Why Entrepreneurship Isn’t Being Taught in School (w/Evan Carmichael)
- Roger Pierce
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
You’re not lacking information.
You’re lacking exposure.
That was one of the clearest messages from my conversation with Evan Carmichael on The Unsure Entrepreneur Podcast. If you’ve ever thought about starting a business but felt unsure where to begin, this conversation will hit home.
Evan built one of the largest entrepreneurship channels on YouTube with 4.5 million subscribers. He has spent years studying founders, breaking down business lessons, and helping people build belief in themselves before they build anything else. But when he posted this video about an alarming disconnect between school curriculum and entrepreneurship education, I just had to talk with him about it.
The problem starts early
As Evan revealed in his video, two-thirds of students say they want to become entrepreneurs, yet more than 80% feel they learn nothing about it in school. That gap explains why so many people stay stuck. They want the path, but nobody shows them how to take the first step.
Evan understands that firsthand.
He didn’t grow up around entrepreneurs. In fact, his high school yearbook said he wanted to become “VP at a bank.” Business ownership was nowhere on his radar until he joined Junior Achievement and got hands-on exposure to running a small company.
“It wasn’t even in my radar — Junior Achievement just planted the seed for entrepreneurship,” says Evan in the interview.
That experience changed everything. Not because he suddenly had all the answers, but because he finally saw entrepreneurship up close.
That matters more than people realize.
Many ways to learn about entrepreneurship — beyond school
As Evan points out, you do not need a full business education to get started. You need exposure. You need examples. You need to see someone else doing it and think, maybe I can too.
Today, people are finding that exposure online.
Young entrepreneurs are doing it. Midlife entrepreneurs are doing it. People leaving corporate jobs are doing it. Instead of waiting for schools or formal programs, they are searching, watching, listening, and learning on their own.
Evan puts it plainly during the podcast:
“Whatever you don’t know how to do, go to YouTube. Somebody awesome is sharing how they won.”
That line stuck with me because it reflects how entrepreneurship education has changed. Information is everywhere now. The challenge is no longer access.
For years, Evan's been walking that talk by creating business content that helps aspiring and existing entrepreneurs to learn. He's a big believer in entrepreneurship education. Many of his videos "model the success" of well-known famous entrepreneurs such as McDonald's Ray Kroc, Spanx's Sara Blakely, and Tesla's Elon Musk. Apple's Steve Jobs is one of Evan's favourite founders.
Here are three ideas from the podcast worth remembering:
Start smaller than you think.
Learn from people who have already done it.
Take action before you feel ready.
Most people wait too long. They wait for confidence. They wait for certainty. They wait until the conditions feel perfect. That delay kills momentum.
Evan challenges that thinking throughout the conversation.
Take that first small step
“What’s the fastest way to take the smallest thing, the smallest first step, and do it?”
If you want to host events, do not start with a conference. Organize a meetup.
If you want to start creating content, do not buy expensive equipment. Use your phone.
If you want to start a business, do not spend two years building the perfect plan. Test one idea.
You learn by doing.
Evan talks about how his own YouTube channel took years to gain traction. In his first five years, he only reached around 2,000 subscribers. Most people would quit but he kept going.
Why? Because he believed the content could help somebody.
Evan calls it one of the biggest problems people face. “I think it’s hard to do anything great if you don’t believe in yourself.” The interesting part is that belief does not always start internally — sometimes you borrow it.
You borrow it from a mentor. From a teacher. From a YouTube video. From a podcast. From someone who sees potential in you before you see it yourself.
That is why entrepreneurship education matters so much. It is not only about tactics and business plans. It is about helping people believe they belong in the conversation.
Learn from mentors and examples set by successful entrepreneurs
One of my favourite moments in the interview came when Evan talks about mentorship.
His advice was intriguing: Start a show.
Not because you need a media empire. Because conversations create access — you'll be pleasantly surprised at how many successful entrepreneurs are willing to come on your YouTube show, Zoom recording, or podcast episode to share their advice, which creates an amazing learning opportunity for you and your audience.
“Entrepreneurs actually love mentoring. They hate wasting their time though,” comments Evan.
That insight is important. Entrepreneurs want to help people who are serious. Creating content, asking thoughtful questions, and putting yourself out there opens doors.
That is one reason I continue producing The Unsure Entrepreneur Podcast. These conversations help people hear what entrepreneurship actually looks like. Not the polished version. The real version.
By the end of our conversation, Evan returned to one point again and again.
Just start.
He says you will not feel fully ready. You will not have total clarity. And you will not know exactly where things lead.
But you will have an idea — and that is enough to begin.
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Listen to the podcast interview
Watch the interview video
Check out Evan Carmichael's YouTube Channel
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