Intro to EntreSkills

About the Course

Ready to explore entrepreneurship? This two-module free course from the New York Small Business Development Center will prepare you to understand what it means to be an entrepreneur and what goes into starting a business. This course uses videos, reading passages, and reflective activities to introduce you to entrepreneurial concepts and help you define and refine your entrepreneurial ideas.

EntreSkills was initially co-authored by Mitchell R. Alegre and Jennifer H. Herman, both of whom have teaching and entrepreneurial experience. EntreSkills has since been enhanced by many NYSBDC stakeholders.

For the best chance of entrepreneurship success, we highly recommend direct one-on-one counseling with an NYSBDC business advisor. There is no charge for this personalized assistance available to New York State residents.

Workbook

Throughout these materials, there will be references to the Intro to EntreSkills Workbooks. These workbooks are designed to allow you to record what you personally learn as part of this course. If you go on to work with an NYSBDC business advisor, these completed workbooks will allow your advisor to learn a lot about you and your entrepreneurial aspirations very quickly.

Module 1: You as an Entrepreneur

In this Intro to EntreSkills module, you will explore the personal side of entrepreneurship. You will start with a definition of entrepreneurship. Then you will delve into the reasons, skills, characteristics, thought process, passion, purpose, vision, values, principles, and motivations of an entrepreneur. You will also learn about how to get the help you need to succeed.

Module 2: Starting a Business

In Module 1, you evaluated your personal readiness to be an entrepreneur. Now it is time to think more about the business you want to create. In this module, you will explore how to develop, evaluate, and test a business idea. You will also identify a form for your business, brainstorm on business names, and discover the parts of a business plan.