About
Know Opportunity focuses on addressing the gap between contextualized learning and real world application of skills. Know Opportunity was originally developed as a “hands-on” learning experience, giving students a taste of entrepreneurship in the global marketplace. Prior to launch, we sent prototypes of the game to board game shops, individuals, high schools, youth groups and colleges throughout the US, as well as places like Trinidad, South Africa, Morocco, England, and The Netherlands and integrated content based on feedback from players, entrepreneurs and board game enthusiasts around the world. Know Opportunity is available as a stand-alone board game or as an educational tool which includes a year-long curriculum (optional) with opportunities for expository writing (business plan development), economics based math (profit and loss tracking), public speaking (elevator pitches to mock investors) and general business skills.
How Know Opportunity Started
A Little Background: How and Why
There’s a better way to get kids (and adults) to think bigger, think about their future, think globally and it can start with something as simple as a board game. The reality is, we live in a globally connected world. Unfortunately, too many entrepreneurs and the way we teach entrepreneurship, leave this very real part of business out of
the conversation.
Entrepreneurship – The Board Game
Leah Goold-Haws grew up with a serial entrepreneur father who ran businesses in hardware, sportswear, specialty food, airport gift shops, and signage among others. He would recruit his children to help him in his endeavors, working for the family business. Now, as a mother of three teenage kids, Goold-Haws – an entrepreneur in her own right – is taking steps teach her own kids (and everyone else’s) a thing or two about how to make a startup pop… Read More
Why Know Opportunity
As always, but especially in the post-pandemic world, adaptability is key to a successful lifestyle, and entrepreneurs tend to exhibit such traits. The Know Opportunity program works to teach students the fundamentals of entrepreneurship in an applicable, real-world way through contextualized learning.
GLOBAL COMMERCE Part of the challenge facing entrepreneurship today (at least in how it’s commonly taught) is the lack of understanding how to enter the global market. Know Opportunity works to integrate the idea of global commerce into the game, to give players a foundation for exploring opportunities for success that don’t rely on local geography.
EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING Throughout the course (as well as being part of the game play), students are asked to give “pitch sessions” to fellow players. Sometimes, these are rehearsed and planned in advance, but often they are extemporaneous and done on the spot. This helps students develop critical interpersonal communication skills through being able to clearly and articulately deliver a message to a specific audience.
BUSINESS / FINANCE MATHEMATICS In the board game, players keep track of their incomes and expenses on the included income statements, teaching valuable lessons about cash flow, balances and investments.
EXPOSITORY WRITING Know Opportunity was designed to be integrated with Youth Entrepreneurship Programs across the country, or other applicable courses. Students learn throughout the course how to identify target markets and potential business opportunities, which helps build the foundation of a business plan. Again, this reinforces the demanding critical, real-world skill of strong writing and articulation.
TRUE ENTREPRENEURSHIP There’s a better way to get kids to think big. 90% of the buying power exists outside the U.S. If we’re going to teach entrepreneurship, shouldn’t we consider the
global possibilities.
FINANCIAL SECURITY Have you thought about starting a side business to get you out of the paycheck-to-paycheck mentality? Does working for yourself seem more enjoyable than working for somebody else?
GLOBAL NETWORK Be you an extrovert or introvert, you’ve already made enough connections to tap into a profitable network. Don’t undermine what you’ve accomplished. We’ll show you how.
Why It Matters
Promoting a Global Focus
The core idea of Know Opportunity is centered on the idea of thinking about business with a global mindset by teaching students how to live locally and work globally.
Full Curriculum
Educators find the 36-week global entrepreneur curriculum easy to follow and adaptable to fit in with existing courses and lesson plans.
4 Key Areas of Deep Learning
The four key areas of Deep Learning are: Visual, Auditory, Kinetic, and Reading & Writing – Know Opportunity engages students on each of these levels.