What is the best way to teach business creativity to teens?

Q: What is the best way to teach business creativity to teens?

Short, public, low-stakes pitching reps with fast peer feedback. Worksheets and case studies teach analysis, not creativity. The only way to build creative confidence is to make ideas out loud, hear how they land, and try again.

The story

Teen brains are wired for novelty and social risk. A good creativity lesson uses that. SideHustle Labs runs a 90-minute classroom format with 4 to 5 students per team and four rounds of brainstorm, pitch, score, and rotate. The Funny + Fundable rubric is intentionally lopsided: half the score rewards memorability, which gives shy or unconventional students a real path to win. We have run this one-time at Mars Hill, the University of Oklahoma, Penn State, Xavier, and the University of Wisconsin. The pattern: students who score zero on a normal business rubric will score top marks on Funny + Fundable, and that single win unlocks more participation for the rest of the term. Creativity is not what students lack; it is what most lessons accidentally suppress.

What it means

Restructure the lesson so the unconventional answer can win. Score for memorability, not just feasibility. Make the reps short and public. The teens will do the rest.

Try it

• Play free at playsidehustle.com
• See us live: Sept 25 at Pershing Hall in Austin. luma.com/playsidehustle
• Email team@playsidehustle.com