Assignments 2000

Read How to Develop a Business Idea 

Opportunities are trends, patterns, problems, needs, and gaps in the market.

The goal of this assignment is to identify opportunities to create value for others, and select one opportunity to develop for the semester long Entrepreneurial Process Project.

You will do this by learning more about yourself and the world and recording ideas and potential opportunities in a journal. 

If you plan to continue with an entrepreneurship major or minor, you will use this journal in future courses so it is important.  

If you plan to pursue a traditional job, this journal can help you find a good fit.  

Create a OneNote notebook for school if you don't already have one. You can name it School or FGCU. Watch OneNote: Getting Started 

Create a section within the notebook named Entrepreneurship. (Tip for spelling the word "entrepreneurship": when you're not sure, the next letter is usually "e")

Create a page named Idea Notebook / Opportunity Journal. 

Put everything you do for this project on this one page. 

You will add to this notebook during each lesson and then submit one PDF at the end of the project. 

In addition to what is required, add to your journal / notebook whenever you think of new passions, complaints, or ideas. 

The focus is on an evidence-based methodology to problem identification, analysis, and decision-making.

You should also make another page in the Entrepreneurship section for ENT 2000 Notes. Add to these notes during class meetings. You will not submit these notes for an assignment but they will help you on the end of module quiz and be a good resource for future courses.  

Lesson 1 Journal Entry - Integrator Ideas

Who you are: What do you enjoy to do? (make a numbered list with 5-10 things) (think about your traits, tastes, and abilities that few others have)

What you know: What do you know a lot about / could teach someone? (make a numbered list with 5-10 things) (think about your unique education, training, expertise, and experience) 

Example lists:

What I enjoy

1. Genealogy

2. Tennis, Table Tennis, and Pickleball

3. Landscaping / Gardening

4. Healthy cooking (and eating!)

5. Helping people

6. Teaching

7. Organization and planning

8. Travel

9. Photography

What I know

1. Photoshop

2. Spreadsheets

3. Personal finances (budgeting, investing)

4. Emotional intelligence

5. Critical thinking

6. Time management

Read about The Creator's Code book and framework. Related to Skill 1: Find the Gap, read about Architects, Sunbirds and Integrators. Practice being an Integrator. Randomly select two things you enjoy or know a lot about from your lists, like the top item from each list or the top and bottom item from one list. How could they be combined to form an innovative product or service? Make a list of at least three product or service ideas based on the combination of the same two items with a short description. 

Having trouble? Leverage generative AI. Sign up for ChatGPT if you haven't already. How to start using ChatGPT (1:48)

Awesome ChatGPT Prompts

How to Use ChatGPT and Still Be a Good Person

Here's a good prompt to try with ChatGPT or something similar: "What are some entrepreneurial business, product, or service ideas related to the combination of ___________ and _____________?"

Lesson 2 Journal Entry - Lucas Hall Ideas

Which of these four tracks related to entrepreneurship most appeals to you? 

• creativity and design

• technology and analytics

• startups

• corporate or family business growth

What resources available in Lucas Hall are you most interested in utilizing and why?

• Glowforge laser engraver

• 3D printer

• Deskbot CNC machine

• Cricut

• Media Production Room

Make a list of at least three product or service ideas based on the combination of the track and the resource you chose with a short description. 

Sample AI prompt: "What are some entrepreneurial business, product, or service ideas for someone interested in __________________ involving a ________________?" (fill in the first blank with the track and the second with the resource)

Lesson 3 Journal Entry - BOSI based Ideas

Take the BOSI Assessment. Screen capture your results using the Windows Snipping Tool or Snip and Sketch on a Windows computer or Shift Command 4 on a Mac. 

Write a description of what your results mean and how you feel about them, clearly demonstrating that you have watched Entrepreneurial DNA (17:36). 

Make a list of at least three product or service ideas based on the combination of your primary DNA, secondary DNA, and something you enjoy (like from your earlier list) with a short description. 

Sample AI prompt: "What are some entrepreneurial business, product, or service ideas for someone who has a primary DNA of ___ and and secondary DNA of ___ on the BOSI assessment and an interest in _____________?"

Lesson 4 Journal Entry - Skills based Ideas

What are you passionate about? If you weren't going to school, what would you do?

