“Turning Risk into Success”:
A Teen Entrepreneurship Curriculum
“Turning Risk into Success”- TRIS– is a licensed 26-lesson hands on course created by Dr. Curtis L. DeBerg, an award-winning university professor, which shows teenagers how to identify and operate their own business. Students’ businesses can be a commercial enterprise or a social enterprise. sagetris.com
Lessons are organized into five parts:
- The Big Picture
- Questions and Answers
- Taking Action
- Quiz Yourself
- What to Do Before the Next Lesson


During the TRIS course students will:
- Gain knowledge and skills to become a successful entrepreneur
- Implement project-based learning, with heavy influence on STEM areas
- Develop critical thinking of a business person
- Integrate computing skills (e.g. creating financial spreadsheets)
- Conduct research for career skills relevance (based on CTE standards)
- Design PitchDeck presentations to make TRIS content come to life
- Learn design thinking and brainstorming techniques to identify problems worth solving
After the TRIS course, students are eligible to participate in a SAGE Regional or National Tournaments. Students completing the course will receive a Certificate of Completion from SAGEGLOBAL
The course best be taught by TRIS-Certified Master Teachers. To become a Certified Master Teacher, you may choose to attend the next two-day workshop at Ross, Ohio.