Serial Entrepreneur & Entrepreneurship Educator

  

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Entrepreneurship Education Prepares Students for Life

You may have read my favorite definition of entrepreneurship on the homepage: the pursuit of opportunity beyond resources controlled. Imagine if you were taught how to pursue opportunity beyond resources controlled in an high school. You’d learn things like how to come up with ideas, be more creative, planning, budgeting, time management, how to be persuasive, personal branding and working in teams to name a few. Could you apply these new skills to ALL your other classes in high school? Of course, you can.

Can you apply these to your personal life? Yes! Will you use these later in life? 100%. The best part, though, is you can start using the skills you learn in entrepreneurship immediately. You can also start using other skills taught in entrepreneurship like self-confidence, resilience, problem-solving, goal setting, initiative and empathy.

Entrepreneurship Integration in IB World Schools

Is Entrepreneurship in Your Curriculum?

Somewhat? Let me explain. This is the MYP Design Cycle. Students who participated in the MYP program are likely familiar with it. The design cycle is comprised of four components: Inquiring and Analyzing, Developing Ideas, Creating the Solution and Evaluating. Each of the steps has four steps. The components and steps don’t need to be done in order and student’s are encouraged to move around the diagram as needed. If your school offers DP Design Technology, your students have seen the MYP Design Cycle too! It’s used it throughout the program and students show their proficiency of it as they complete their Design Tech IA. The design cycle provides students with a sequential framework to guide them to identify and solve a problem. 

The design cycle is used in everything we do, we just aren’t consciously thinking about it. For example, maybe this morning you asked Alexa what the weather was like (inquiring and analyzing). Then you opened your closet and looked at different things to wear (developing ideas). After that you chose an outfit and got dressed (creating the solution) and then looked in the mirror to see how amazing you look (evaluating)!

I love the MYP Design Cycle because it’s highly relatable to the practice of entrepreneurship and use it in higher ed and in consulting and coaching entrepreneurs in public and private sectors. So how exactly is the MYP Design Cycle connected to entrepreneurship?

“See Do Repeat: The Practice of Entrepreneurship” by Dr. Rebecca White is the gold standard when teaching entrepreneurship to high schoolers, especially IB students. Notice how the See Do Repeat image is strikingly similar to the MYP Design Cycle.  When I point this out to high school students I see their lightbulbs going off.  Explicitly teaching high schoolers about the practice of entrepreneurship gives them the confidence and skills needed to attempt to solve any problem. Below, you’ll find the “See Do Repeat: The Practice of Entrepreneurship” table of contents. Entrepreneurship teaches students how to be entrepreneurial in everything they do!

Incorporating entrepreneurship into an IB high school is isn’t hard. It can easily be incorporated into electives like DP Design Technology and DP Business Management or it could be incorporated to into TOK so all students get exposed to an entrepreneurship education.  It can also be integrated outside of the classroom.

See Do Repeat Table of Contents

Part I: Seeing 

Chapter 1: Opportunity

  • Entrepreneurship begins with opportunities

Chapter 2: Discovering and creating opportunities

  • Finding and understanding connections

Chapter 3: Creating value

  • An opportunity is more than a good idea

Part II: Doing

Chapter 4: Taking Action

  • Taking the risk and stepping into the unknown

Chapter 5: Your Entrepreneurship Education

  • Entrepreneurship is about learning

Chapter 6: Building Your Network

  • Tapping into entrepreneurial support

Part III: Repeating

Chapter 7: Resilience

  • Preparing for challenges, difficulties, and loss

Chapter 8: Fear of Failure

  • Reframing failure as a learning process

Chapter 9: Optimism

  • Staying grounded in a positive future

Chapter 10: Choose Yourself

  • Making a commitment to you
I create and provide curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular entrepreneurship programming to high schools with 
an emphasis on experiential learning and real world application. 

High School Services

Entrepreneurship Course Development

If you’re looking to develop an entrepreneurship course, I can help. I have extensive experience in curriculum development and instructional design and can create a custom course that meets your specific needs. Entrepreneurship courses can be developed as a stand-alone course or can be integrated as a section in any other high school classes.

