For business & entrepreneurship teachers · Ages 15 to 18

Teach young entrepreneurs to find the problem before the product

A four-lesson business unit that pairs with an episode of the Shifting Schools podcast. Jeff Utecht and Tricia Friedman try out six travel products on air. Your students work out why those products sell, run the numbers on a fictional rival, then pitch a product for a job that doesn't exist yet.

Pairs with the podcastListen to the work-travel episode of the Shifting Schools podcast
The unitPack for a Job That Doesn't Exist Yet
Duration4 lessons × 60 min + a 45-min written response
Pairs withOne Shifting Schools podcast episode (about 43 min)
Start here
Listen
One podcast episode,
then four lessons
Start with the episode

The podcast is the case study

Every lesson builds on what students hear in the episode. Play it all before Lesson 1, or play the product segments only (about 25 minutes, from the wash bag to the toiletry bottles). As they listen, students keep a two-column note: the problem a traveller had and the design choice that answers it.

AboutSegmentListen for
2:00Why a business class should careSomebody saw a problem and built something; could you build a rival, or something better?
3:15Scrubba wash bagA product shaped by a shift to natural fibres, and why packaging matters
8:05Fellow Carter Move mugCompeting on taste, not just temperature; social listening
11:35Roost laptop standFrom Kickstarter to version 3; learning from each version
16:20Hydaway bottleYou don't have to be first, you have to do it better
21:55Bellroy bag and tech kitHow a label message turns buyers into fans; gear for new kinds of work
27:30Matador FlatPak bottlesSmall design details that solve the biggest complaints in a category
33:40Where markets are headingSpending on experiences, products built to last, and the jobs of the future
40:40How the products were reviewedGifted for review, no promise of praise: the ethics of asking for feedback

Times come from the full recording and may shift by a minute or two in the published episode.

Itinerary

At a glance

Every lesson ends with something students can be marked on, and every claim they make has to point to evidence: a review, a number, an interview, a trend.

  1. L1
    LessonReverse-engineer
    Students produceA one-page product teardown
    The thinkingIdentify the problem, the target market and how the product competes
  2. L2
    LessonRun the numbers
    Students produceWorked calculations and a pricing recommendation
    The thinkingApply break-even, contribution, price elasticity and crowdfunding maths to a decision
  3. L3
    LessonSize the niche
    Students produceA research brief with five interview quotes
    The thinkingGather primary and secondary evidence and judge how far to trust it
  4. L4
    LessonPack for a job that doesn't exist yet
    Students produceA two-minute pitch and a growth-strategy choice
    The thinkingScan the outside world, pick a strategy and defend it against the alternatives
  5. WR
    FinalWritten response
    Students produceTimed answers to a short unseen case
    The thinkingDefine, explain, analyse, then evaluate and recommend under time pressure

Before Lesson 1: students listen to the episode with the two-column note from the listening guide above.

The case

Six products, six problems

Each of these companies listened closely to a specific frustration travellers had, then designed a better answer to it.

Scrubba wash bag

The problem it solves
Wool and delicates can't go in a hotel washer, and portable washing machines are pricey and bulky
How it competes
Packs flat, needs little detergent, works in a sink

Is this a mass market or a niche, and how big is that niche?

Fellow Carter Move mug

The problem it solves
Steel travel mugs keep drinks hot but leave a metallic taste
How it competes
Taste and design, not just temperature

How do you show buyers a difference they can taste?

Roost laptop stand

The problem it solves
Hunching over a laptop in hotel rooms and coffee shops
How it competes
Folds thin enough for a carry-on; started on Kickstarter, now on version 3

What did crowdfunding give the founders besides money?

Hydaway collapsible bottle

The problem it solves
Venues ban bottles, bags are full, packets spill
How it competes
Sip or gulp lid, clip-on case, collapses flat

How does great design stand out in a crowded category?

Bellroy bag and tech kit

The problem it solves
One bag rarely works for both the airport and the meeting; cables go missing
How it competes
Looks professional, carries like a backpack, a message on the inside label

How does a brand turn buyers into fans?

Matador FlatPak bottles

The problem it solves
Hotels stopped supplying toiletries; small bottles are hard to fill and they leak
How it competes
Wide opening, squeezes empty, marked at the airline liquid limit

How much value can one thoughtful design detail add?

