This article recounts the growth of Cargojet and how its founder was able to navigate the opportunities brought about by the pandemic.

Introduction to the article (perhaps by having everyone read it)

The pandemic has had some very negative impacts on some businesses, but it also presented opportunities to pivot and even grow. Brainstorm with the class how some businesses have pivoted to thrive through the pandemic.

[For this exercise it is worth referring to the Lesson Plan How entrepreneurs can adapt to survive posted on January 12, 2021.]

Subject Area(s) covered

Entrepreneurship, marketing, opportunity identification, adaptation

New Terms to explain

Leveraged buyout

Key things students can learn from this lesson

Students will learn strategies to identify opportunities and see examples of how one entrepreneur continually identified opportunities to thrive.

Action (here’s how we’ll do it):

• Distribute the article for reading.
• Using breakout rooms on your Learning Management System, have students develop a histogram of Ajay’s journey over time.
• Pop into each breakout room and ask students to mark where Ajay identified opportunity and what the conditions were that helped him.
• Reconvene the class into the larger group and discuss conditions that contribute to opportunity identification.

Consolidation of learning

• Thinking about other entrepreneurs who have pivoted during the pandemic, discuss whether the conditions that led Ajay to continuously identify opportunities apply to these other entrepreneurs?

Success criteria

• Students are able to discuss strategies that contribute to opportunity identification.

Confirming activities

• Have students apply the strategies for opportunity identification and come up with three ideas for a business that will address these opportunities.  The ideas should not be related to the pandemic.

Activities to do together

• Discuss the entrepreneurial ideas that students identified through their class activity. Evaluate each one together and decide if there is one to pursue for which you can develop a business plan together.