Mentoring

There are many ways I mentor students. First, I act as a role model to high schoolers as they prepare for life’s journey after they graduate high school. I aim to support students as they grapple with figuring out what they want to study in college and their career choice. I also mentor high school entrepreneurs who are interested in starting a business, through the entrepreneurial process and assist them in getting their venture launched. I’m here to help them every step of the way, from brainstorming ideas to showing students how to implement strategies and reach their target market.

Skills Development

I provide practical and theoretical training to students, giving them the skills they need to succeed in the real world.  I have a wealth of experience in the field of setting and achieving goals, and my courses cover topics such as entrepreneurship, communication, and how students can achieve their wildest dreams. My goal is to help students develop their entrepreneurial mindset now so they can immediately apply what they learn and better position themselves for success.

Guest Lecturing & Speaking

As an experienced entrepreneur, I provide valuable insights and advice on starting and running a successful business. But that’s the tip of the iceberg. Most high schoolers have no interest in starting a business, so I won’t speak to that unless specifically asked. Rather, I’ve found telling them cool (and sometimes unbelievable) stories about my journey is what gets them paying attention and learning and much of it ties back to the spring weekend my freshman year of high school where I learned how to be an entrepreneur. 

Pitch Competitions

If your school doesn’t have an annual pitch competition you’re missing out! Pitch competitions give students an opportunity to showcase their amazing solutions to real world problems and get feedback from a panel of experts in front of a live audience. There are several pitch competition models that can be used. I can help design your competition from processes and structure to marketing to students and the community. I develop strategy,  mentor students, handle community outreach, and develop and managing fundraising efforts. Yes, pitch competitions are fundraisers!! Money raised can go towards innovation and technology equipment, and even prizes for the students. Oh, and media love high school pitch competitions!

Fundraising

Imagine teaching your students about entrepreneurship through a fundraiser! It doesn’t sound difficult, does it? It’s not! There are several fundraiser models I use to help schools generate additional income that include students working individually and in small teams. Pitch competitions are another fantastic way to teach and encourage entrepreneurship and raise money!

Entrepreneurship Certificate Creation

In todays ridiculously competitive collegiate admissions environment, a student with an applicant who has an entrepreneurship certificate stands out amongst their peers. As the demand increases and the market continues to expand, I help schools with the design, development, and implementation, of entrepreneurship certificates students can earn while attending high school.

Learning & Development

I create customized training and development solutions that help your team become more entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial (being entrepreneurial when you’re working for someone else). Whether you’re looking to improve faculty and staff productivity, reduce turnover, or you want your team members to better learn how to recognize opportunities, training and development can boost employee morale which has a direct correlation to the lifetime value of your customer.

Should Entrepreneurship be a Required Course? Absolutely.

I recently wrote an article for Tolle Lege, a magazine published by Clearwater Central Catholic High School, an IB World School. In the article, I discuss some of the benefits of entrepreneurship education in high school. You can read the article here.

Academic Courses

Classes and workshops are offered during the fall, spring and summer semesters and are offered both in-person and virtually. These can be delivered a la carte or several can be grouped together as series, course or bootcamp over multiple days, weeks or months.

Entrepreneurship

  • The Entrepreneurial Process
  • Opportunity Recognition
  • Design Thinking
  • Customer Discovery
  • Market Research
  • Value Proposition
  • Customer Feedback
  • Business Models
  • Pivoting
  • Building the Team
  • Corporate Culture
  • Entrepreneurial Finance
  • Entrepreneurial Marketing
  • Raising Capital
  • Working with Investors

IB Design Technology

  • Human Factors and Ergonomics
  • Resource management and sustainable production
  • Modelling
  • Raw material to final product
  • Innovation and design
  • Classic design
  • User-centred design
  • Sustainability
  • Innovation and markets
  • Commercial production

IB Business Management

  • Business organization and environment
  • Human resource management
  • Finance and accounts
  • Marketing
  • Operations management

IB Computer Science

  • System fundamentals
  • Computer organization
  • Networks
  • Abstract data structures
  • Resource management
  • Control
  • Computational thinking, problem-solving and programming

