Business Pathway

The SMUHSD Business/Entrepreneurship Pathway is a four-course Dual Enrollment sequence with Skyline College. Students move from ideation and business planning to operational management and digital marketing. The curriculum emphasizes work-based learning and honors-level credit.
 

Year One: Launch Your Business

In the first year of the Entrepreneurship Pathway, titled "Launch Your Business," students focus on creativity, discovery, and ideation to learn how entrepreneurs turn raw ideas into viable ventures. The first semester, BUS 161 (Creativity & Innovation in Entrepreneurship), introduces the entrepreneurial mindset through design thinking, customer empathy interviews, and rapid ideation cycles to identify and validate real-world problems. During the second semester, BUS 166 (The Business Plan), students transition into the Lean Startup methodology, iteratively testing assumptions and designing minimum viable prototypes. By the end of the year, students will have developed foundational skills in business modeling and research, culminating in the creation of a professional 10-slide investor pitch deck presented to industry leaders.

Year Two: Grow Your Business

In the second year, "Grow Your Business," shifts the focus toward operational mastery, marketing, and scaling sustainable ventures. In the fall semester, BUS 150 (Small Business Management), students move from designing a business to actually operating one, utilizing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) to manage workflows, lead teams, and track finances through tools like QuickBooks Online. The pathway concludes in the spring with BUS 193 (Digital & Social Media Marketing), where students learn to expand their customer base using social media strategy, data analytics, and content planning. Throughout the year, students gain significant hands-on experience by running and growing real or simulated School-Based Enterprises (SBE), mastering the disciplined systems and routines required to scale a business in a digital-first world.

Pathway Details

2-Year Pathway

• Dual Enrollment Courses
  • Year One (Skyline College)
    • BUS 161 (Creativity & Innovation in Entrepreneurship) 
    • BUS 166 (The Business Plan) 
  • Year Two (Skyline College)
    • BUS 150 (Small Business Management)
    • BUS 193 (Digital & Social Media Marketing)
  • Available at Capuchino, Hillsdale (TBD) and San Mateo High Schools
     

1-Year Pathway Alternative

• Dual Enrollment Courses (College of San Mateo)
  • Fall Semester
    • BUS 171 (Entrepreneurial Mindset)
  • Spring Semester
    • BUS 100 (Introduction to Business)
  • Available at Aragon, Burlingame and Hillsdale High Schools
• Non-Dual Enrollment alternatives also available (Aragon and Burlingame High Schools) 
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Introduction to Business
  • Available online thru independent study