How to Start Your Business: From Idea to Business Plan

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is designed to help you learn how to bring your business idea to life with a compelling business plan. We will begin by discussing the nature of entrepreneurship and its challenges and rewards. Next, we will form teams to create and present an “elevator pitch,” a description that succinctly crystallizes what your business will do and why it is compelling. To create the elevator pitch, we will explore concepts such as competitive intelligence, market segmentation, and the assessment of customer needs. We will then expand the elevator pitches into more complete business plans by adding details on financial models, organizational setup, and marketing and launch plans. The course will culminate with each team presenting its business plan. In addition to lectures and guest speakers, this course will offer an interactive, hands-on experience, with a number of opportunities to present your work and receive feedback from the class.
This course may not be taken for a Letter Grade. 

Rashmi Menon, Product and Startup Consultant

Rashmi Menon has launched numerous businesses and products within large corporations, including The Walt Disney Company, Microsoft, and Yahoo, and has served as vice president of product management at Zvents and VideoGenie. She is a co-founder of Green Resource Network. Menon received an MBA from Stanford.

Textbooks for this course:

DOWNLOAD THE PRELIMINARY SYLLABUS » (subject to change)