10 Ways to Get a High School Business Education
If you're a high school student interested in entrepreneurship, investing, marketing, or even just understanding how companies work, gaining a business education early is a smart move. It not only prepares you for college-level business programs but also helps you build practical skills like decision-making, public speaking, collaboration, and financial literacy. If you’re considering joining business school or launching your own product, these skills come in handy!
Plus, colleges and future employers love to see initiative—and what better way to show it than by exploring advanced business theory and practice before you graduate high school?
Whether you're aiming to start your own company or just want to test the waters and see if business is the right field for you, there are tons of ways to start learning. Here's a detailed list of ten ways to get a strong business education as a high school student.
Start your own business!
Starting your own venture—even something small—teaches you lessons no textbook ever could. It’s a crash course in budgeting, marketing, customer service, and time management. Some ideas could include:
E-commerce: Use Shopify or Etsy to sell handmade items or dropship products.
Services: Offer tutoring, graphic design, or video editing on platforms like Fiverr or to your local community.
Blogging/Vlogging: Start a YouTube channel or blog about a niche topic (like book reviews, sports, or study hacks). Monetize through affiliate marketing or ads.
We’ve included some great business ideas that you can explore here.
If this sounds like something you want to try, here are a few resources to help get you started:
Teen Entrepreneur Toolbox – a practical kit for students who want to start a business.
SBA Youth Entrepreneurship – resources from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
2. Join a startup incubator lab
Startup incubator labs are hands-on programs where you work with a team to create, validate, and pitch your own business idea. These incubators ensure you go through the same steps real entrepreneurs follow, like customer discovery, prototyping, branding, and pitching to investors. These programs simulate the full entrepreneurial process, giving you insight into the entire business lifecycle—from idea to execution. Examples of incubators include:
Young Founders Lab is a virtual incubator that pairs high schoolers with professionals from A-list companies. You’ll work in teams to build and launch a real startup, receive weekly mentorship from industry professionals (from firms as big as Google and Amazon), and pitch to real investors. Alumni have gone on to raise funding and launch actual ventures.
Beta Camp runs a 4-week online summer incubator where you learn core business concepts like lean startup methodology, market segmentation, and user interviews. You work in small teams to launch a startup by the end of the program.
We’ve covered some of the best startup incubator labs for high school students here.
3. Apply for business-focused summer programs
Summer business programs allow you to spend several weeks exploring business topics at a deeper level while interacting with peers and mentors from around the world.
Wharton Global Youth Program offers programs like Essentials of Finance and Entrepreneurship, where students take Wharton courses taught by professors and MBA students. Courses often include guest speakers and hands-on projects.
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program that allows you to work on independent research in business and related fields under a mentor!
Berkeley Business Academy for Youth offers two-week programs that simulate business school experiences.
Some of these programs also offer need-based scholarships, so cost doesn’t have to be a barrier!
4. Intern with a local business or startup
If you want real-world exposure, try interning or shadowing someone at a small business, local startup, or nonprofit.
Look for opportunities through LinkedIn, Ladder Internships, Internships.com, or by reaching out directly to business owners in your area.
You could help with:
Managing social media
Doing market research
Assisting with customer service
Helping set up e-commerce platforms
We’ve covered some of the best startup internships for high school students here.
If formal internships aren’t available, offer to volunteer for free for a few hours per week—many small businesses are open to help!
5. Take online business courses
If you want to explore specific areas of business like marketing, economics, or management, online courses are a great way to build both knowledge and credentials.
Coursera and edX offer business courses taught by professors from top universities like the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton School), Stanford, and MIT. For example:
Wharton Business Foundations Specialization – covers finance, accounting, operations, and marketing.
Introduction to Marketing – excellent for students interested in brand-building and digital outreach.
Udemy has beginner-friendly and affordable options like An Entire MBA in 1 Course, covering everything from management to startup strategy.
Pick your area of interest (e.g., finance or entrepreneurship), take a few related courses, and build a small portfolio of projects or certifications. This demonstrates your initiative and helps you build subject matter expertise. We’ve covered some of the best online business courses here!
