Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Why This Module?

“The only way to win is to learn faster than anyone else.” - Eric Ries

Whether starting a company or innovating within one, entrepreneurial skills are essential:

• Lean experimentation
• Business model design
• Marketing that matters
• Building products people want

Connection from Phase 5A: You can think strategically. Now learn to BUILD.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this module, you will:

• Apply Lean Startup methodology
• Design and test business models
• Market products/services effectively
• Understand what makes startups succeed

Week 1-2: Lean Startup Methodology

The Lean Startup - Eric Ries

Rating: Essential | Practical | Modern Classic | 2011

The Core Idea:

A startup is a human institution designed to create a new product or service under conditions of extreme uncertainty.

The Build-Measure-Learn Loop:

IDEAS -> BUILD -> PRODUCT -> MEASURE -> DATA -> LEARN -> (repeat)

Key Concepts:

Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

• The smallest thing you can build to start learning
• Not a crappy product - minimum VIABLE
• Get real data from real customers

Validated Learning

• Learning from experiments with customers
• Measurable, actionable insights

Pivot or Persevere

• A pivot is a structured course correction
• Change one hypothesis at a time

The 5 Whys

• For root cause analysis
• Ask “why” 5 times to get to the real problem

Available: CZ “Lean Startup”

Zero to One - Peter Thiel

Rating: Essential | Practical | Quick read | 2014

The Core Idea:

Going from 0 to 1 (creating something new) is fundamentally different from going from 1 to n (copying what works).

0 to 1 vs. 1 to n:

Contrarian Truths:

• What important truth do few people agree with you on?
• Great businesses are built on contrarian insights

How to Build a Monopoly:

1. Proprietary Technology - 10x better than alternatives
2. Network Effects - Value increases with users
3. Economies of Scale - Gets better as you grow
4. Branding - But only if you have substance

Start Small and Dominate:

• Better to have 100% of a small market
• Then expand to adjacent markets

Week 3-4: Business Model & Marketing

Business Model Generation - Osterwalder & Pigneur

Rating: Essential | Visual/Practical | Quick read | 2010

The Business Model Canvas (9 Building Blocks):

This Is Marketing - Seth Godin

Rating: Essential | Practical | 2018

The Core Idea:

Marketing is not about manipulating people. It’s about serving them.

Key Principles:

1. Marketing is About Change - What change are you trying to make?
2. Smallest Viable Market - Find the smallest group you can serve
3. Positioning - What category do you own?
4. Permission - Earn attention, don’t interrupt
5. Status - People act to protect/enhance status
6. Tension - Good marketing creates productive tension

Building a StoryBrand - Donald Miller

Rating: Essential | Practical | Quick read | 2017

The SB7 Framework:

Key Insight: Your customer is the HERO, not you. You are the GUIDE.

Week 5-6: Practical Entrepreneurship

Rework - Jason Fried & DHH

Rating: Essential | Practical | Very quick read | 2010

Contrarian Wisdom:

Key Principles:

• Start making something - Don’t wait for perfect conditions
• Scratch your own itch - Build what you need
• Embrace constraints - Less is more
• Launch now - Done is better than perfect

The E-Myth Revisited - Michael Gerber

Rating: Essential | Practical | Classic | 1995

The Core Idea:

Most small businesses fail because their owners are technicians rather than entrepreneurs. Work ON your business, not just IN it.

The Three Personalities:

Work ON the Business:

• Create systems so the business runs without you
• Document everything
• Think franchise even if you never franchise

Free Courses

Interactive Tools

Business Model Design

MVP & Prototyping

Marketing & Messaging

Documentaries & Video Content

YouTube Deep Dives

Netflix / Streaming

Founder Story Documentaries

Newsletters

Recommended Podcasts

AI Learning Integration

For MVP Design

"Help me design an MVP for [idea].
What's the smallest thing I can build to test the core hypothesis?
What should I measure to know if it's working?"

For StoryBrand

"Help me apply the StoryBrand framework to [product/service]:
- Who is the hero (customer)?
- What's their problem?
- How am I the guide?
- What's the plan?
- What's the call to action?"

Phase 5B Checklist

Week 1-2

• Read “The Lean Startup”
• Designed an MVP for one idea
• Read “Zero to One”
• Identified your contrarian truth

Week 3-4

• Read “Business Model Generation”
• Created a Business Model Canvas
• Read “This Is Marketing”
• Read “Building a StoryBrand”

Week 5-6

• Read “Rework”
• Read “The E-Myth Revisited”
• Completed reflection questions

Reflection Questions

1. If you had to test a business idea this week, what MVP could you build?

2. Create a Business Model Canvas for a business you know.

3. Apply StoryBrand to something you want to promote.

4. What’s your contrarian truth? What important thing do you believe that few agree with?

Connection to Phase 6

You’ve learned to build and create. Phase 6 teaches you to SUSTAIN this over the long term.

I'm studying Entrepreneurship & Innovation (Phase 05B of my MBA program).

Act as a Socratic tutor - don't give me direct answers. Instead, ask me questions to help me discover insights about these concepts: Lean Startup Methodology, Business Model Design, Marketing & Positioning, Building a Business.

Start by asking what I already know about one of these topics, then guide me deeper with follow-up questions. Challenge my assumptions when appropriate.

After each of my responses, either:
1. Ask a deeper follow-up question
2. Point out a gap in my reasoning
3. Connect my answer to another concept

Let's begin.

Quiz me on Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Ask 10 questions covering: Lean Startup Methodology, Business Model Design, Marketing & Positioning, Building a Business.

Rules:
- Mix question types (multiple choice, short answer, scenario-based)
- Start easier, get progressively harder
- After each answer, tell me if I'm right or wrong and explain why
- Keep a running score
- At the end, summarize what I know well vs. need to review

Ask the first question now.

Help me apply Build-Measure-Learn Loop, Business Model Canvas, StoryBrand SB7 Framework, Zero to One Principles, E-Myth Business Systems to a real situation in my life or work.

First, ask me to describe a recent challenge or decision I faced.

Then guide me through analyzing it using these frameworks:
- Which framework applies best?
- What would each framework reveal about the situation?
- What would I do differently knowing this?

Don't lecture - ask questions that help me discover the insights myself.

I want to practice case analysis for Entrepreneurship & Innovation.

Give me a short business scenario (2-3 paragraphs) involving Lean Startup Methodology, Business Model Design, Marketing & Positioning, Building a Business.

Then ask me:
1. What's the core problem?
2. Which frameworks from Entrepreneurship & Innovation apply?
3. What biases might cloud judgment here?
4. What would you recommend?

After each answer, push back on my reasoning before moving to the next question.

I'm studying Entrepreneurship & Innovation and need to understand these concepts deeply: Lean Startup Methodology, Business Model Design, Marketing & Positioning, Building a Business.

For each concept, ask me to explain it in simple terms (as if to a child).

If my explanation is unclear or wrong, don't correct me directly. Instead:
1. Ask clarifying questions
2. Give me a scenario that tests my understanding
3. Help me refine my explanation

The Feynman technique says if you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.