• adelaide

Innovation and Entrepreneurship for a New Business

Bring your business idea to life as you gain the entrepreneurial skills to identify your customers, competition, and USP.

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Innovation and Entrepreneurship for a New Business

  • 4 weeks

  • 1 hour per week

  • Digital certificate when eligible

  • Introductory level

Find out more about how to join this course

Develop your business idea with The University of Adelaide

To take your business idea from concept to reality, you need a strategy to help set you up for success.

This four-week course from The University of Adelaide will arm you with that strategy and equip you with essential entrepreneurial skills to successfully launch your business idea.

Guided by industry experts, you’ll learn how to effectively identify your competition, conduct consumer research, and build your network. With this knowledge, you’ll have the tools to start, run, and grow your new business.

Identify your customer needs by creating a customer persona

Understanding your customers is crucial for any business.

On the course, you’ll learn how to create a detailed profile of your ideal customer by developing a customer persona. This will help you understand what your customer needs, what motivates them, and what pain points they have.

With this understanding, you’ll learn how to identify your unique selling point and offer value – helping you connect with your customers better and stand out from the competition.

Discover the importance of business networking

Next, you’ll discover tips to build and maintain your business network.

Within this, you’ll unpack the importance of branding and pitching as you learn the strategies for building brand awareness.

Master the fundamentals of business planning

Finally, you’ll learn how to make a business plan that includes strategies for learning and developing your team’s skills.

You’ll discover how continuous learning and development is key in creating a skills-based organisation as you learn how to evaluate your team’s ability and find gaps.

By the end of the course, you’ll have a solid strategy to follow to turn your business idea into a reality.

Skip to 0 minutes and 10 seconds Are you tired of feeling unsure about how to grow your business? Our Entrepreneurship and Innovation for a New Business course is here to help you gain the knowledge and confidence you need to succeed. Whether you’re a new business owner or an experienced professional seeking to upskill, this course is perfect for you. With over 100 million businesses starting every year and only 50% being profitable in the first three years, it’s crucial to focus on the right areas from the start. So, learn practical skills that you can apply to your business immediately, giving your new business a higher chance of success. Don’t let your business fall behind.

Skip to 0 minutes and 45 seconds Enrol now in Entrepreneurship and Innovation for a New Business and take your first step towards achieving your goals.

Syllabus

  • Week 1

    How do you develop your idea, identify your competition, and conduct consumer research?

    • Getting started

      This section includes all the information you will need to get started in this course.

    • Introduction to Week 1

      Let's take a look ahead to see what we'll be covering this week.

    • Identifying an idea

      Explore how you can identify ideas for your business, including through brainstorming.

    • Identifying your target market

      Find out how to identify your target market.

    • Mapping competitors

      Review different approaches for mapping your competitors

    • Consumer research

      Explore how we can use consumer research to inform our decisions.

    • Assessment

      How well have you learned this week's content? Take this test to check your knowledge.

    • Bringing it all together

      Let's reflect on what we've covered this week and take a look at what's coming up next.

  • Week 2

    How do you evaluate value and need?

    • Introduction to Week 2

      Let's take a look ahead to see what we'll be covering this week.

    • Identifying value

      Explore how we can identify value in both for-profit and non-profit organisations.

    • Customer pain points and needs

      Find out how to identify your customer pain points and needs, and how to use this knowledge for your business.

    • Unique value propositions in business

      Find out how to identify your business's unique value proposition.

    • Assessment

      How well have you learned this week's content? Take this test to check your knowledge.

    • Bringing it all together

      Let's reflect on what we've covered this week and take a look at what's coming up next.

  • Week 3

    How do you build your network?

    • Introduction to Week 3

      Let's take a look ahead to see what we'll be covering this week.

    • Importance of a network

      Find out more about business networking and why it's so important.

    • Building and maintaining a network

      Learn how to build and maintain a network, including a unique case study of successful networking.

    • Branding and pitching

      Learn strategies for building your brand, and develop your own 30-second business pitch.

    • Assessment

      How well have you learned this week's content? Take this test to check your knowledge.

    • Bringing it all together

      Let's reflect on what we've covered this week and take a look at what's coming up next.

  • Week 4

    How do you build a business plan incorporating learning and development?

    • Introduction to Week 4

      Let's take a look ahead to see what we'll be covering this week.

    • Business planning

      Find out how to include a learning and development strategy in your business plan.

    • Assessing the skills of your team

      Learn how to assess and build a team with the right composition of skills.

    • Learning and development

      Find out how to use learning and development to build skills, and attract retain and talent in your team.

    • Reflecting on progress

      Explore how to measure and reflect on the success of your learning and development strategy.

    • Assessment

      How well have you learned this week's content? Take this test to check your knowledge.

    • Bringing it all together

      Let's reflect on what we've covered this week and take a look at what's coming up next.

    • What's next?

      Let's reflect on the course and further learning opportunities.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Evaluate market research which aims to identify existing competition based on an idea.
  • Explain value and need, and how they can be effectively incorporated into core business planning activities.
  • Describe the components of a valuable network that incorporates innovative approaches.
  • Identify an effective business plan while considering key provisioning.
  • Identify tools and strategies for idea generation and innovative practices.

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for new or existing business owners who want to grow their business and develop entrepreneurial skills.

You’ll become empowered as you gain practical skills in starting, running, and growing your business.

Who will you learn with?

I am passionate about creating engaging experiences for learners. I currently teach in a Master of Business Administration program. In 2019 I did a TEDx talk and founded a mental health non-profit.

Who developed the course?

The University of Adelaide

The University of Adelaide is a world-class teaching and research institution. They are committed to developing quality students and lifelong learners who are recognised for their skills, creativity, global outlook and ability to succeed.

  • World ranking

    Top 110Source: QS World University Rankings 2023

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Ways to learn

Choose the best way to learn for you!

Subscribe & save

$27.99

For the first two months. Automatically renews

Develop skills to further your career

  • Access to this course
  • Access to 1,000+ courses
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Tests to boost your learning
  • Digital certificate when you're eligible

Cancel for free anytime

Buy this course

$129/one-off payment

Fulfill your current learning need

  • Access to this course
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Tests to boost your learning
  • Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible

Limited access

Free

Sample the course materials

  • Access expires 8 Jan 2024

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

T&Cs apply.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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