Prices change, so students look up current prices themselves in Lesson 1. The figures in Lesson 2 are invented for practice and are not any real company's numbers.

Carry-on

Four lenses that run through every lesson

Students return to the same four questions in every lesson, so the final pitch is judged on more than whether the idea sells.

Change

What shifted in the world to make this product possible? Fewer hotel toiletries, more remote work, more people spending on trips and experiences.

Creativity

What is new here: the product, the packaging, the story, or only the price?

Ethics

These products were sent free for review, with no promise of praise. How should a business ask for feedback, and how should a reviewer disclose a gift?

Sustainability

Natural fibres, reusable bottles, a bag that “goes with you for years.” How does designing for reuse and a long life help the customer, the planet and the business? And how would you check any sustainability claim before repeating it?

The journey

Four lessons

1

Reverse-engineer one product

Pairs pick one of the six products and work backwards from the finished thing to the decisions behind it. The output is a one-page teardown.

  1. 10 MIN

    Opening

    Show one product page. Ask: “Somebody had a frustrating problem. What was it?” Take three answers, then ask where the company might have heard about that problem: reviews, Reddit threads, Kickstarter comments, support emails.

  2. 35 MIN

    Teardown

    Each pair fills in six boxes, each with a source:

    1. The problem. Find one real post or review that describes the problem this product solves.
    2. The target market. Who, exactly? Describe the segment by age, income, lifestyle and the moment they need it. “Travellers” is too broad; “people who wear wool and fly for work twice a month” is a segment.
    3. The value proposition. In one sentence: for [segment], who [problem], this product [benefit], unlike [alternative].
    4. The competitive strategy. Does it compete on low cost, on being different, or by serving a narrow group very well? Name two rivals and their prices.
    5. The marketing mix. Product, price, place (where is it sold?), promotion (how did you hear about it?). Add packaging as a fifth note.
    6. The iteration. What changed between versions, or what should change next? Roost pairs trace what improved from version 1 to version 3, and why.
  3. 15 MIN

    Close

    Each pair gives a 60-second verdict: “This product wins because... and the next thing it could do is...”

  4. EXTENSION

    Product life cycle

    Put the product on a product life cycle curve. Where is it now, and what would the company do to extend its life?

2

Run the numbers on a fictional rival

Students advise FoldFlask, an invented start-up entering the collapsible-bottle market. Every figure below is made up for practice and says nothing about any real brand's costs or sales. Show working for every answer.

FoldFlask, year one forecast (US$)

ItemFigure
Selling price per bottle$28.00
Variable cost per bottle (manufacturing $6.00, packaging $1.50, shipping $2.00)$9.50
Annual fixed costs (moulds, website, insurance, one part-time designer)$74,000
Forecast sales at $286,500 bottles
Forecast sales if the price drops to $248,000 bottles
  1. 20 MIN

    Part A: Break-even

    1. Calculate the contribution per bottle. [2 marks]
    2. Calculate the break-even quantity. [2 marks]
    3. Calculate the margin of safety at the forecast of 6,500 bottles, in units. [2 marks]
    4. Calculate the forecast profit at $28. [2 marks]
  2. 15 MIN

    Part B: The price cut

    1. Calculate total revenue at $28 and at $24. [2 marks]
    2. Calculate the price elasticity of demand between the two prices, and state whether demand is elastic or inelastic. [3 marks]
    3. Calculate the profit at $24. Explain why revenue rises but profit falls. [4 marks]
  3. 10 MIN

    Part C: Crowdfunding the first run

    FoldFlask launches on a crowdfunding platform with a $40,000 goal. It reaches 800 backers at an average pledge of $65. Assume the platform and payment fees total 9%.

    1. Calculate the money FoldFlask receives after fees. [2 marks]
    2. Outline two benefits of crowdfunding other than the money. [4 marks]
  4. 10 MIN

    Part D: Is it worth it to the buyer?

    A traveller takes 25 trips over three years. Option 1: buy travel-size toiletries at $9 each trip. Option 2: buy a $20 set of refillable bottles once, then spend $0.80 a trip refilling from full-size products at home.

    1. Calculate the total cost of each option and the saving. [3 marks]
    2. Explain why “cost per use” helps a brand justify a higher price. [3 marks]
  5. 5 MIN

    Close

    Should FoldFlask cut its price to $24? One sentence, one number.

