Entrepreneurship

Ever had an idea you thought would make a great business? You’re not alone – some of the best, most successful companies started with an idea just like that coupled with the drive, passion, and expertise of a brave entrepreneur. This course in Entrepreneurship focuses on conceiving and recognizing a business opportunity and developing that opportunity into a successful venture, whether an independent company or a new division of the company you already work for. Starting a successful venture from scratch requires navigating through a number of challenges whether legal or economic considerations and also requires the mastery of certain controlling functions independent of a great idea. Whether faced with accounting, finance, marketing, or management issues, successful entrepreneurs have the initiative and drive to take on all of these unique challenges and get their product or service to market. In this course in Entrepreneurship, students will learn how responsibility and initiative are encouraged as business strategies are conceived and worked through into a promising business plan for a successful venture. Actually devising a comprehensive business plan from start to finish, students who complete this Entrepreneurship course will gain a firm understanding of the many factors that go into a successful business plan and what it takes to really get your great idea off the ground.

This course introduces students to the challenges and opportunities of entrepreneurship. It includes sound academic theory, success stories, case studies, and exercises in critical thinking to help students develop the understanding, skills, and plans needed to start a successful new business.

Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Create components of a viable business plan
• Demonstrate management, leadership, and communication skills for running and growing a business
• Demonstrate techniques for analyzing costs, preparing financial documents, and reporting requirements
• Design an effective strategy for marketing, customer service, selling, and relationship building
• Create a plan for researching, securing, and managing the financial aspects of the enterprise
• Devise a plan for business operations that will ensure the business delivers on its promises to customers