6. Join a high school business club (DECA, FBLA, etc.)
School-based business organizations allow you to compete, collaborate, and grow your leadership skills in a structured environment.
DECA focuses on preparing emerging leaders in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. You can participate in case-study events, business simulations, and international competitions. DECA also provides leadership opportunities and access to business mentors.
FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) is another nationwide program with over 200,000 student members. Competitions range from entrepreneurship and e-business to business ethics and financial analysis.
If your school doesn’t offer these clubs, consider starting a chapter—it’s a leadership experience in itself!
These organizations help you practice business decision-making, build a professional network, and gain public speaking experience.
7. Compete in business competitions
Business competitions simulate real-world challenges, such as launching a product or creating a business plan.
Diamond Challenge offers a pitch-based competition where students propose solutions to real-world problems. Finalists present in front of investors and entrepreneurs.
Blue Ocean Entrepreneurship Competition is the largest student-led pitch competition in the U.S., judged by actual business professionals.
Junior Achievement Company Program allows teams to form and operate an actual business and compete nationally.
These competitions improve critical thinking, teamwork, and presentation skills and give you an impressive and tangible addition to your resume.
8. Read business books and listen to podcasts
Books and podcasts help build your understanding of business theory, trends, and entrepreneurial mindset. Some books we can recommend are:
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki – on financial independence and investing.
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries – teaches how to build businesses efficiently.
Start With Why by Simon Sinek – on leadership and vision in business.
Similarly, here are some good podcasts to get you started:
How I Built This: Stories behind companies like Airbnb, Patagonia, and Starbucks.
The GaryVee Audio Experience: Entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk talks branding, hustle, and innovation.
Teenager Startups: Features interviews with teens who have launched their own ventures.
To make the most of this effort, make notes and reflections while reading/listening, and share them on a blog or LinkedIn profile. Not only does expressing your thoughts in writing help you synthesize the learnings better, the blog itself can become a powerful self-branding tool and lead to further opportunities!
9. Enroll in dual enrollment or AP business classes
If you're looking to earn college credit while in high school, this is a practical and efficient way to gain advanced knowledge.
Dual Enrollment allows you to take business courses at a local community college. Subjects like Principles of Marketing, Intro to Business, or Business Law are great introductions to more advanced business concepts and their applications. Check if your school partners with colleges through NACEP.
Advanced Placement (AP) courses such as:
AP Microeconomics and AP Macroeconomics – cover market systems, inflation, unemployment, etc.
AP Statistics – helpful for business analytics and finance.
AP Computer Science Principles – valuable for tech entrepreneurs.
This method offers probably one of the best returns on your effort, as some colleges will let you skip intro business classes if you score well on AP exams.
10. Join an online business mentorship program
Mentors can provide advice, feedback, and networking opportunities you won’t get from a textbook.
Junior Achievement Connect provides a network of digital mentorship and career resources.
Ad Astra Fellowship connects driven students with professionals in fields like business and entrepreneurship, offering guidance, virtual sessions, and workshops.
Score.org (though not teen-specific) offers access to thousands of volunteer business mentors.
Finding a willing and guiding mentor is harder than most other methods on this list, but it is also by far the most rewarding. A good mentor can shape your entire career, work as a sounding board for your business ideas, help you improve your business pitch deck, guide you through a business plan, or even open doors to internships and partnerships.
Wrapping up
You don’t need an MBA to start learning business. Whether it’s through competitions, mentorship, starting your own company, or just reading great books, there are plenty of ways to build your skills now. Try combining two or three of the strategies above—like taking an online course while working on your own business idea, or joining DECA while reading business books. The earlier you start, the more experience you’ll gain—and that can open up big opportunities later on.
If you’re looking for an incubator program that helps you establish a developed startup in high school, consider the Young Founders Lab!
The Young Founders Lab is a real-world start-up bootcamp founded and run by Harvard entrepreneurs. In this program, you will work towards building a revenue-generating start-up that addresses a real-world problem.You will also have the opportunity to be mentored by established entrepreneurs and professionals from Google, Microsoft, and X.