Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is an individual’s ability to turn ideas into action. It includes creativity, innovation and risk-taking, as well as the ability to plan and manage projects in order to achieve the set goal and objectives.They have to be passionate and skilled. Maybe passion cannot be taught, but skills can.
An entrepreneur is a person devoted to creating something of value for the people, the society and of course the economy. Apart from the financial reward, an entrepreneur also has a sense of personal pride and satisfaction for his achievements.
According to conventional wisdom, entrepreneurship is solely an innate trait. Nothing can be further from the truth. Entrepreneurship is a learned skill which can be honed through crisp executions. The common myth is that all entrepreneurs are charismatic and that their charisma is a key factor in success. In fact, while charisma may be effective for a short period, it is difficult to sustain.Instead, research shows that more important than being charismatic, entrepreneurs need to be effective communicators, recruiters and salespeople. The critical skills to become a successful Entrepreneur are not genetically gifted to a few lucky souls. People can adapt and learn new behaviours, and Entrepreneurship therefore can be broken down into discrete behaviours and processes that can be taught.
Entrepreneurship education prepares people to be responsible and enterprising individuals. It helps people develop the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to build a successful and sustainable business model. Entrepreneurship-focused programs teach students crucial life skills that will help them navigate this uncertain future. These skills include problem-solving, teamwork, empathy, as well as learning to accept failure as a part of the growth process. Evidence also shows that people with entrepreneurial education are more employable.
Entrepreneurship education helps improve their cognition, constantly adjust their thoughts and actions, and make their entrepreneurship more directional, coherent and meaningful. General education focuses on the overall development of students, and the entrepreneurial curriculum system lays the foundation for the overall improvement of students’ entrepreneurial ability. From observation to participation, the social learning network provides multi-level learning channels for student entrepreneurs to continuously improve their skills in learning and practice. Therefore, entrepreneurship education might enhance the confidence of the students that he will be able to solve new and unexpected problems.
Courses
The Following are some of the courses in Entrepreneurship:
PG Diploma in Management in Business Entrepreneurship: A postgraduate diploma course with a duration of 2 years.
The PGDM–BE two-year, full-time programme has been designed specifically for entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial managers to encourage critical and lateral thinking, nurture their ambitions, and enable new ventures through an academically rigorous, directly relevant and highly practical learning experience. The course is offered through six trimesters over two years.
PGDM-BE offers three different specializations:
- New Enterprise Creation (NEC): The objective of this specialization is to prepare students in identifying, initiating, managing and growing a business enterprise. Students opting for this specialization are expected to develop a Project Feasibility and Viability Report (Detailed Project Report or DPR) on the business ideas identified by them for which an intense mentoring support will be provided.
- Family Business Management (FBM): The objective of this specialization is to develop wards as enterprising, knowledgeable successors/ owners of their family businesses for competitive and sustainable growth. Established principles and practices of managing and growing family businesses are dealt in-depth. Students opting for this specialization are expected to develop a Five Years Perspective Plan or FYPP of their respective family firms for which an intense mentoring support will be provided
- Social Entrepreneurship (SE): The objective of this specialization is to provide students with a new orientation and way of thinking to organise and lead sustainable development through social innovation and entrepreneurship. The course aims at developing entrepreneurial skills and thinking frames for students who will lead sustainable economic, social and environmental projects in their future professions. Students opting for this specialization are expected to develop a Detailed Project Report or DPR on their chosen Course of Independent Studies.
Fellow Programme in Management (FPM): A research programme in entrepreneurship education to create scholars and thought leaders who can in turn, promote entrepreneurship widely.
The programme is designed to address the gaps in the availability of trained educators, researchers, business consultants and resource persons in entrepreneurship at higher learning institutions/professional organisations/ Government departments/industry in India. The cadre of academicians thus created will raise the standards of education and research, thereby ensuring wider acceptance of entrepreneurship as a career option in the society.
The FPM shall highlight on the following:
- Foundation of theoretical, empirical and applied aspects in major areas of Entrepreneurship.
- Interdisciplinary research and training of high quality.
- Networking with leading entrepreneurship and research institutions globally.
- Professional ethics and intellectual honesty.
- Proficient activities and joint academic efforts.
MBA (Family Business & Entrepreneurship)
The MBA in Family Business & Entrepreneurship programme is spread over two academic years. An academic year is divided into three terms of about twelve weeks each. The first three terms consist of compulsory (foundation) courses, while the next three terms consist of mostly elective courses offered in two streams of specialisation: (a) Entrepreneurship (MBA in Entrepreneurship), and (b) Family Business Management (MBA in Family Business Management). The curriculum also includes 4 weeks of summer internship where the students are required to work in an organisation on a real management problem. The summer internship is scheduled during summer break at the end of the first year of the programme.
The students are also required to prepare a Business Plan in the second year. Besides, they are required to undertake an industry visit either in India or abroad and prepare a report on their visit.
