Entrepreneurship and Small Business Certification

The Entrepreneurship and Small Business (ESB) certification program prepares small business owners and leaders to succeed in today's competitive business landscape. An ESB certification will validate the skills and knowledge for individuals to work in a middle-skill trade profession, as an entrepreneur, or to pursue small business career aspirations with an understanding of core business principles and essentials to launch and sustain a successful business.

Candidates of the ESB Certification will need to have a conceptual knowledge of entrepreneurial and small business principles with a minimum of 150 instruction hours. However, students are not required to have real-world business experience to take and successfully pass the ESB exam. The ESB core concepts are:

• Entrepreneurship
• Recognizing and evaluating opportunities
• Planning, starting, and operating a business
• Marketing and sales
• Business financials and funding

Exam criteria:

• Complete a one-year high school level course covering entrepreneurship and small business management.
• Acquire key conceptual knowledge of entrepreneurial and small business principles.
• Complete and pass a 50-minute, 45 question, scenario-based ESB exam.

ESB certification engages and prepares students to further their postsecondary training to enter the small business sector immediately after high school graduation. The entrepreneurial concepts validated by this certification will ensure these students are college and career-ready.