Sell business lesson plans and CTE resources
Business, economics, personal finance and career readiness teachers spend hours rewriting examples that went out of date. Resources with fresh, original case studies and working spreadsheets save them that time, and that is what they pay for.
Short answer: You can sell business lesson plans, economics units, personal finance activities and CTE career readiness resources on TeachLessons. Write your own case studies, mention real companies only factually, leave out their logos, and send spreadsheets as working files. You set the price, keep 70% of net revenue and can sell the same resources elsewhere.
What do business and CTE teachers buy?
Business and career and technical education teachers often teach several courses at once: an intro to business section, a personal finance elective, an accounting class and an advisory period on careers. Many of them are the only person in the building teaching those courses, so there is no department bank of materials to borrow from. That makes them steady buyers of complete, ready-to-teach units.
The products that tend to work well:
- Personal finance units on budgeting, credit, interest, paychecks, insurance and saving, with realistic but invented scenarios.
- Business case studies you wrote yourself, with discussion questions and a short teacher guide.
- Simulations and projects, such as running a pop-up shop, planning a product launch or building a business plan over a unit.
- Economics activities on supply and demand, market structures and opportunity cost, with graphs students complete.
- Career readiness lessons: resumes and CVs, mock interviews, workplace communication, job research tasks.
- Spreadsheet skills taught through business tasks: payroll, inventory, break-even, simple bookkeeping.
How do I keep business examples current without rewriting every year?
The biggest complaint about business resources is stale examples. A case study built around a phone launch from ten years ago, or tax brackets and minimum wage figures that changed long ago, makes a teacher look out of touch in front of teenagers. A few habits help your resources stay useful longer:
- Build case studies around invented companies ("Harbor Street Bikes", "a family bakery opening a second shop") that illustrate a principle without depending on this year's news.
- Where a real-world number matters, such as a minimum wage or interest rate, ask students to look up the current figure and put it in a blank, rather than printing a figure that will date.
- Add an optional "current events extension" page where the teacher or student plugs in a recent news story.
- Put a version date in the file footer so you and buyers know when it was last refreshed.
When you do update a unit, email the new version to support@stifo.de and we replace the file. A refreshed resource is a good reason to tell your own followers about it, too.
Can I mention real companies and brands in business lesson plans?
Using a company name factually, for example "compare the pricing strategies of two streaming services" or "this famous coffee chain expanded internationally in the 1990s", is normal in business teaching. Problems start when a resource looks as if the company made or endorsed it.
- Do not use company logos, product photos from company websites or brand fonts in your files, covers or previews.
- Do not copy text from annual reports, press releases or news articles at length. Summarize in your own words and point students to the source.
- Do not reproduce a published textbook case study, even with small changes. Write your own.
- Keep comments about real companies factual and fair. If you want a dramatic failure story, invent the company.
TeachLessons does not check resources for third-party rights. Making sure your case studies, images and data are yours to sell is the seller's responsibility. The copyright basics guide covers the general principles.
How should I deliver spreadsheets and templates?
A spreadsheet activity is only useful if the formulas work when the teacher opens it. Send it as a real file (XLSX, or a Google Sheets link that makes a copy) rather than a screenshot inside a PDF. Lock or protect cells that students should not change, and include a completed answer version so the teacher can check work quickly.
A good structure for a spreadsheet-based resource:
- A PDF teacher guide with objectives, timing and step-by-step instructions.
- A student workbook file with blank input cells and clear labels.
- An answer file with every formula filled in.
- A short student handout explaining the task in plain words.
Put all of these in one ZIP with clear names, for example Break-Even-Analysis-Student.xlsx and Break-Even-Analysis-Key.xlsx. If you include a Google link, test it while logged out and make sure it creates a copy rather than opening your original.
How much should I charge for business and personal finance units?
You set the price in US dollars. We suggest a minimum of $4.99 for a single resource, but it is only a suggestion. Business teachers often buy whole units because they have so many preps, so a full unit priced to reflect weeks of teaching tends to make more sense than splitting it into dozens of tiny files.
| Resource | Example price | Payout per sale |
|---|---|---|
| One career readiness lesson | $3.00 | $2.04 |
| Original case study with teacher notes | $5.00 | $3.40 |
| Spreadsheet project with answer files | $10.00 | $6.79 |
| Full personal finance unit | $20.00 | $13.58 |
| Semester course bundle | $50.00 | $33.95 |
Each payout is price x 0.97 x 0.70. There are no listing or membership fees. If you want a combined bundle, it is only created with your approval, and revenue is shared in proportion to the regular prices of the items inside. Check your own numbers in the payout calculator.
What should CTE and career readiness authors watch out for?
Career and technical courses often align with industry certifications or state program standards. You can say which skills a resource covers, but do not copy certification exam content or present a resource as an official prep course for a credential unless the credential body has authorized it. The same caution applies to software: "spreadsheet skills" or "practice in common spreadsheet software" is safer than implying a partnership.
Career resources also invite personal details. Use invented names and sample resumes, never a real student's work, and make sure nothing in the files identifies a real person. Resources must contain no personal data of real students.
Finally, label the audience. A resume lesson written for US high schoolers uses "resume" and US conventions; a version for UK sixth form might talk about a CV and personal statement. Saying which in the description saves a buyer a disappointing download.
How do I send my business resources to TeachLessons?
Start with the application form, which takes about five minutes. We then email you the seller documents, including the Resource Submission List, an Excel sheet with one row per resource. Fill in file names, title, subject, grades, type, price and a short description, sign the agreement and send everything in one email to support@stifo.de with your files, previews and thumbnails (PNG or JPEG). Large sets can go as one Drive, Dropbox or WeTransfer link.
We confirm receipt within 2 business days, write your product pages and set up your author page. Resources go live as soon as they are set up, with no separate approval round, so check formulas and links first. You are paid monthly by the 15th via PayPal in US dollars.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a real company like a fast food chain in a business case study?
You can mention real companies factually in your own words. Leave out logos and brand images, avoid copying their published text, and do not suggest the company endorses your resource.
Should I send Excel files or Google Sheets links?
Either works. Send XLSX files inside a ZIP, or a Google link that makes a copy and opens without a login. Including both is helpful for teachers who use different tools.
Can I sell personal finance resources with tax brackets in them?
Yes, but figures like tax brackets and wage rates change. Many authors leave a blank for students to look up the current number, or add a version date so buyers know when it was written.
What do I earn on a $20 personal finance unit?
You earn $13.58 per sale: $20 x 0.97 x 0.70.
Can I sell a business plan project I already sell on my own website?
Yes. There is no exclusivity with TeachLessons, so you can keep selling it on your own site and elsewhere, unless another agreement makes that resource exclusive.
Can I sell resources for an industry certification course?
You can sell your own lessons that teach the skills. Do not copy certification exam content or call the resource official prep unless the certifying body has authorized it.
Ready to sell your teaching resources?
Apply with the short form. We email you the seller documents, you send your final files with previews and thumbnails, and we set up your product pages, your author page and landing pages. You keep 70% of net revenue, with no fees and no exclusivity.
Keep reading
General information about the TeachLessons Seller Program, not legal, tax or financial advice. The signed Seller Agreement sets out the binding terms. Questions: support@stifo.de.