Entrepreneurship (ENT)

ENT 500  The Entrepreneurial Mindset  (4 Credits)  

This highly interactive course explores how entrepreneurs think and innovate. In the course, students will explore new paths to innovation and growth which includes understanding and incorporating the behaviors and thought processes unique to entrepreneurs. Students will incorporate entrepreneurial thinking and behavior into a process of a new venture or current positions, as intrapreneurs. The course will also provide a brief overview of tools that can be utilized to manage internal and external processes. Students will explore creative problem solving and, in teams, develop and test problem solutions using a "business model canvas" approach.

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  1. Appraise the attitudes, values, characteristics, behaviors, and processes associated with possessing an entrepreneurial mindset and engaging in successful appropriate entrepreneurial behavior.
  2. Examine what is meant by entrepreneurship and innovation from both a theoretical and practical perspective, and the role of the entrepreneur in the new enterprise creation process.
  3. Critique an entrepreneurial process / journey, reflecting on inherent paradoxes associated with entrepreneurship.
  4. Create a personal development plan for future entrepreneurial action and continued learning based on personal reflection and external feedback.
  5. Apply the concepts and frameworks that underlie the entrepreneurial mindset, in a team situation, to generate ideas, solve problems, explore opportunities, and offer and communicate a solution to a pre-defined problem.

ENT 600  Launching and Managing Entrepreneurial Ventures  (4 Credits)  

This course is designed for students interested in the steps required to start a new business venture. The focus will be on creating a new venture and covers in detail six key aspects related to the entrepreneurial process, including: introduction to “lean” entrepreneurship principles; business model design and assessment; legal issues in venture creation; new venture marketing and customer acquisition strategy; and new venture financial planning. The curriculum will also focus on all aspects of entrepreneurship, including: idea generation and business plan creation; forming a company; recruiting a team of key employees and advisors; developing a product/service; raising capital; business development / sales / marketing; board and investor relations; and fostering a strong business culture. Example assignments may include oral presentations, written new venture plans and discussions with classmates. PREREQUISITE: ENT 500 The Entrepreneurial Mindset

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  1. Describe the entrepreneurial decision-making process – from business model design to the launch of the new venture.
  2. Test entrepreneurial ideas using a creative "lean canvas" approach to constructing a business model.
  3. Refine and validate business models and product/service offerings, and prepare formal "pitches" for potential investors and partners.
  4. Apply entrepreneurial and teamwork skills in finding, evaluating and beginning the process of implementing new venture concepts.
  5. Develop a wide range of strategic, financial and human resource planning skills necessary to the new venture planning process.

ENT 603  Entrepreneurial Finance  (4 Credits)  

This course studies the financial strategies needed to support a new venture. Students investigate sources of funding and analyze investment strategies unique to the start-up. Planning for the funding aspect of a new venture is critical and this course will address the alternative sources of funds for carrying out the mission of the venture. This would include: understanding financial institutions (financial bootstrapping, external financing, angel investors, venture capitalists, founders, and banks) that provide risk capital for such firms. An entrepreneur needs to understand how to identify a business opportunity as well as how to marshal resources (especially capital) to a business opportunity. Topics addressed include financial statements, pro forma statements, cost of capital, break-even, financial ratios, investor expectations, and exit strategies. Recommended: ENT 500 The Entrepreneurial Mindset

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  1. Assess sources and processes related to funding new business.
  2. Apply theory to create a crowdfunding pitch for angel investors, venture capitalists, private equity and other ecosystem stakeholders.
  3. Calculate the financial needs to successfully start and operate a new venture.
  4. Differentiate debt capital from equity capital while determining the cost associated with borrowing.
  5. Assess and compare stakeholders and resources within the entrepreneurial ecosystem in order to decide on the market making strategies and access to financial resources.

ENT 607  Legalities and Ethics of Entrepreneurship  (4 Credits)  

This course will examine the legal and ethical issues and problems faced by entrepreneurs in their journey, specifically from conception of an idea, to the creation and operations of a company, to the launch of a product or service, and finally to the sale of the company or investment by venture capitalists and everything in between. Topics may include the legal, ethical, and regulatory frameworks of intellectual property (trade secrets, patents, trademarks, and copyright), business and corporate issues, business entity structure and formation, taxation, contracts, operations and personnel, and raising capital through traditional and alternative methods. Recommended: ENT 500 The Entrepreneurial Mindset

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  1. Assess employment law factors facing entrepreneurs.
  2. Investigate intellectual property law for entrepreneurs.
  3. Determine the legal, ethical, and regulatory issues applicable to entrepreneurs.
  4. Differentiate the business formation options for entrepreneurial ventures.
  5. Examine the regulatory obligations and contractual responsibilities applicable to entrepreneurial ventures.
  6. Outline steps that protect entrepreneurs from taxation issues and other risks.

ENT 611  Entrepreneurial Marketing  (4 Credits)  

This course clarifies key marketing concepts, methods, and strategic issues relevant for start-up and early-stage entrepreneurs. Course topics involve identifying market opportunities, creating and screening new ideas, writing concepts, concept testing, new product forecasting, prototyping, and building a business case with assumptions about market entry strategy and launch marketing. The goal is to help students learn how to use state-of-the-art techniques to identify markets, develop new product ideas, measure customer benefits, and design profitable new products. Because there is no universal marketing solution applicable to all entrepreneurial ventures, this course is designed to help students develop a flexible way of thinking about marketing problems in general.

Prerequisite(s): MKTG 514 Principles of Marketing.

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Outline the marketing objectives (e.g. market segmentation, target marketing, and market positioning) for new ventures.
  2. Differentiate between innovative marketing strategies for entrepreneurs.
  3. Distinguish the key marketing strategies for entrepreneurial ventures.
  4. Develop a marketing mix (e.g. price, product, place, and promotion) for new ventures.
  5. Determine the effectiveness of innovative marketing strategy.