MBA Entrepreneurship & Innovation Track (MBA E&I Track)
The Entrepreneurship & Innovation (E&I) Track is for students within the MIT Sloan School of Management MBA program who already have a strong commitment to an entrepreneurial life technology-based or not, as well as for those who want to learn more about entrepreneurship as a part of their future managerial careers.
The E&I Track focuses on learning how to launch and develop innovative and emerging technology companies and emphasizes the integration of academic and practitioner lessons, team practice, and real-world application in entrepreneurship.
As a student in the E&I Track, you will:
- Gain exposure to key MIT faculty, staff, and key entrepreneurship resources
- Meet and work with a cohort of like-minded peers early in the MBA program
- Tap into a global entrepreneurship network.
Enrollment is on a first-come, first-served basis and requires a written statement of application during the summer prior to your entry to MIT Sloan. Admission is tentative until you have completed a brief online E&I survey of your background and interests.
A wait list is maintained for those who exceed the maximum number permitted by classroom constraints. Many students are admitted to the E&I Track from the Wait List prior to the cutoff deadline in mid-September.
Eligibility Criteria
PG Diploma in Management in Business Entrepreneurship: Any Bachelor’s degree with not less than 50%
Fellow Programme in Management (FPM):Masters or equivalent in any discipline with not less than 60%
MBA (Family Business & Entrepreneurship): Any 3 years degree with not less than 50%
Entrance Examination
For NRI/PIO only GMAT accepted
Institutions
Institutions offering various courses in Entrepreneurship
| Name of the institution | Course |
|---|---|
| Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, Ahmedabad (EDII) | PGDM-BE, FPM |
| Nirma Institute of Management ( Nirma University), Ahmedabad | MBA (Family Business & Entrepreneurship) |
| Center for MIT Entrepreneurship, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA | MBA E&I Track |
Online courses for Entrepreneurs
Learning How to Learn: The popular Coursera class “Learning How to Learn” gives a glimpse into the learning styles and tricks that artists, musicians, writers, mathematicians, scientists, athletes and other experts swear by.
The course, which takes 12 to 16 hours to complete, dives into brain science to explain to students what’s really going on when they’re trying to retain new information, focusing on two different learning “modes.” It also details how the human brain “chunks” information, storing it in a way that will make it easier to retain later. Plus, it dispels common misconceptions people have about how they learn best.
Overall, the course is designed to help anyone, at any level, studying any subject, change their approach and be more successful learners. Even if you think you’ve mastered a subject, you may have more to learn about how to apply that knowledge, which this course can also help with.
Course link :https://www.classcentral.com/course/learning-how-to-learn
Intro to Artificial Intelligence: Whether or not you already work directly with AI in your job or company, chances are you interact with it indirectly in your personal and professional life. For a crash course on AI and its applications, head to Udacity for Intro to Artificial Intelligence.
Over a four-month span, students learn the basics of machine learning, as well as how statistics, logic and planning come into play with AI. From there, they move onto the applications lesson segment of the course, which provides insights into image processing, natural language and processing robotics.
This online learning program is based on a course offered at Stanford University, taught by Sebastian Thrun, co-founder of Udacity, CEO of the Kitty Hawk Corporationand founder of Google’s self-driving car project, and Peter Norvig, director of research at Google. There is a prerequisite for the course, however: a background in probability theory and linear algebra.
Instead of letting robots take over the world, why not learn how they work and how we can control them? There are a variety of online courses that will teach you the basics of robotics, such as how to build them and their history, anatomy and more. FutureLearn’s Begin Robotics explores the history, anatomy and intelligence of robots.
Course link:https://www.udacity.com/course/intro-to-artificial-intelligence
Google IT Support Professional Certificate Specialization: If you’re running a small operation with a team of folks who each wear a lot of hats, the Google IT Support Professional Certificate Specialization might be an effective way to acquire tech support skills for your company.
Google and Coursera announced their partnership on the program earlier this year, initially offering scholarships to cover costs of those interested in preparing for entry-level IT work. Since then, they’ve opened the five-course program to the public — and it’s applicable to all aspiring in-person and remote IT professionals, not just those looking for a foot in the door at Google.
The certificate program, which takes about eight months to complete at eight to 10 hours a week, involves “video lectures, quizzes and hand-on labs and widgets.” Students learn the fundamentals of IT troubleshooting and customer service, operating systems, system administration security and more.
Course link:.https://www.coursera.org/professional-certificates/google-it-support
The Complete Crowdfunding Course for Kickstarter & Indiegogo: Udemy, another online learning marketplace, hosts a vast range of courses for entrepreneurs at all experience levels. But for those seeking funding to get a product off the ground, the Complete Crowdfunding Course is a great place to start.
