7 Business Skills You’re Already Learning in High School
High school might feel like something you just have to get through, but it’s actually teaching you valuable business skills without you knowing it. The things you do every day are helping you build a strong foundation for a future in business.
In this article, we’ll look at business skills you’re learning in high school and how these skills can lead to new opportunities down the road.
- Time Management
Deadlines are everywhere, and they’ll be a big part of life—especially in business. For example, when you’re in school and have to finish an assignment in two hours before basketball practice, it teaches you to prioritize tasks and use your time wisely.
This builds a solid foundation for hitting important milestones in business, like completing a report on time or preparing for a major meeting.
- Problem Solving
In high school, you’ll come across plenty of situations that push you to make quick decisions. Say you’re working on a science project and your partner suddenly drops out—you’ll need to quickly reassign tasks and find new ways to complete the project on time. These moments build important skills that will help you later on, including the ability to:
- Solve unexpected challenges
- Adapt strategies to achieve results
- Stay focused and efficient, even when plans change
- Leadership
If you want to run a business, being a good leader helps you make confident decisions and guide the direction of your business.
In high school, you practice leadership skills in group projects or by leading a club. These experiences are great for business because they help you learn how to inspire your team, keep projects organized, and make sure everyone stays focused on reaching your business goals.
- Communication
In business, you’ll need to be a good communicator whether you’re talking to investors, leading meetings, or presenting your product or service. In fact, 54% of entrepreneurs acknowledge that strong communication is essential for reaching business goals.
High school helps you build communication skills—like when you do a presentation in history class and have to explain a tough topic while keeping everyone interested. Good communication skills are useful in business for things like:
- Pitching your ideas
- Talking with clients
- Working well with teammates
- Teamwork
Teamwork matters in business because it helps:
- Build trust
- Boost motivation
- Get more done
How does high school prepare you for this? Almost everything you do involves teamwork, like group projects, club activities, or science experiments. These experiences teach you how to use everyone’s strengths and manage differences. Learning to work well with others now will help you succeed in business later.
- Adaptability
In business, things can change fast. For instance, you might need to adjust a project to meet a new client’s needs, which requires you to be adaptable. High school is a great place to learn flexibility because you’re always adjusting to different classes.
Moving from a structured math class to a discussion-based English class means changing how you take notes and engage with material. These skills help you stay flexible, which is useful when managing team roles, projects, and strategies as a young entrepreneur.
- Resilience
High school can be tough. Maybe you get a low grade on a hard test or struggle with a subject. Facing these challenges helps you build resilience.
In business, resilience is just as important—it helps you handle competition, deal with stressful situations like low inventory, or recover from a bad review. Resilience keeps you focused on your goals and pushes you to keep going, no matter what obstacles you face.
Looking Ahead
High school isn’t just about studying—it’s also a place where you learn real skills you can use for the rest of your life. Every day, through regular activities, you’re building things like time management and leadership abilities. These skills don’t have to wait until you’re older; you can use them right now to start your own business or work toward a successful future.
Ready to join the next group of Kantner Foundation scholarship winners? If you’re a high school entrepreneur in Florida, find out more here!
