Small Business Entrepreneurship
Starting a Business
Rice University’s online business courses for entrepreneurs provide a convenient, yet interactive and hands-on, way to learn or brush up on practical entrepreneurship skills.
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Rice University’s online business courses for entrepreneurs provide a convenient, yet interactive and hands-on, way to learn or brush up on practical entrepreneurship skills.
Rice University’s online business courses for entrepreneurs provide a convenient, yet interactive and hands-on, way to learn or brush up on practical entrepreneurship skills.
Taught by industry professionals from Rice Business, the #1-ranked Entrepreneurship Graduate Program in the U.S. (Princeton Review, Entrepreneur Magazine), learners will explore the entire entrepreneurial journey, from conceptualizing a business idea to crafting a business model canvas, pitch deck and business plan draft. Through a combination of engaging lectures, practical case studies, group discussions, interviews, and hands-on exercises, students will gain invaluable insights into the principles and best practices that define successful small business ventures.
Recommendation: As a next step in your business venture, we recommend completing the second course in this series, Small Business Entrepreneurship – Marketing a Business, after completing Starting a Business.
What's inside
Learning objectives
- You will be able to:
- Generate and assess business ideas, identifying their market potential and feasibility through market research and validation techniques.
- Identify the elements of a modern business model and plan, including financial projections, marketing strategies, operational structure, and risk analysis.
- Explore various sources of funding for small businesses, from bootstrapping and angel investors to venture capital and crowdfunding.
- Familiarize yourself with marketing strategies to reach target audiences, build a strong brand identity, and create a competitive advantage in the market.
- Develop the entrepreneurial mindset required to tackle challenges, bounce back from failures, and stay motivated throughout your entrepreneurial journey.
- You will be able to:
- Generate and assess business ideas, identifying their market potential and feasibility through market research and validation techniques.
- Identify the elements of a modern business model and plan, including financial projections, marketing strategies, operational structure, and risk analysis.
- Explore various sources of funding for small businesses, from bootstrapping and angel investors to venture capital and crowdfunding.
- Familiarize yourself with marketing strategies to reach target audiences, build a strong brand identity, and create a competitive advantage in the market.
- Develop the entrepreneurial mindset required to tackle challenges, bounce back from failures, and stay motivated throughout your entrepreneurial journey.
Good to know
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Activities
Review financial accounting concepts
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Brush up on your financial accounting skills to better understand your business's financial performance
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Financial Accounting
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Start a business plan
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Create a business plan to develop your ideas and concepts for a successful business venture
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Business Plan
Show steps
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Research your industry and target market
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Define your business goals and objectives
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Develop a marketing and sales strategy
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Create a financial plan
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Write an executive summary
Read 'The Lean Startup'
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Gain insights into the principles of lean entrepreneurship, including iterative development and customer validation
View
The Startup Way: How Modern Companies Use...
on Amazon
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Four other activities
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Conduct customer interviews
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Conduct customer interviews to gather feedback and validate your business ideas
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Customer Interviews
Show steps
-
Identify your target audience
-
Develop a list of interview questions
-
Schedule and conduct interviews
-
Analyze the data and identify patterns
Create a pitch deck
Show steps
Develop a pitch deck to present your business idea to investors and potential partners
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Pitch Deck
Show steps
-
Summarize your business concept and market opportunity
-
Highlight your team's experience and qualifications
-
Describe your business model and revenue streams
-
Outline your financial projections and growth strategy
-
Include a call to action and ask for funding
Develop a financial model
Show steps
Create a financial model to forecast your business's financial performance and identify potential risks
Show steps
-
Estimate your revenue streams
-
Calculate your operating expenses
-
Predict your profit margin
-
Run sensitivity analysis
Attend industry conferences and meetups
Show steps
Attend industry events to learn from experts, network with potential clients and partners, and stay up-to-date on the latest trends
Show steps
Review financial accounting concepts
Show steps
Brush up on your financial accounting skills to better understand your business's financial performance
Browse courses on
Financial Accounting
Show steps
Start a business plan
Show steps
Create a business plan to develop your ideas and concepts for a successful business venture
Browse courses on
Business Plan
Show steps
- Research your industry and target market
- Define your business goals and objectives
- Develop a marketing and sales strategy
- Create a financial plan
- Write an executive summary
Read 'The Lean Startup'
Show steps
Gain insights into the principles of lean entrepreneurship, including iterative development and customer validation
View
The Startup Way: How Modern Companies Use...
on Amazon
Show steps
Conduct customer interviews
Show steps
Conduct customer interviews to gather feedback and validate your business ideas
Browse courses on
Customer Interviews
Show steps
- Identify your target audience
- Develop a list of interview questions
- Schedule and conduct interviews
- Analyze the data and identify patterns
Create a pitch deck
Show steps
Develop a pitch deck to present your business idea to investors and potential partners
Browse courses on
Pitch Deck
Show steps
- Summarize your business concept and market opportunity
- Highlight your team's experience and qualifications
- Describe your business model and revenue streams
- Outline your financial projections and growth strategy
- Include a call to action and ask for funding
Develop a financial model
Show steps
Create a financial model to forecast your business's financial performance and identify potential risks
Show steps
- Estimate your revenue streams
- Calculate your operating expenses
- Predict your profit margin
- Run sensitivity analysis
Attend industry conferences and meetups
Show steps
Attend industry events to learn from experts, network with potential clients and partners, and stay up-to-date on the latest trends
Show steps
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