The four-hour course provides a “step-by-step approach to growth hack your crowdfunding campaign,” from the lead-up to the campaign launch to the follow-through after it ends. It helps students decide whether a crowdfunding campaign is right for them, shares tips for the market research and pre-sell process, helps you track your campaign with analytics tools and more. It also shares valuable insights into the Kickstarter and Indiegogo algorithms.
Courselink: https://www.udemy.com/share/101ZN8
How to Come Up With Killer Business Ideas: Complete Workshop: If you’ve been slogging away at a job that doesn’t fuel your passion, and you dream of starting a side hustle or quitting to try entrepreneurship, the first thing you need is a great idea. If you have a concept in mind and want help shaping it into a viable business, start with this workshop on How to Come Up With Killer Business Ideas.
In this seven-hour course, instructor, experienced VC and Sprintkick founder Evan Kimbrell reassures students that some of today’s most successful businesses “started with an idea that was terrible,” and that their founders experienced “failure, ridicule and frustration.”
Getting from “terrible” idea to wildly successful business requires a set of skills, which Kimbrell outlines. These include assessing the marketability of an idea, spotting market inefficiencies and implementing cutting-edge business models. The course covers goal-setting, testing and more and is a fit for aspiring entrepreneurs or “veteran entrepreneurs who want to master the skill of idea generation,” according to its description.
Course link: https://www.udemy.com/share/101XZ0
Productivity and Time Management for the Overwhelmed: It might seem counterintuitive to think about carving out time for a course titled Productivity and Time Management for the Overwhelmed when you’re already feeling overbooked, but consider it an investment.
It only takes two hours to complete, and its description acknowledges how busy its prospective students are with the warning: “schedule time to take the course with your full attention.”
The course diagnoses inefficiencies in how students manage their time and helps them construct a plan to boost productivity. It helps anyone who’s overwhelmed take control of both their mindset and their energy level, as well as develop new daily habits and strategies that jibe with their personality. It doesn’t just encourage learners to stop procrastinating, but it examines why they may be doing so by addressing “silent killers” of productivity, from “waiting for things to be perfect” to “the myth of multitasking.”
Course link: https://www.udemy.com/share/101X9m
Critical Thinking: Entrepreneurs are some of the best problem-solvers out there, but everyone has room to brush up on the critical thinking skills necessary to fulfill societal needs and improve efficiency.
Clocking in at just one hour and six minutes, the Critical Thinking course on Lynda.com can benefit anyone. It reminds students that the most effective thinkers are those who make conclusions for themselves, rather than leaning on others. Critical thinking requires self-reflection and information synthesis, and this course shares strategies for how to get to the root cause of a problem, define it, break it down into smaller increments, ask the right questions including the “five whys” and “seven so-whats” and more.
The course also incorporates tools for learners who want to pass on what they’ve learned to others, such as members of a team, and help them become better critical thinkers as well.
Course link: Critical Thinking
Body Language for Entrepreneurs: Whether you’re leading a meeting, negotiating with partners or making a media appearance, it’s crucial that you master Body Language for Entrepreneurs.
This course teaches “nonverbal communication to increase your income and influence as a business owner” in a variety of scenarios including networking, public speaking and delivering an elevator pitch, in order to nail not just what you say, but how you say it. On the flip side, students can apply the strategies they learn from this course to get a better read on prospective hires, potential clients and others.
As the course description points out, “93 percent of our communication is nonverbal,” and it’s visible in your online presence, during your interactions with customers, as you connect with colleagues and in just about every other professional scenario involving another human being.
Course link: Body Language for Entrepreneurs
The Science of Well-Being: The Science of Well-Being is a 15-hour course that defines what makes people happy and how they can achieve happiness for themselves. It was created by Laurie Santos, a professor of psychology and cognitive science at Yale University who teaches “Psychology and the Good Life,” the school’s most popular course, according to The New York Times.
With a foundation in psychological research, the 15-hour course explores common misconceptions about happiness, how biases influence well-being and how to overcome them, and ways in which re-evaluating one’s expectations can help.
From there, the course describes how students can build new habits to increase their happiness. Santos uses the term “rewirement” for this process of shifting one’s mindset and harnessing the environment and support network around them to improve their well-being. Over four weeks, she guides students through implementing a new wellness strategy as the final assignment for the course.
Course link: The Science of Well-Being by Yale University
Managing in Difficult Times: When the going gets tough, leaders have to step up. And the way managers comport themselves during those times is the true test of their leadership ability. The hour-long course Managing in Difficult Times provides an overview of how to weather any obstacle or lull, despite low morale.
For one, preparedness is key. This course explains why foreseeing and accounting for tough times is crucial, despite a leader’s need to balance this instinct with optimism. Then, when those difficult times inevitably come, it’s up to the leader to react in a way that keeps the team on track, productive and willing to carry on.
From empathy — seeing things through an employee or team member’s eyes — to cost-cutting to seizing opportunity even when things seem bleak, this course is designed to make leaders more self-aware and ready to take responsibility for and overcome challenges.
Course link : Managing in Difficult Times