Entrepreneur board game
About
The GoVenture Entrepreneur Board Game combines the best of your favorite board games into a business context where you run your own business and compete, collaborate, and negotiate with other players.
Game play is designed to recreate the real-life thrills and challenges of entrepreneurship in a fun and educational social learning experience.
Activities are expertly designed to enable you to experience the true challenges of entrepreneurship, Meanwhile at the same time, provide an engaging and experiential group learning opportunity.
Unlike books, courses, seminars, or common "opoly" style business games, GoVenture brings learning to life. The board game format enables a type of group learning which may be difficult to capture using role-playing exercises or software-based business simulations.
Activities include:
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Buying, Pricing, and Selling Products (called "Gwidgets")
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Managing Employees
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Paying Expenses
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Managing Cash Flow
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Investing in Product Quality and Marketing (Brand)
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Negotiating with other players
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Interacting with other players through question and answer, drawing, charades, trivia, word puzzles, and more!
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Balancing work and life
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Evaluating Success by Calculating Equity
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Preparation of Balance Sheet and Profit and Loss statements (optional)
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Accounting General Journal and General Ledger (optional)
... and much more!
For ages 12 to adult, middle school to
post-secondary.
Board Game Contents
Each board game can be played by 2 to 6 players, each with their own business, or up to 12 players in teams. Each game includes spinner, money, playing cards, sand timer, and playing pieces.
Home Version
Includes one board game.
Educational Version
Includes one board game and the additional educational resources listed further down on this page.
Why the GoVenture Board Game is so unique
Fun and educational
GoVenture is expertly designed to be both fun and educational. Every activity is carefully selected to provide a specific learning outcome, while not compromising the entertainment value of the overall experience.
Variety
Many board games have players doing the same activity repeatedly. GoVenture merges activities from popular games so players have a variety that keeps interest level high. In any single session you'll be required to act out subjects as you would with Charades, solve word puzzles, answer trivia questions, draw, solve definitions, and answer riddles.
No waiting
In GoVenture every player participates in every turn. Players remain engaged in the game because they don't find themselves "waiting for their turn."
Collaborative
Unlike many board games which require minimal interaction between players, GoVenture constantly has players interacting, collaborating, and competing. This approach leverages the benefits of group dynamics to create a positive social learning experience.
Positive competition
Many board games encourage zero-sum competition, meaning each player wants to win while hoping others lose. Competition can be healthy and motivating, but it can also create negative feelings if not structured carefully. In GoVenture, players want to win, but instead of hoping others lose, they are encouraged to want everyone to succeed. This approach uses the positive benefits of competition while eliminating the negative social consequences.
Everyone feels good
Unlike many games which may leave some players feeling inadequate, GoVenture is designed to make players feel good about the game and themselves. While it is possible to go bankrupt, the experience itself remains positive and provides the opportunity to continually improve.
Easy to play but has depth
Many board games have to compromise between ease of play and strategy. GoVenture is designed to be quick and easy to play, yet have a high level of long term and repeat playability. Startup instructions are very brief, as are the entire game instructions. Many Challenge cards are designed to be open ended, with no specific answer, so they can be played repeatedly. Game play and strategy reveals itself as you play so players increasingly focus on different aspects of the game the longer they play.
For youth and adults
Many board games tend to be focused on a specific age group. GoVenture is designed to be playable for ages 12 to adult, including mixed ages and experience levels.
Learning Outcomes
Gain knowledge and skills in entrepreneurship, business, finance, marketing, communication (verbal and non-verbal), observation, negotiation, planning, economics, critical thinking, analysis, decision-making, mental arithmetic, and more!
Lower game board
The game board represents one calendar month, divided into four weeks. All players participate in every turn. Each week, players experience a business activity, challenge, and compete for customers. At the end of each month, players calculate their Success. They can optionally complete accounting worksheets, including Balance Sheet, Profit-and-Loss Statement, General Ledger, and General Journal.
Upper game board
Chips (not shown) are used to mark each business's Price, Quality, Brand, number of Employees, and the entrepreneur's Lifestyle. Each business can choose its own strategy by setting product price, and investing in quality and marketing. For example, a business can choose to be a low-cost, low-quality supplier, while another can choose to be a high-cost, high-quality supplier — or somewhere in between. A business can change its strategy as the game progresses, choosing to fill a gap in the market or to directly challenge other competitors.
VIDEO DEMO
VIDEO TUTORIAL
Home & Education Versions
Two versions of the game are available — Home and Education
The game contents and gameplay rules are the same in both versions, but the Education version includes the following resources to supplement and enhance student learning:
Entrepreneur Business Simulation
A realistic small business startup and operations simulation. Start with a lemonade stand, level up to a kiosk, food truck, and full business. This is the GoVenture Entrepreneur Advanced online software simulation. You will have an instructor account with the ability to play as one student for a limited time. This allows you to host a group activity with students where you can play the simulation on a big screen (or share your screen if playing on a webinar). While playing, encourage students to advise you on the best decisions to make for the business. Explain and discuss the various decisions as you make them. This is an engaging and high-impact learning activity — more about Group Events.
More about Entrepreneur Business Simulation
Accounting Worksheets
Printable worksheets that students can use to practice accounting while running their food truck business. Includes General Journal, General Ledger, Income Statement, and Balance Sheet. Provided as Adobe PDF. View Worksheets (PDF)
Business Superhero Book
Helps students learn the fundamental concepts of business and entrepreneurship. The 200-page book is easy to read with large text and lots of examples to make fundamental business concepts easy to understand. Students can use it as a reference for topics they need help with, or read it from cover to cover to gain practical business wisdom. Provided as Adobe PDF.
View sample pages (PDF)
Lessons and Activities
Over 50 lesson plans and activities designed to bring business education alive in the classroom. Every key decision a business owner needs to make in starting and running a business is addressed. Glossary included. Provided as Adobe PDF.
View glossary and sample activities (PDF)
More Tabletop Games
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Experience business as a food truck entrepreneur! Choose your food truck, hire employees, prepare products, and travel to different neighborhoods in the city to outsell your competitors. Includes optional accounting activities. For ages 8 to adult.
Entrepreneur Board Game
A unique board game designed specifically for gaining business ownership skills in a fun, educational context. Includes optional accounting activities. For ages 12 to adult.
Entrepreneur Card Game
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