8.

1 The entrepreneurial mindset

Lesson outcome Learners can use vocabulary related to mindsets and being an entrepreneur.

Lead-in 1 Discuss these statements. Give examples to help explain your ideas.
1 Anyone can have an entrepreneurial mindset and the ability to start a company using
an idea they have.
2 Characteristics such as being flexible and open to new challenges can lead to success.
3 It is possible to learn from mistakes.

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VIDEO 2 8.1.1 Watch the video and choose the best summary of Julie Deane’s
attitude towards being a successful entrepreneur.
a Taking a gap year to learn about different cultures, seeing how people do things
differently and discovering what people want is useful for a future entrepreneur.
b The main factor for success is having outside motivation which will make you work
harder and maintain your focus.
c To succeed means being open to admitting mistakes, trusting your intuition, embracing
challenges and remaining flexible.

3 Answer the questions. Then watch the video again and check your answers.
1 What aspect of Julie’s studies did she find useful for her business?
2 What characteristics are found in a growth mindset and how do they relate to being a
successful entrepreneur?
3 What was it about working as a waitress in Greece that helped prepare Julie for starting
her own business?
4 Why does she feel it is necessary to have an outside force which pushes you to succeed?
What influence does it have on an individual?
5 What did Julie recognise about the direction her business was going in and what did
this mean for her?
6 Why was the success of her business a problem? What did she have to do in response?
7 What problems arose when she received money from investors?
8 Why does Julie feel she made the right choice to be an entrepreneur?

4 Work in pairs or small groups. What do you think about the concept of the
growth mindset helping entrepreneurs? What type of mindset do you feel you
Teacher’s resources:
T extra activities
have, and why? How could your mindset help or hinder you if you wanted to
start your own business?

Vocabulary The growth mindset

5 Complete the sentences with the correct form of the words from the video.

entrepreneurial passion persistence setback skyrocket vision

1 Julie Deane’s career began with a kitchen table operation.

2 One of the challenges Julie experienced was when the number of orders
and she had to find a way to produce more handbags.
3 One of the things Julie enjoys about running her own business is that she likes to
have both a purpose and a(n) which helps her to feel she is always
moving forward.
4 It is clear that Julie has both the determination and the to deal with any
that could have prevented progress while the company was growing.
5 Combining hard work with strong feelings or for something can help
those who want to run their own companies.

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 8.1 The entrepreneurial mindset

6 Match the sentence halves.

1 Sometimes a business has to start a at millions of pounds a few years after starting it.
something from b yourself as this can prevent you trying new things.
2 To be successful, it is necessary to c guess something, we may anticipate a problem
maintain that does not actually exist.
3 It is amazing to grow a company d scratch in order to create a resource they need but
that is valued do not have.
4 With a growth mindset people e with their own intuition often use their feelings
feel that they can pick to make business decisions.
5 Entrepreneurs who are in tune f up something valuable from a variety of
6 It can be a problem to doubt experiences.
7 In difficult situations it’s important g focus and not give up at the first setback.
not to admit h defeat so that you can overcome problems and
8 When we second move ahead.

7 Read about one person’s experience of starting a business. Complete it using words
and phrases from Exercises 5 and 6.

I’d always wanted to start my own business and felt that I had I’d no idea how much knowledge I’d been able to 6
a(n) 1 mindset. A mentor of mine told me I also while working at a start-up several years earlier.
needed to have vision and use my strong emotions, which she When I got started on my plans, I discovered I could apply many
called 2 , to put my ideas into practice. She also of the things I’d learnt. Even when there were obstacles I refused
said it was important to be 3 with to 7 and just give up, but instead
my own instincts to achieve my goals. One thing she stressed kept moving forward. However, I think the most important thing
was the necessity to 4 and not let I learnt is that there will always be 8 , and they can
myself be distracted by all the things that could go wrong. She be overcome as long as you don’t 9
also told me that when things don’t work out the best thing is and start to question your own decisions. Starting my own
to start again 5 . business turned out to be the best thing I have ever done!

8 Work in pairs or small groups. Imagine you have an idea for a start-up.
What aspects of the growth mindset would be most important for you?
Teacher’s resources: A: I think having a clear vision of what you want is key.
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B: Yes, but it’s hard to maintain focus, so it’s important to ...

PROJECT: Setting a goal

9A Work in pairs. Think of a personal goal you would like to

achieve related to your studies or the world of work. Use
the questionnaire to interview your partner and help them
clarify their goal. Take notes on your partner’s answers.

1 What exactly is your vision? Can you make a picture of it? What will it look like?
2 Is this something you can achieve on your own? What resources do you need?
3 How will reaching this goal affect you and other people? Are there any risks?
4 When and where would you like to reach this goal? What is the time frame for it?
5 How is this goal connected to the values you have and the things you believe in?
6 When will you take the first step?

B Use your partner’s answers to write a plan for them to take forward.
Share the plan with your partner and see how they respond.

• How successfully have you achieved the lesson outcome? Give yourself a score
from 0 (I need more practice) to 5 (I know this well).
Self-assessment
• Go to My Self-assessment in MyEnglishLab to reflect on what you have learnt.
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