3

Size the niche

Students go back to their Lesson 1 product and ask how many people actually have that problem. The output is a research brief that separates what they found from what they guessed.

  1. 20 MIN

    Secondary research

    Social listening, the way the episode describes it: search Reddit, TikTok comments, travel forums and crowdfunding pages for the problem their product solves, such as people struggling to wash wool on the road. Students log 10 posts describing that problem in a table with the source, the date and how many people agreed (likes, upvotes, replies). Then they find one published figure that sizes the group, such as how many people travel for work or how many own wool clothing.

  2. 25 MIN

    Primary research

    Each student writes five open questions, tests them on a classmate, and rewrites any that lead the answer. Before Lesson 4 they interview two people outside the class (a family member, a coach, a teacher who travels). Good starters:

    • “Tell me about the last time packing went wrong.”
    • “What do you bring every trip that you wish worked better?”
    • “What would you pay to never have that problem again?”
  3. 15 MIN

    Judge the evidence

    For each source, students rate how much they trust it and say why:

    • How big and how typical was the sample? Five interviews with family members is not a market.
    • Who wrote it, and might they have a reason to exaggerate? Look for sponsored posts and whether they say so.
    • Is it current? A 2019 complaint about hotel toiletries may describe a different world.
  4. HOMEWORK

    The brief

    One page: the size of the niche (an estimate with its working), five interview quotes, the three clearest signs of the problem, and one sentence on the biggest weakness in their own research.

  5. ETHICS

    Check

    The hosts disclosed that the products were gifts and that no praise was promised. Ask: if you ran this company, what would you be allowed to ask reviewers for, and what would cross a line?

4

Pack for a job that doesn't exist yet

The hosts end on a challenge: pick a job that is growing fast, imagine that worker on the road, and design what they will need that nobody sells yet. Small teams take that on and pitch it.

  1. 10 MIN

    Pick a worker

    Teams choose a fast-growing or emerging role and find one source showing it is growing. Examples to start from: wildfire drone pilot, wind-turbine technician, travelling content creator who records interviews at conferences, mobile vet, solar installer, live-event social media lead. They write a day in that worker's life, from the hotel to the job site.

  2. 15 MIN

    Scan the outside world

    For their worker, teams note one factor in each area that could help or hurt a new product:

    AreaPrompt
    SocialHow are habits and values shifting?
    TechnologicalWhat new gear will this worker carry?
    EconomicWho pays: the worker or the employer?
    EnvironmentalWeather, waste, materials
    PoliticalRules on drones, batteries, flights
    LegalSafety standards, product liability
    EthicalLabour, data, honest claims
  3. 10 MIN

    Choose a growth route

    Teams place their idea on a four-box grid: same product or new product, against same customers or new customers. They name their box (selling more of an existing product, taking it to new customers, building a new product for existing customers, or something new for new customers) and give the main risk of that box.

  4. 25 MIN

    Build and pitch

    A two-minute pitch with one sketch, covering:

    1. The worker and the problem, with evidence from the scan or an interview
    2. The product and what makes it different
    3. A price, with a one-line reason (cost, competitors, or value to the buyer)
    4. How they would launch it: crowdfunding, a partnership with an employer, or direct sales
    5. One of the four lenses, answered honestly: what changed, what's new, what's the ethical risk, or how sustainable is it

    The class asks one hard question per pitch. The team answers it in writing before the next lesson.

Final gate

Timed written response: Kit & Carry

45 minutes, 26 marks. Students haven't seen this case before, and the company is invented. Read it for 5 minutes before writing.

The case

Priya and Marcus started Kit & Carry in 2025 after Marcus kept losing the wireless microphones he used to record interviews at conferences. Their product is a padded organiser with fitted slots for microphones, cables and adapters. It sells for $45 on their own website.

In year one they sold 3,000 units. Variable costs are $15 per unit and fixed costs were $60,000. Most sales came from creators who found them through a single viral video. Customer reviews praise the design, and the most common complaint is that the slots don't fit every brand of microphone.

The founders now face a choice for year two:

  • Option A: launch a premium version in recycled ocean plastic at $65, sold only on their own website.
  • Option B: sell the current version through a large online marketplace at $39. The marketplace takes 15% of each sale and would put the product in front of millions of shoppers.

