Subject Area Entrepreneurship · Financial Literacy · Business Education

Grade Level Ages 8–12 · Grades 3–6 · Pre-CTE

Framework Referenced Utah CTE Entrepreneurship Strands & Standards

About This Alignment

Utah's CTE Entrepreneurship Strands and Standards define what Utah students learn about starting and running a venture, organized into strands covering the role and characteristics of the entrepreneur (including risk, reward, and the importance of failure and growth mindset), idea generation, customer problem-solving, and business planning (through the Lean Canvas model), the economic impact of entrepreneurs, marketing for entrepreneurs (the marketing mix: product, price, place, promotion), and a culminating business plan project connected to FBLA and DECA.

Boss Kid Build is a pre-secondary, CTE-adjacent curriculum for learners ages 8–12 that serves as a structured on-ramp to this framework. The series doesn't just introduce Utah's entrepreneurship concepts as vocabulary — students actually generate ideas, study customers, build products, set prices, and market, following the same arc Utah's strands describe, at an elementary-appropriate level.

Kit-by-Kit Alignment to Utah's Entrepreneurship Strands

Kit & Stage	What Students Do	Utah Strand Foundations Built
Kit 1 · Find Your Big Idea DISCOVER	Spot personal strengths, map passions, find problems worth solving, and choose one Big Idea.	Role & Characteristics of the Entrepreneur — who entrepreneurs are and what they do · Idea Generation — identifying problems and creating solutions to address needs and wants through brainstorming
Kit 2 · Know Your Customer DISCOVER	Identify a target customer, practice listening and empathy, and match the idea to real needs and wants.	Solving Customers' Needs & Wants — understanding the customer and what distinguishes an offering from the competition · Early market research through simple methods
Kit 3 · Build Your Brand BUILD	Create a business name, look, and message that communicates value to customers.	Marketing for Entrepreneurs — how a venture communicates who it is and why it's different · Distinguishing the product/service from the competition
Kit 4 · Make Your Product or Service BUILD	Plan, prototype, and refine a real product or service, including materials and quality checks.	Marketing Mix: Product — the offering as the heart of the venture · Pivoting & Adaptability — refining the solution when the first version isn't right
Kit 5 · Set Your Price LAUNCH	Calculate costs, understand profit, compare prices, and set a fair price with confidence.	Marketing Mix: Price — an amount that covers expenses and allows for a profit · Economic Impact of Entrepreneurs — scarcity, profit motive & basic economic terminology at foundation level
Kit 6 · Spread the Word LAUNCH	Build a simple marketing plan, craft persuasive messages, and choose where to reach customers.	Marketing Mix: Promotion & Place — communicating with customers to inform, persuade, and remind; choosing where the offering reaches its buyer, physical or online
Kit 7 · Make Your First Sale LAUNCH	Practice the pitch, handle money, serve customers, and complete a real first sale.	Risks & Rewards of the Entrepreneurial Venture — experienced firsthand at small scale · The pitch as an early version of Utah's FBLA/DECA business-plan presentations
Kit 8 · Lead & Level Up GROW	Reflect, set growth goals, practice leadership and teamwork, and plan what comes next for the business.	Growth Mindset & Learning from Failure — Utah's signature standard, practiced through structured reflection · Business-Plan Thinking — "My Business So Far" as a junior Lean Canvas

Woven Through Every Kit

Utah Strand Foundation	How Boss Kid Build Reinforces It
Characteristics & ethics of the entrepreneur	Boss Kid Tips, signed commitment lines, and Certificates of Achievement celebrate honesty, initiative, and follow-through in every kit.
The venture as one continuous plan (Lean Canvas thinking)	My Business So Far pages accumulate across all 8 kits into a complete junior business plan — the same one-page-plan habit the Lean Canvas teaches.
Entrepreneurship vocabulary	Boss Words to Know pages build the business and economic terminology Utah's strands formalize in high school.

Who This Alignment Serves

The Entrepreneurship Strands and Standards are published by the Utah State Board of Education as part of Utah CTE. Boss Kid Build is an independent curriculum publisher and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Utah State Board of Education. Alignment statements describe foundational, age-appropriate preparation for the cited strands and standards.

Questions about licensing for schools or programs? Contact hello@bosskidbuild.com.