Course Objectives
Lean Startup Entrepreneurship Course – Learning Objectives
create develop and boost your own business
Introduction
This course is shaped as a business idea competition and consists of three phases:
• Defining a business idea for your startup
• Turning a business idea into a validated business model
• Turning a validated business model in a viable startup
The learning objectives of each phase are described in the next paragraphs.
Round 1: Introduction Entrepreneurship & Idea generation
Me entrepreneur?!
• Understand what starting your own business means
• Understand which characteristics a successful entrepreneur has
• Understand which skills you need to become a successful entrepreneur
• Understand possible motives to start your own business or join a startup
• Understand possible obstacles to start your own business
• Understand reasons for startup failure
Core concepts for entrepreneurship
• Understand the most important elements of the lean startup philosophy:
• create real value
• grow your business
• use experiments to validate and grow your business
• changing course (pivot) if needed
• Understand the necessity of a vision for your business
• Understand the necessity to define success for your business
• Understand how difficult it is to start your own businesses
• Understand the importance of a strong team
• Understand the key roles you need to fulfill as an entrepreneur
Business ideas
• Understand 5 basic methods to generate business ideas
• Learn how to create business ideas using different methods
• Understand which characteristics successful business ideas have
• Learn how to formulate a convincing, viable business idea
• Learn how to pitch your business idea
Participants with promising business ideas are granted access to phase 2. The best business ideas get a mentor to help them in the next phases of the competition.
Round 2 From business idea to validated business model
The lean canvas and building up your startup team are central elements in phase 2. An expert or entrepreneur gives a live webinar on the main topic of the week and the participants study and discuss the learning material. They deliver a proof to show they master the topic. The learning objectives are described below.
Understanding your customers and market
• Understand the problem - solution fit of your idea
• Understand basic methods to test the problem - solution fit of your startup
• Understand how Facebook and Google can support market research
• Understand how to choose a favorable market segment
• Learn how to test demand-related assumptions of your product
Growth Strategies
• Understand main strategies for sales growth
• online selling
• communicating your message
• selling in person
• partnerships
• Understand what a sales funnel is
• Understand what an AB test is
• Learn how to apply a growth strategy in practice
Making money and financing your business
• Learn common revenue models for businesses
• Understand what a break-even-point is
• Understand popular types of sources to fund your business
• Understand possible motives of investors
• Understand the importance of liquidity
• Learn how to test key financial assumptions of your business
Building a winning team
• Understand the importance of a strong team
• Understand what to look for when choosing co-founders
• Understand revenue sharing options for founders
• Understand risks that kill partnerships with co-founders
• Understand factors that influence team motivation
• Understand how to hire a first employee
• Understand how advisors can help your startup
• Understand what success metrics are
• Learn how to create a Startup success dashboard