ENTREPRENEURSHIP, CUSTOMER SERVICE, AND BUSINESS OF RETAIL COURSE OVERVIEW
2026–2027 School Year
Ms. Dorene Bell
Carroll High School
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Entrepreneurship, Customer Service, and the Business of Retail is a hands-on course designed to prepare students for employment, business ownership, leadership, and real world success.
Students will learn how businesses attract customers, provide excellent service, sell products and services, manage money and inventory, prevent losses, solve problems, and build lasting customer relationships. They will also develop the professional skills necessary to apply for jobs, interview successfully, communicate in the workplace, and represent themselves appropriately.
Students who already have a business or business idea will have opportunities to develop and strengthen it. Students who do not currently have a business will identify a need or problem and create a realistic business concept that matches their interests, talents, and goals.
The course will extend beyond the classroom through approved real world learning experiences. Students will observe business operations, examine employee and customer interactions, participate in school or community business activities, and practice the skills they learn in authentic settings.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
Throughout the year, students will explore questions such as:
• What makes a business successful?
• What does excellent customer service look and sound like?
• How does customer service affect sales, reputation, and customer loyalty?
• What skills and behaviors do employers expect?
• How can a person turn a talent, interest, or solution into a business?
• How does an entrepreneur identify a target customer?
• How do businesses set prices, control expenses, and make a profit?
• How do businesses manage products, money, employees, and inventory?
• How should employees respond to customer complaints and difficult situations?
• How can businesses prevent theft, fraud, waste, and other losses?
• How can professional communication create opportunities?
• What does it mean to take ownership of your future?
WHAT STUDENTS WILL STUDY
Professionalism and Workplace Decorum
Students will learn the attitudes, habits, behaviors, and communication skills expected in professional environments. Topics will include punctuality, attendance, responsibility, teamwork, initiative, workplace ethics, appearance, body language, tone of voice, digital professionalism, and respect for customers and coworkers.
Students will practice introducing themselves, speaking confidently, following directions, accepting feedback, resolving disagreements, and responding appropriately in different workplace situations.
Career Readiness and Employment Skills
Students will learn how to search for employment opportunities and complete each step of the hiring process.
Students will:
• Identify their skills, strengths, interests, and work experience.
• Create a professional resume.
• Complete paper and online job applications accurately.
• Write professional emails and employment messages.
• Develop an elevator pitch.
• Prepare for common interview questions.
• Participate in mock job interviews.
• Practice appropriate speaking, posture, eye contact, and interview decorum.
• Learn how to follow up after an application or interview.
• Create a professional employment portfolio.
Customer Service and Communication
Students will examine how businesses create positive customer experiences before, during, and after a sale. They will learn how to greet customers, identify customer needs, listen actively, make recommendations, answer questions, and close customer interactions professionally.
Students will practice verbal, nonverbal, telephone, written, and digital communication. They will also learn how to respond to complaints, manage difficult interactions, correct service failures, and find solutions without escalating the situation.
Students will analyze customer satisfaction, response time, repeat customer rates, customer loyalty, and the effect that one positive or negative interaction can have on a business.
The Business of Retail
Students will examine how retail businesses operate and how products move from suppliers to customers.
Topics will include:
• Types of retail businesses
• Store and online business operations
• Customer buying behavior
• Product selection and purchasing
• Pricing and promotions
• Visual merchandising and product displays
• Inventory control
• Point of sale procedures
• Cash handling and transaction accuracy
• Returns and exchanges
• Sales techniques
• Upselling and cross selling
• Customer retention
• Protecting customer information
• Workplace safety and business ethics
Entrepreneurship and Business Development
Students will learn how entrepreneurs identify needs, solve problems, and create value for customers. They will explore different types of businesses and career pathways, including service businesses, product based businesses, online businesses, retail businesses, and community based enterprises.
Students will develop:
• A business idea or improvement plan
• A mission and vision
• A description of the product or service
• A target customer profile
• A business name and brand identity
• A value proposition
• Market research
• A marketing and promotion plan
• Startup cost estimates
• Pricing strategies
• A basic budget
• Sales and profit projections
• A break even analysis
• A customer service plan
• A business presentation or pitch
Students who already operate a business may use these assignments to evaluate, organize, market, and improve their existing business.