Complete the CareerOneStop Skills Matcher - rate your skills and get ideas for careers. Be honest / conservative (you're probably not an expert at any). 

Screen capture the Careers matching your skills from the results page.

Then click "see your full list of skills" under Your Skills and screen capture them. 

Make a list of at least three product or service ideas based on your highest rated skills.

Sample AI prompt: "What are some entrepreneurial business, product, or service ideas for someone who is interested in _______________ and rates high in the following skills: " (then copy and paste your skills from under "Skills you rated highest" from the Skills Matcher results)

Lesson 5 Journal Entry - SDG + Personality Ideas

Take the Big 5 Personality Test at sakinorva.net/test/big5 or idrlabs.com/big-five-types/test.php and record / screen capture your results. 

Write an analysis of your results that clearly demonstrates that you read Analyze your Big 5 test results and How The Big-5 Personality Test Identifies Entrepreneurs

Which Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are you most passionate about and why? Clearly demonstrate that you have watched The global goals we've made progress on -- and the ones we haven't (14:02) 

Make a list of at least three product or service ideas based on your personality and SDG interest.

Sample AI prompt: "What are some entrepreneurial business, product, or service ideas related to UN SDG ___ for someone with the following scores on the Big Five personality test: Openness - _________, Conscientiousness - ________, Extroversion - ________, Agreeableness - _________, Neuroticism - ________."

Lesson 6 Journal Entry - Complaint based Ideas

List three to five problems in your life, complaints you have, things that bug you, things you think you could do better, or products or services you think you could improve. 

Perform research to verify that other people share your opinion for at least one item from your list using websites such as Twitter (twitter.com/explore "Trending" or Advanced search) or Amazon product reviews and include a screenshot.

Make a list of at least three product or service ideas based on your complaint.

Sample AI prompt: "What are some entrepreneurial business, product, or service ideas related to solving the problem of __________________?"

Lesson 7 Journal Entry - Social Issues + O*Net Interests Ideas

What social issue are you most interested in? 10 Examples of Social Issues in the US

Complete the O*NET Interest Profiler and record / screen capture your results. 

Make a list of at least three product or service ideas based on your chosen social issue and interests.

Sample AI prompt: "What are some entrepreneurial business, product, or service ideas related to the social issue of ____________ for someone who scored highest in ___________ and _______________ on the O*Net Interest Profiler?

Lesson 8 Journal Entry - Conclusion (Selection and Elaboration & Basic Feasibility Report)

Selection and Elaboration

If you had to start the process to create a new business, product, app, or service today, what would it be? In other words, which idea are you most interested in pursuing? Select from your list of ideas or recombine prompts to generate new ideas. It doesn't have to be something revolutionary or innovative. Your idea could be basic, like a lawn care business, and you can develop it into something that stands out. 

Clearly identify and further describe your chosen idea.

Basic Feasibility Report 

Feasibility in the context of entrepreneurship refers to the practicality or viability of a business idea or venture. It is the assessment of whether an idea or venture is likely to succeed in the marketplace based on various factors such as market demand, competition, available resources, and financial projections.

In other words, feasibility is an evaluation of whether the business idea can be turned into a profitable and sustainable venture, given the current market conditions and available resources. It involves analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the idea and assessing the risks and challenges involved in implementing it.

In the process of assessing feasibility, entrepreneurs conduct market research, create financial projections, and identify potential roadblocks or barriers to success. They also evaluate their own skills, expertise, and resources to determine if they have the capacity to successfully launch and grow the venture.

Ultimately, feasibility is a critical step in the entrepreneurial process, as it helps to identify and address potential issues before committing significant time, money, and resources to the venture.

You will do additional feasibility analysis later, but for now at least consider if it is possible with your existing skills, expertise, and resources. The implementation of your idea, or at least a scaled down version of it, must be possible with your existing resources, plus a potential award of $5,000 (a reasonable amount you could get from the Runway Program). Raising additional funds, like through Kickstarter, could be part of your plan. 

If the idea you had chosen is not feasible, chose another one. 

Sample Basic Feasibility Report Outline

• Introduction

• Describe your passion for your idea. 

• List the skills necessary to turn your idea into reality (like industry expertise, educational background, and professional experience) and describe how you possess them.