Testimonials

Professor Seither was one of my direct mentors at LaunchX, a summer entrepreneurship program for high school students. I was blown away by his enthusiasm, energy, and passion not just for entrepreneurship, but his eagerness to help his students succeed. I remember one phrase he would tell his students: "Data Drives Decisions" and I can proudly say all his students unanimously concur that Professor Seither is the best business coach and mentor.
Dylan Kim
Dylan KimBoston College '26
As Professor Seither's student, he taught my class with passion and enthusiasm for the content while maintaining a high level of professionalism and productivity. He had excellent communication with students, was always available outside of class, gave interesting assignments, and treated his students like his own peers. He felt like more of a mentor than a professor; after a full semester in his class I can confidently say he is one of the best teachers I have had at John Sykes College of Business, and had I taken his course earlier in my college career, I would have added Entrepreneurship as a minor. I'm thankful to have learned from him, and recommend him to any and all of my peers.
John Rodd
John RoddFormer Student
Mr. Seither was my Design Technology teacher my junior and senior years of high school. From a very early point in junior year me, and the entire class had realized we had a very different teacher on our hands. Mr. Seither exudes a different passion for teaching, because he has lived what he teaches. You see very easily how apt he is at teaching due to his passion. This is superseded only by his want for his students to excel in his courses. A very energetic teacher, Mr. Seither kept our class’s attention for 2 years! And for me personally, it was my favorite class that I took at my time at CCC. There is simply not another teacher I could comprehend having taught me what he has. His efforts in the class don’t just stop at classroom material either. Mr. Seither was always transcribing classroom information into real world experiences, something very rare for a teacher in my experience. You see even as a student that he goes above and beyond to create a great learning environment for his students. Aside from the classroom, Mr. Seither has been a profound mentor to me. Surpassed by my family members alone. And I know I’m not the only one that’s been inspired by him. His name frequently comes up in conversation with my friends from high school when we reminisce good times, good people, and great classes. His class was a very clear part in our rocky journey to success. Giving me and many others tools so idiosyncratic to Mr. Seither’s teaching alone. Let anyone who reads this give testament to Mr. Seither’s passion, dedication to excellence, and skill as an elite educator surpassed by very few if any.
Luke Martin
Luke MartinHigh School Student
The first thing I recognized Bert did for me was save me from making typical bad decisions. He understood that folks like myself have lots of dreams, some of them a bit too big out of the gate. So he roped me in and helped me focus on the right pursuit and the right steps. Looking back I can say he saved me not only from wasting a bunch of money but on embarrassing myself.
Dean Rice
Dean RiceNew Venture Founder
Working with Bert was both a great pleasure and an ultra fast learning curve, firmly rooted in the practical, down to earth and realistic guidance, which greatly contributed to my personal business development. So if you’re struggling, if you can’t quite see that next logical step you need to take, Bert is the right person to help you out. Thank you, Bert!
Beata Drezek
Beata DrezekCoaching Client
Bert's entrepreneurial spirit is contagious. He's honest, hard-working and has incredible integrity (not to mention a great sense of humor). His love for helping entrepreneurs shines in all he does!
Larry Beckler
Larry BecklerStartup Attorney
Bert is great. He had patience with my fiance and I as we started our company. Bert also impressed me with his commitment to lifelong learning about entrepreneurship and the different fields he works with. He is charismatic and creative, and he thinks outside the box. He helped us identify new marketing ideas and how to obtain more customers.
Ashley Danto
Ashley DantoCoaching Client
Bert is a great coach. He's constantly pushing you to come up with the creative aspects that will give you an edge on your business. He is an incredible support and manages to think about every aspect that will come up as you move forward. He is also extremely resourceful and you can count on little hacks that will make the trip easier. He thinks strategically and balanced out with a great dose of his own experience. I am constantly starting projects up and consider myself strong on implementation but with Bert around it's all easier. Great support and thanks for your help Bert.
Bruno Carrera
Bruno CarreraEstablished Business
Bert is an exemplary manager and instills a very professional atmosphere wherever he is. He is always willing to lend advice to his colleagues and assist in honing their communication skills. Bert does a tremendous job adding value for his clients, whether it is ad hoc mentorship, or a public speaking/educational engagement; he cares deeply about his clients and their success in navigating the business world. I would highly recommend him as a management consultant.
Joshua Jones
Joshua JonesEstablished Business
Bert is a natural leader with innovative ideas and a drive for success. Working with Bert strengthened my understanding of business planning and entrepreneurial spirit. I was encouraged to think outside the box and generate new ideas for building clientele. Bert cares for his employees and actively promotes a positive, exciting work environment.
Hannah Schauer
Hannah SchauerUser Experience Consultant
Bert Seither's work ethic is bar-none one of the best I've ever seen. He is professional, articulate, and always in control of any situation--large, small, bad, or good. He's a constant motivator who never lets anyone he works with settle for average. He pushes and pushes his colleagues and the people underneath him for their absolute best! I brought my ambition to every task but Bert showed me the way to get in front of people, articulate my point across in a concise and intellectual way, and persuade them that the product I am representing is the best they'll ever come by. Bert is largely responsible for the success I've experienced and will continue to experience in the future. My positive attitude is a direct reflection of Bert's guidance.
Eric Tash
Eric TashRecent College Graduate
I have been working with Bert for a few months now and it has been an absolute pleasure. We have discussed general business issues and created an in-depth marketing strategy that will help take our company to the next level. He is a good listener and very goal oriented. The amount of progress we have made in a relatively short amount of time is a testament to that. Bert is a great asset to our company and I would highly recommend his services to anyone wanting to improve themselves or their business!
Jason Behn
Jason BehnEstablished Business
Having Bert Seither as my EIR is one of the best things I could ask for being an accelerator. Bert is amazing when it comes to anything, he is always there for me when I have any questions whether it is business related or personal. Bert has really motivated me and made me a better entrepreneur in the short time of me being an accelerator and I can’t wait for the years to come.
Callahan Reynolds
Callahan ReynoldsStudent Accelerator
Bert Seither, our Entrepreneur in Residence, has not only been an outstanding teacher to me but a mentor as well in just a short four months. His stories and real-life applications were so relatable at times, I questioned if he was reading my mind. I did not realize how badly I needed a mentor for support, whether I actually needed to talk to him or not. In the back of my head, I knew he was always there which allowed me to open up my possibilities and try new things in my business operations.
Lindsey Marzo
Lindsey MarzoFormer Student and Accelerator
Professor Seither recommended I introduce myself to her during one of our meetings because we were working on a similar business model and could possibly provide value to one another in the future. After reaching out to her and having multiple conversations we decided to convert our companies into one and create a partnership. Ever since this decision was made my life has changed immensely for the better and it would not have been possible without the accelerator program.
Cabry Hildmann
Cabry HildmannCo-Founder, Modern Media Group
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My First Entrepreneurial Experience