Business Math and Financial Decision Making
Students will use practical math to make business decisions. They will calculate prices, discounts, sales tax, revenue, expenses, profit, loss, markup, markdown, break even points, inventory totals, and customer service performance measures.
Students will learn that making sales does not automatically mean a business is making a profit. They will examine the difference between money coming into a business and the expenses required to operate it.
Loss Prevention, Safety, and Business Ethics
Students will investigate theft, shoplifting, fraud, scams, inventory errors, employee theft, damaged merchandise, and other causes of business loss.
They will use the CRAVED framework to examine why certain products are more likely to be stolen and will evaluate realistic loss prevention situations. Students will also discuss ethical decision making, customer privacy, cybersecurity, workplace safety, and the responsibility employees have to protect customers and the business.
REAL WORLD LEARNING EXPERIENCES
Students will have opportunities to take their learning beyond the classroom through approved field observations, school based enterprises, community experiences, and business activities.
During these experiences, students may observe or participate in roles such as:
• Customer greeter
• Cashier
• Sales associate
• Customer service representative
• Runner
• Expo or order coordinator
• Inventory assistant
• Merchandiser
• Marketing team member
• Manager or team leader
Students will observe employee interactions, customer service techniques, workplace professionalism, sales strategies, business operations, and the overall customer experience. They will complete reflections that identify what the business did well, what could be improved, and how the experience connects to classroom learning.
School approved experiences may also include pop-up shops, concession operations, product demonstrations, business showcases, customer service simulations, and student business presentations.
HOW STUDENTS WILL LEARN
Students will learn through:
• Realistic customer service scenarios
• Role playing and workplace simulations
• Mock job applications and interviews
• Business case studies
• Retail and business math activities
• Individual and group problem solving
• Field observations and reflections
• Student managed business experiences
• Resume and career portfolio development
• Guest and community business connections
• Product and service development
• Marketing and merchandising activities
• Business plans and presentations
• Peer feedback and self evaluation
MAJOR LEARNING EXPERIENCES
Major learning experiences may include:
• Professional Resume and Employment Portfolio
• Job Application Workshop
• Mock Interview Day
• Customer Service Skills Demonstration
• Difficult Customer Service Scenario
• Retail Store Observation and Analysis
• CRAVED Loss Prevention Investigation
• Break Even and Profit Analysis
• Customer Satisfaction Data Analysis
• Product Display or Visual Merchandising Challenge
• School Approved Retail or Concession Experience
• Student Business Development Project
• Marketing Campaign
• Business Showcase or Pitch Presentation
• Final Career and Entrepreneurship Reflection
HOW LEARNING WILL BE ASSESSED
Students will demonstrate their learning through:
• Bell ringers and exit tickets
• Professionalism and participation
• Class assignments and business notebooks
• Customer service role plays
• Workplace communication activities
• Business and retail math assessments
• Quizzes and unit assessments
• Resumes and employment documents
• Mock job applications and interviews
• Field experience observations and reflections
• Individual and group business projects
• Business plans and presentations
• Skills demonstrations
• Career and entrepreneurship portfolios
CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS
Students are expected to come to class prepared, participate actively, complete assignments, meet deadlines, communicate respectfully, and conduct themselves professionally.
Because this course includes workplace simulations, presentations, interviews, and real world experiences, students will be expected to practice professional decorum. This includes appropriate language, appearance, attitude, body language, teamwork, communication, and respect for customers, classmates, business owners, and community members.
Students must also follow all Carroll High School policies concerning attendance, conduct, academic honesty, and electronic devices.
OUR CLASSROOM GOAL
Our goal is to prepare students to do more than simply look for a job. Students will learn how to present themselves professionally, recognize opportunities, solve problems, serve customers, understand business operations, and create opportunities for themselves and others.
By the end of the course, students should be better prepared to complete a job application, create a resume, participate in an interview, succeed in a workplace, provide quality customer service, understand the business of retail, and develop or strengthen a business of their own.