• Identify what you will need to turn your idea into reality (like work space, labor, equipment, money) and assure that you have it. 

• Conclusion

Submission Instructions

"Print" your OneNote page to a PDF file. Make sure the “Scale content to paper width” checkbox is checked. It should all be in one file. Help

• Create a document named Idea Validation or use this template. If you are signed in to Google Docs you will be able to save a copy from the file menu. 

• Add a heading 1 for Customer Segmentation

  1. Read Customer Segmentation (Shopify)

  2. Write a paragraph defining customer segmentation and explaining the importance of customer segmentation to creating a value proposition. Reference Crash Course Business Entrepreneurship: Value Proposition and Customer Segments (12:02) (20 points)

• Add a heading 1 for Persona

  1. Add at least one persona for a customer for your idea. Reference 4 Types of Market Segmentation With Examples, Customer Archetypes and Buyer Personas: A fundamental step for your startup, and check the templates at Mockplus (10 points)

     1. At a minimum, include the following:

        1. A photo (like a stock image or an AI generated image.)

        2. A name (remember, a persona is fictional but giving them a name helps you identify with them and refer to them)

        3. Demographic information (age, income, education, and employment / profession, along with race, ethnicity, gender, and / or marital status if they matter for your idea)

        4. Psychographic information (activities, interests, and opinions)

        5. Geographic information (city, state, country)

        6. Behavioral information (goals, needs, and motivations; "A Day in the Life", apps used, how they make purchases, etc.)

• Add a heading 1 for Customer Research

  1. Read Customer Discovery Interview Prep and add a list of questions you could use to validate your idea. (10 points) 

     1. Include the two final questions from the video Steve Blank: Want Your Startup to Succeed? 'Get Out of the Building' (2:01) This is a little confusing because he adds a follow-up question to the first question so really you could add the final three questions. 

  2. Add evidence of conducting field research, like answers to your interview questions and a photo and contact information for who you interviewed. (20 points)

• Add a heading 1 for Value Proposition Canvas

  1. Add a completed Value Proposition Canvas for Stitch Fix as an example. Reference Crash Course Business Entrepreneurship: Value Proposition and Customer Segments (12:02) (5 points)

  2. Add a completed Value Proposition Canvas for yourself as a student. (5 points)

     1. You can use AI to make sure you are on the right track but your responses should be more personal and specific. 

        1. For the right side:

           1. The customer segment is primarily for whom you are student, like your current or future family, or yourself.  

           2. What are some of the duties (or "jobs" in the context of JTBD theory) of a head of household or a student?

              1. Sample AI prompt "In the context of JTBD theory, what are the "jobs" of a head of household?"

              2. Sample AI prompt "In the context of JTBD theory, what are the "jobs" of a college student?"

           3. What pains do you experience as a student, like risks, obstacles, or bad outcomes? 

              1. Sample AI prompt "In the context of JTBD theory, what are the "pains" of a college student?"

           4. What positive gains are you looking for as a student?

              1. Sample AI prompt "In the context of JTBD theory, what are some "gains" that could be achieved by a college student majoring in entrepreneurship?"

        2. For the left side: 

           1. Use your student self, along with a brief description, as the product.

              1. Examples: "I am a hard-working student" or "I am an entrepreneurship major"

           2. What are you (or could you be) doing as a pain reliever that cuts off risks, obstacles, and bad outcomes?

              1. Sample AI prompt "In the context of JTBD theory, how can an effective college student relieve the "pains" of being a student?"

           3. What are you (or could you be) doing as a gain creator?

              1. Sample AI prompt "In the context of JTBD theory, how can a college student majoring in entrepreneurship achieve desired "gains"?"

              2. Include information specific to FGCU, like go to CAA, join the Entrepreneurship Club, etc. 

     2. Use your Value Proposition Canvas for yourself as a student to write a value proposition

        1. A good value proposition template is: (Product name) is a (short description of product) for (audience / customer segment) who want to (relieve pain and / or create gain).

           1. For yourself as a student, this template can be tweaked to something like: I am a (short description of yourself as a student and what you are doing) for (who you are going to school for) because I want to (relieve pain and / or create gain).

        2. Examples: 

           1. "I am a hard-working student increasing my knowledge and qualifications for the sake of my family because I want to earn a reliable income and live comfortably.”  

