How to Become an Entrepreneur: From Design Thinking to SWOT Analysis
Gain expert knowledge in developing and evaluating your own business opportunity in a range of entrepreneurial environments.
Duration
Approx 10 weeks5 hrs per week
Find out how innovation and entrepreneurship affect society and global business
What’s the key to being a world-leading entrepreneur?
This ExpertTrack blends theory and practice to enhance your understanding of sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship. You’ll have the opportunity to examine the tools needed to set up your own venture – or to bring an innovative and entrepreneurial vision to an existing organisation.
You’ll have a chance to learn how to create value, how to manage innovation and how to tackle the challenges facing new business ventures.
And you’ll find out how to recognise the structural changes that lead to entrepreneurial opportunities and innovation by drawing on your own experiences, using case studies and real-life examples.
Learn the business benefits of social entrepreneurship
Social entrepreneurs don’t just make businesses more successful – they help make the world a better place. You can find out how to create social value through innovation and ‘intrapreneurship’ – the practice of acting like an entrepreneur to be a better leader and problem-solver.
Discover how business ethics can supercharge your startup
What are the challenges and issues of being more ethical in business? From the gender balance and entrepreneurship in different cultures to fostering a more ethical workplace, you’ll discover the strategies, innovation management and types of innovation required to build a more future-minded organisation.
FAQs:
Will this ExpertTrack cover how to do a SWOT analysis?
A SWOT analysis is used to assess a company’s position before you decide on a new strategy. It examines four aspects of a business: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It can help you make the most of an organisation’s resources, allow you to plan competitive strategies – and reduce the chances of failure. You’ll learn how to use these as part of this ExpertTrack.
Key skills you will learn
- Innovation and entrepreneurship in a business context
- Social value creation
- New venture creation
- Corporate venturing
- Intrapreneurship
- Entrepreneurship
- Creating sustainable innovation
- Risk management
- Managing teams
- Communication
- Problem solving
Learning outcomes
By the end of the ExpertTrack, you’ll be able to...
- Discuss a range of theories, frameworks, models and methods of innovation management at the individual and organisational level
- Apply theories, frameworks, models and methods of innovation management, enterprise and entrepreneurship to a new venture or in another entrepreneurial/entrepreneurial context
- Demonstrate an understanding of value creation through the interconnection of innovation and entrepreneurship in the development, survival and sustained growth of a business or social enterprise
Experience required
It’s recommended that you have two years of work experience to take this ExpertTrack – whether it’s as a student or in a work environment.
Getting started
This ExpertTrack is designed for anyone interested in applying entrepreneurship principles to their daily lives.
It will be of particular interest to people in business development, recruitment and business management roles looking to take their career to the next level.
ExpertTrack course overview
Course 1
Uncovering Your Entrepreneurial Potential
Explore what makes a good entrepreneur and how applying an entrepreneurial approach can create economic and social value.
2 weeks
5 hours per week
Week 1
Conceptualising Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- Introduction to innovation and entrepreneurship
- Core concepts
- Entrepreneurship as task, process, traits or outcomes
- Coming up next
Week 2
Innovation and Entrepreneurship Practice
- Value creation
- Types of entrepreneurship
- Innovation and entrepreneurship practice
- Coming up next
Course 2
Creativity and Innovation: Their Role in Becoming an Entrepreneur
Adopt a creative mindset in order to develop your business idea and overcome resistance to innovation.
2 weeks
5 hours per week
Week 1
Ideation
- Introduction to creativity and innovation
- Creativity and innovation explained
- Ideation
- Coming up next
Week 2
Process of Innovation
- Process of innovation
- Making a change
- Coming up next
Course 3
Implementing Your Business Ideas: From Risk Identification to SWOT Analysis
Do you have a new business idea or opportunity? Learn how to assess the viability of your idea to help make it a reality.
1 peer-graded assignment
2 weeks
5 hours per week
Week 1
Starting and/or Growing a Business
- Opportunity identification
- Operationalising the opportunity (implementation)
- Coming up next
Week 2
Business Opportunity Implementation
- Assessing demand
- Risk identification and management
- Teams and their value in implementing a business opportunity
- Summary and reflection
Course 4
Success and Failure in Entrepreneurship: Discover the Key to Business Success
Investigate why businesses succeed or fail in a range of entrepreneurial contexts.
1 test
2 weeks
5 hours per week
Week 1
Evaluating the Business Opportunity
- Entrepreneurial success and failure
- Understanding business failure
- Business failure statistics
- Coming up next
Week 2
Success and Failure in Different Entrepreneurial Environments
- Business success
- Differences between entrepreneurial environments
- Summary and reflection
Course 5
Green Innovation and Business Ethics: The Future of Entrepreneurship
Learn how to foster an entrepreneurial culture in business and take a critical view of innovation and entrepreneurship in society.
1 peer-graded assignment
2 weeks
5 hours per week
Week 1
The Impact of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- Linking theory with practice
- Contemporary issues in innovation and entrepreneurship
- Coming up next
Week 2
Fostering Entrepreneurship and Innovation
- Ethics and entrepreneurship
- Entrepreneurship in different cultures
- Fostering an entrepreneurial culture
- Summary and reflection
Prove you're job ready
Highlight the new, job-relevant skills you’ve gained and supplement existing qualifications with a hard-earned, industry-specific digital certificate – plus one for every course within your ExpertTrack.
- Learn the latest in your chosen industry or subject.
- Complete each course and pass assessments.
- Receive certificates validated by the educating organisation.
- Impress employers with learning outcomes you can add to your CV.
- Make your career dreams a reality.
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How ExpertTracks work
Join an ExpertTrack to master new skills in your chosen specialist area. Work through a series of topic-focused courses at your own pace, and pass the final assessment to earn a digital certificate award which proves your expertise.
Decide if the ExpertTrack is right for you with free access to the full suite of courses and assessments for a week.
Pay a monthly subscription fee of $39 for as long as it takes you to complete the ExpertTrack. You can learn at your own pace and cancel at any time.
Receive a certificate for every completed course and pass the final assessment to earn a digital certificate.
Use your specialist training to progress further in your career or build expertise in areas you’re passionate about.
Learning on FutureLearn
Your learning, your rules
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- 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
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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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FAQ
ExpertTracks are a series of online courses designed to help you master new skills in specialist areas. You pay a monthly subscription fee which includes access to all courses within the ExpertTrack, as well as assessments and the final digital certificate.
Each ExpertTrack comes with a 2-day free trial period. You may cancel your subscription at any time and your subscription will automatically cancel when you finish the courses and assessments in your chosen ExpertTrack.
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