At a sleepover at a friends house during my freshman year of high school, I recognized and executed on my first entrepreneurial opportunity. We sold bottled water, soda and hot dogs at an art show an as a result, we each made $1,000 over the weekend. The thousand dollars is a drop in the bucket compared to the real-world lessons I learned during my first entrepreneurial experience. I learned about risk/reward, supply and demand, inventory, purchasing, negotiating, marketing, customer loyalty, raising capital, and team work to name a few. I learned how the real world had a place for me in it right then, and that as a high schooler, I could create value that others. Most importantly, that weekend I learned to think like an entrepreneur, recognize opportunities, develop, implement, and evaluate a plan.

I’ve spent most of my adult life in the private/for profit sector helping entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses and become better entrepreneurs, however, a few years ago I decided it was time to start training the next generation of entrepreneurs, so instead of continuing to pursue my own businesses, I went back to school to get a master’s in entrepreneurship. From 2019-2021, I was the Entrepreneur in Residence at my high school alma mater where I helped to open one of the first high school entrepreneurship centers in the Florida. We started an entrepreneurship club, planned a business idea pitch competition, brought in entertaining and engaging guest speakers and so much more! I taught IB Design Technology & Entrepreneurship, Business Management and Computer Science where I integrated entrepreneurship into each course and worked with teachers in other disciplines to incorporate entrepreneurship into their lessons in an effort to make all students more entrepreneurial. 

My goal is to help schools create engaging entrepreneurship programming and to develop the entrepreneurial mindset of their students, faculty and staff. Today, rather than working as an employee of just one school, I’m contracted by high schools to develop and improve their curricular and extra-curricular entrepreneurship programming.

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