Club de lectura de negocios

8-week high school marketing book club that integrates engaging, accessible books with the California Career Technical Education (CTE) Model Curriculum Standards for Business & Marketing while supporting students who may struggle with reading.

Modality: Online, via zoom with instructor and group of other students. 

Instructor will facilitate a discussion and activities that support students and engage learners. Students will need to do research and reading activities outside of class time in order to be prepared for discussions. 

8-Weeks, 1 hour a week
Focus: Rural & Small-Town Business, Digital Marketing, and Entrepreneurial Skills
For: High School Students (Grades 9-12)
Reading Level: Accessible

Week 1:  Introduction to Marketing & Storytelling in Business
               
CTE Standard: Marketing Principles, Customer Relations
Book: Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die – Chip Heath & Dan Heath
Lesson Topics:
              - Why do some ideas go viral?
              - The power of storytelling in marketing
              - Case studies of successful rural businesses
Activities:
              -  Analyze local businesses: What makes their marketing effective (or not)?
              -  Create a "sticky" marketing idea for a local business.
Week 2: Social Media Marketing & Branding
               
CTE Standard: Digital Marketing, Social Media Strategies
Book: Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World – Gary Vaynerchuk
Lesson Topics:
               - Social media strategy for small businesses
               - Engaging customers on a budget
               - Creating content that connects
Activities:
               - Students audit local businesses' social media presence.
               - Develop an Instagram or TikTok campaign for a rural business.

Week 3: Consumer Psychology & Buying Behavior
               
CTE Standard: Market Research, Consumer Trends
Book: Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion – Robert Cialdini (Simplified excerpts)
Lesson Topics:
                - How do people make buying decisions?
                - Persuasion techniques in advertising
                - Ethical marketing
Activities:
               - Compare marketing tactics in local stores vs. big chains.
               - Create an ad using Cialdini’s persuasion principles.

Week 4: The Business of Rural & Small-Town Entrepreneurship
               
CTE Standard: Entrepreneurship, Business Planning
Book: Teenpreneur: How to Start a Business in Your Teens – James Dunne
Lesson Topics:
               - Challenges of running a business in a rural town
                - Finding local business opportunities
                - Writing a simple business plan
Activities:
               - Interview a local business owner.
               - Create a business idea tailored to rural markets.

Week 5: The Power of Personal Branding
               
CTE Standard: Professionalism, Career Readiness
Book: Branding Yourself: How to Use Social Media to Invent or Reinvent Yourself – Erik Deckers & Kyle Lacy
Lesson Topics:
               - Building a personal brand for future jobs or businesses
               - Social media do’s & don’ts for career success
               - LinkedIn, resumes, and digital portfolios
Activities:
               - Create a personal brand statement.
               - Develop a social media profile for job networking.

Week 6: Financial Literacy for Young Entrepreneurs
              
CTE Standard: Business Finance, Budgeting
Book: I Will Teach You to Be Rich (Young Adult Edition) – Ramit Sethi
Lesson Topics:
               - Basic money management for future entrepreneur
               - How to price products & services
               - Smart spending & saving strategies
Activities:
               - Create a simple budget for a student business.
               - Research small business grants for young entrepreneurs.

Week 7: The Future of Marketing – AI & E-Commerce
             
CTE Standard: Emerging Marketing Trends, E-Commerce
Book: Competing in the Age of AI – Marco Iansiti & Karim R. Lakhani (simplified excerpts)
Lesson Topics:
                - How AI is shaping the marketing industry
                - E-commerce & online sales for rural businesses
                - Automation & the future of small businesses
Activities:
                - Research AI marketing tools & how businesses use them.
                - Create an online store concept using Shopify or Etsy.

Week 8: Capstone Project – Marketing Plan for a Local Business
                
CTE Standard: Business Communication, Marketing Strategy
Lesson Topics:
                - Bringing all marketing skills together
                - Creating a full marketing plan
                - Pitching ideas to a real audience

Final Project:

Students develop a marketing plan for a local business or a business they want to start.
Present plans to local business owners, school faculty, or classmates.