Lesson series

INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS

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Course Overview

This course provides learners with a comprehensive introduction to the fundamentals of business and its role in society. Through real-world examples, applied activities, and structured lessons, students explore how businesses operate, create value, and respond to economic, ethical, and social forces. The course emphasizes practical understanding, critical thinking, and real-world application to prepare learners for future coursework, career pathways, and entrepreneurial opportunities

What You’ll Learn

By completing this course, learners will be able to:
  • Understand what business is and how it functions within society
  • Identify different types of business ownership and organizational structures
  • Analyze stakeholders and the business environment
  • Apply ethical decision-making and corporate social responsibility principles
  • Recognize the role of entrepreneurship, management, technology, and globalization in modern business

Learning Experience

This course includes a mix of:
  • Structured, lesson-based instruction
  • Real-world case studies and examples
  • Interactive activities and group discussions
  • Applied projects and assessments
  • Midterm and final evaluations designed to reinforce practical understanding 

Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, learners will have a strong foundational understanding of business concepts and the ability to apply them to real-world situations. Students will be prepared to move forward with confidence into advanced coursework, workforce training, or entrepreneurial endeavors.

Course Lessons

Course instructor

Ethan Pennington

Ethan Pennington is a business owner, licensed and certified Reentry Specialist, and Credit Rebuild Specialist whose journey reflects the transformative power of second chances and personal accountability. Having experienced incarceration firsthand, Ethan understands the challenges individuals face when rebuilding their lives after involvement with the justice system.

Determined to create a different future, Ethan embraced entrepreneurship as his reentry strategy, using business ownership as a pathway to economic stability, personal growth, and community impact. Through perseverance, education, and a commitment to helping others succeed, he has built a career dedicated to empowering individuals to overcome barriers and achieve self-sufficiency.

Today, Ethan combines his lived experience with professional expertise to guide justice-impacted individuals through the reentry process. As a licensed and certified Reentry Specialist and Credit Rebuild Specialist, he provides practical tools, resources, and mentorship focused on financial literacy, credit restoration, workforce readiness, and entrepreneurship.

As an instructor with IndyExcel, Ethan will help deliver entrepreneurship education designed to meet people where they are—whether in the community or behind prison walls. His mission is to inspire individuals to recognize their potential, develop an entrepreneurial mindset, and create opportunities that lead to long-term success and generational change.

Through his work, Ethan demonstrates that a person's past does not define their future and that entrepreneurship can be a powerful vehicle for transformation, empowerment, and lasting impact.