jersey? Why/why not?"
Note for next time
The Sue Baker café case study is now its own lesson (Lesson 4) — don't introduce it here. Today is just about defining a business and inventing one.
Self-check — business or not?
8 minFour scenarios. Decide whether each one is a business. Click to answer — you'll get immediate feedback with a short explanation. No writing in your workbook for this stage.
Common wrong answers and what they tell you
- Lemonade for charity → marked "not a business": students confuse "business" with "for profit." It's still trading goods for money, still a business.
- Free youth club film night → marked "business": students equate organised activity with business. No transaction = no business.
- Fixing a friend's bike for free → marked "business": students assume service = business. Mutual favour with no transaction isn't.
After the quiz
Walk the two trickiest scenarios (1 and 4) on the board. Have a pair articulate the principle: it's a business if there's a transaction aimed at generating revenue, regardless of who keeps the money.
Class discussion — not-for-profit and social enterprise
Read section 1.2 of your textbook for the formal definition. The key insight: a business doesn't have to maximise profit for its owners — but it does have to trade.
Peer critique — swap and review
10 minSwap laptops with the pair next to you. Read their locked-in business idea in their workbook. Then give them structured feedback by writing in your own workbook.
How the swap works
Physical swap. Pick up your laptop, take it to the pair you've been assigned (your teacher will direct). Read their idea from their workbook on screen. Come back to your own laptop to write feedback in your own workbook. Then do it in reverse — they'll critique yours.
The three critique questions
Pair assignment
Quickest method: pair 1 ↔ pair 2, pair 3 ↔ pair 4, etc. No one pair critiques alone. If odd number, one trio swaps in a triangle.
What to watch for
- Students writing "nice idea" or "good" — that's not critique. Push for specific observations.
- Students unable to answer Q1 in one sentence — that's useful diagnostic information about their partner's clarity, not a failure.
Iterate — rewrite with feedback
10 minNow use what your peer pair told you. Rewrite your business idea so it's sharper. Both versions stay in your workbook — that's the evidence of thinking, not an admission of getting it wrong the first time.
Worked example — Island Eats v1 → v2
Before you finish — save your workbook
This workbook is shared across all five Topic 1 lessons — you will keep adding to it. Two quick steps before you close it:
- Each of you writes a one-sentence reflection under Reflection — Student A / Student B.
- Save the file to your shared OneDrive / Teams location. Bring it open at the start of Lesson 2 — you will add an ownership type to the same business idea. Do not submit yet — one Topic 1 submission at the end of Lesson 5.
Plenary
Last 3 minutes: ask two pairs to read out their v1 → v2 and the "why." This makes iteration visible as a skill, not just a task. Reinforces that feedback isn't criticism, it's data.
Looking ahead — the next four lessons
- Lesson 2 — Forms of business / ownership. Sole trader → partnership → Ltd → plc → social enterprise. Anchor video: Tutor2u "Different forms of business". They'll pick an ownership type for the business they invented today. Resource: BBC Bitesize — types of business ownership.
- Lesson 3 — Motivations & objectives. Why people start businesses; SMART objectives. They'll write three short-term and three medium-term objectives for their business.
- Lesson 4 — Sue Baker case study. A real café in its first year — read section 1.4 of the textbook, then a four-question group analysis. Connects everything from L1–L3 to a real example.
- Lesson 5 — USP & standing out. Brand, differentiation, Dragons' Den pitch clip. They'll write a USP for their business and do the final v1→v2 iteration of the whole plan.
Each lesson has its own Pair Workbook submitted to its own Teams assignment. The same business idea carries through all five.