Questions

  1. Define the term niche market. [2 marks]
  2. Explain two ways Kit & Carry could use secondary research to learn more about its customers. [4 marks]
  3. Calculate Kit & Carry's profit in year one. Show your working. [4 marks]
  4. Analyse one advantage and one disadvantage for Kit & Carry of relying on a single viral video for sales. [6 marks]
  5. Evaluate Options A and B and recommend which Kit & Carry should choose. Use the case, your own calculations, and at least one of the four lenses. [10 marks]

Command words, so students know what each one asks

WordWhat it asks for
DefineA precise meaning, nothing more
ExplainSay why or how, with a reason linked to the case
CalculateA number with units and working
AnalyseBreak it down, show cause and effect, and apply it to this business
EvaluateWeigh strengths against weaknesses, then reach a supported judgement
RecommendMake the call, say why it beats the alternative, and say what would change your mind
Customs check

How the work is judged

The same five criteria apply to the teardown, the research brief and the pitch, so students see their progress across all four lessons.

CriterionDevelopingSecureStrong
KnowledgeUses business terms looselyUses terms accuratelyUses terms precisely and picks the right tool for the question
ApplicationTalks about business in generalLinks points to the productEvery point depends on details of this product and this customer
AnalysisLists factorsExplains cause and effectTraces consequences two steps on, such as price cut, then volume, then profit
Evidence and numbersOpinions onlySome sources or figuresSources and calculations carry the argument, and their limits are named
JudgementNo clear decisionA decision with reasonsA decision weighed against the alternative, with what would change it

Mark bands for question 5 of the written response (10 marks)

MarksWhat the answer does
0Nothing worth credit
1–2Describes one option with little use of the case
3–4Covers both options with some use of the case, but one-sided or without numbers
5–6Balanced points on both options, some use of the figures, a recommendation that is mostly asserted
7–8Balanced and applied, uses calculations, a recommendation supported by the argument
9–10All of the above, plus a lens (such as sustainability or ethics) that changes the weighing, and the conditions under which the other option would be better
Teacher answer guideWorked answers to every calculation. Open it after students have tried.

FoldFlask should not cut its price: revenue rises by $10,000 but profit falls by $4,250.

Lesson 2: FoldFlask

QWorkingAnswer
1$28.00 − $9.50$18.50 per bottle
2$74,000 ÷ $18.504,000 bottles
36,500 − 4,0002,500 bottles
42,500 × $18.50 (or $182,000 − $61,750 − $74,000)$46,250
56,500 × $28; 8,000 × $24$182,000; $192,000
6+23.1% quantity ÷ −14.3% price−1.62, elastic
7($24 − $9.50) × 8,000 − $74,000$42,000
8800 × $65 × 0.91$47,320
1025 × $9; $20 + 25 × $0.80$225 vs $40, a $185 saving
  • Q7, why profit falls: each bottle now contributes $14.50 instead of $18.50. The extra 1,500 bottles add $14,250 in variable costs, more than the $10,000 of extra revenue.
  • Q9, benefits beyond money: proof that demand exists before paying for stock; early feedback that shapes version 2 (the Roost story); a community of first buyers who spread the word; pre-orders that cut the risk of unsold stock; no shares given away to investors.
  • Q11, cost per use: a higher price looks smaller when divided across many uses, so brands that last can compete on value rather than on the sticker price. This is the case Bellroy and Matador make for long-lasting design.

Written response: Kit & Carry

QWorkingAnswer
33,000 × $45 − 3,000 × $15 − $60,000$30,000 profit
5, current$60,000 ÷ ($45 − $15)Break-even 2,000 units
5, Option B$39 × 0.85 = $33.15 received; − $15$18.15 contribution; break-even about 3,306 units
  • Option B reaches far more shoppers but almost halves the contribution per unit and hands customer data to the marketplace. It does not fix the top complaint about fit.
  • Option A has no variable cost in the case. Strong answers spot the gap and state an assumption. For example, at $22 a unit, contribution is $43 and break-even falls to about 1,396 units. The sustainability claim has to be real, or it becomes an ethical and reputational risk.
  • Top-band answers might recommend fixing the fit problem first, or testing B with a small batch, and say what result would change the decision.

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The companies featured sent Jeff and Tricia these products to review, with no promise of a positive review. Company and product names belong to their owners. FoldFlask and Kit & Carry are invented for this activity.