Entrepreneurship

List of 6 items.

• Academics

  • Finance, Economics and Ethics - course provides business foundation needed to launch a company 
  • Entrepreneurial Mindset/Management Entrepreneurship course - develops in students an understanding of the mindsets and skills needed for success in owning your own business or succeeding in another organization, the principles of entrepreneurship and the skills needed to bring a concept to market
  • VENTURE - course that provides hands-on learning experience utilizing the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program as students manage the school-owned, student-run business, Sip O’ SOM, and develop other student run businesses as appropriate 
  • Applied Economics  - course that provides students an understanding of the principles, issues and theory behind economics, a must for anyone starting a business
  • Understanding Capitalism -  course that examines the history of capitalism 
  • Rebuilding Cleveland - an experiential-learning based course that immerses students in the importance of history, local politics, community organizing, sustainability and entrepreneurship as key factors in determining a city’s success
  • Econ Sim - course that engages students in thought-provoking and interactive explorations of topics closely tied to entrepreneurship - the economic dimensions of technological development and cultural transformation
  • Theology 11 - features the Praxis project, which embodies the notion of social entrepreneurship, as students research a social justice issue, seek to uncover the causes and effects of the issue and Church teaching on it, and create an action response 
  • Lower School - students plant potatoes as part of study of life cycle and use harvest in part for interdisciplinary Potato Olympics project, and in part for a social entrepreneurship initiative as they donate potatoes to local food banks

• Student-Run Businesses

  - a student-run coffee shop that sells hot and iced coffee, tea, cake pops and select Spirit Wear items. Founded in 2022 and operates each Wednesday during Community Block.

  The store has partnered with Daisy Pops and Fig Leaf Coffee Company for their inventory. Instagram | Photos

  - a student-run spirit store founded in 2025 and currently being developed to offer on-demand quality spirit wear • Instagram | Photos

  We will continue to look for ways to start and support additional student-run businesses as we continue to grow the Entrepreneurship program.

• Student-Owned Businesses

  • At Gilmour we encourage and support students who start their own businesses. We mentor students interested in starting their own businesses and, in some cases, are able to provide seed money for them to start, grow or sustain their businesses thanks to the Veale Foundation’s generous grant.

• Experiential Learning

  • VECTOR program
    - participants choose one of five strands, with Business & Entrepreneurship being one of the options, and participate in a concentrated set of classes and experiences focused on their chosen strand.
  • Speakers
    • Entrepreneurial Mindset course - hosts four-six entrepreneurs each semester to speak to class members
    • VECTOR program - brings a variety of speakers to campus throughout the school year, many of whom have launched a business or are active in social entrepreneurship
  • ThinkFest Ideation Workshop - an annual day-long entrepreneurship event sponsored by John Carroll University and the Veale Foundation to inspire high school students to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and to recognize, develop and pitch business ideas.
  • Intro to Web Design course - after learning the principles of building interactive websites, students utilize their skills as they offer free web design services to local start-ups

• Extracurricular Opportunities

  • Junior Achievement Stock Market Challenge
  • Investment Club - club members invest capital donated by a community member to learn firsthand the nuances of investing

• Summer Opportunities

  • Spark Business Academy - 11 weekly sessions of entrepreneurship camps (separated by age level) run each summer on campus for kids ages 5-17.  Register for camps here.
  • Learning About Business (LAB) - Since 1980, Learning About Business has provided high school sophomores, juniors and seniors with a weeklong mini-MBA experience, providing an interactive business simulation while fostering creative problem solving. Held on the beautiful campus of Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio, LAB students get a taste of college life away from home. Students also have an opportunity to earn three college credits for their participation in LAB Week.