           2. "I am an entrepreneurship major who is actively engaged in coursework, workshops, and extracurricular activities for the benefit of my future self because I want to enhance my knowledge and develop entrepreneurial skills."

           3. "I am a dedicated student who is attending events, joining clubs and organizations, and connecting with professors, industry professionals, and fellow students for my own benefit as a future entrepreneur because I want to build a strong network within the entrepreneurship community."

           4. "I am a dedicated student who uses effective time management to attend all classes, complete all assignments, and learn as much as possible for my future self because I want to be successful and have career options.”

     3. Put your value proposition into your BMC Value Proposition block for yourself as a student 

  3. Add a completed Value Proposition Canvas for the startup of you (related to your career). (10 points)

     1. Fill out the right side, the customer segment, use a career field or potential employer you are interested in. 

        1. What are some of the "jobs" of someone in a career you are interested in?

           1. Find a career on BLS OOH, click the "What They Do" tab, and look under "Duties", or use AI with a prompt like "In the context of JTBD theory, what are the "jobs" of a graphic designer?" 

        2. What are the pains associated with that career or experienced by that employer? 

           1. Try a prompt like, "In the context of JTBD theory, what are the "pains" of a marketing agency?"

        3. What positive gains are employers in that field looking for?

           1. Try a prompt like, "In the context of JTBD theory, what are the "gains" sought by a marketing agency?"

     2. For the left side: 

        1. Use your professional self as the product. 

        2. What can you (or will you be able to) do as a pain reliever that cuts off risks, obstacles, and bad outcomes?

           1. Try a prompt like, "How can an effective graphic designer relieve the pains of a marketing agency?"

        3. What can you (or will you be able to) do as a gain creator?

           1. Try a prompt like, "How can an effective graphic designer achieve the desired gains of a marketing agency?"

  4. Add a completed Value Proposition Canvas for your idea. (10 points)

• Add a heading 1 for Value Proposition 

  1. Use each Value Proposition Canvas to write a value proposition. (10 points)

     1. Use this template: (Product name) is a (short description of product) for (audience / customer segment) who want to (relieve pain and / or create gain).

     2. Startup of you examples: 

        1. "I am a creative digital media design major with analytical and data-driven thinking ability and specialized social media design skills for startups, small businesses, and marketing agencies who want to increase brand awareness and enhance online presence.” 

        2. "I am a dedicated aspiring engineer preparing myself for tech employers who want to build scalable, secure systems.” 

        3. "I am an up and coming vehicle detailer for car enthusiasts who want to protect and preserve their vehicle.” 

• Watch Crash Course Business Entrepreneurship: Minimum Viable Product and Pivoting (11:14)

• Watch The Lean Approach: Minimum Viable Products with Steve Blank (5:52) 

• Read How to use Google Sites 

• Read The Anatomy of a Landing Page 

• Create a prototype or MVP related to your idea. Your idea must be based on effectual thinking (something you could and would want to create based on your means). This could be for a product, app, or service.

  1. For a product, preferably it should be something people can actually use (minimally viable). Alternatively, you can make a paper prototype / drawing, explainer video, or something using clay, cardboard, Lego, etc. 

  2. For a service you can make a detailed web page clearly describing a version of the service that you really could offer. 

• Create a landing page using Google Sites for your idea. There are other ways to make landing pages, like Unbounce or Wix, but Google Sites is used in some future ENT courses and unlike the free version of Wix, allows for free Google Analytics integration which is very important in marketing. 

  1. Your landing page should include:

     1. A heading / title for your product or service name

     2. Your value proposition in the format of (Product name) is a (short description of product) for (audience / customer segment) who want to (relieve pain and / or create gain).

     3. A hero image that extends the full width of the top of the page 

        1. Google Sites creates one by default on new pages, you just need to change it, preferably to something related to your idea

        2. Tip: search Pixabay and Unsplash or try an AI image generator

     4. An image of success / image that conveys emotion, like a pain your idea relieves or a gain your idea creates 

     5. The features and benefits of your offering / explainer paragraph / supporting copy

  2. Optional additional content 

     1. a hyperlink

     2. a call to action

     3. a social proof

     4. a favicon

     5. a survey (like Google Forms) to test your idea and get feedback, on another page

• Bonus opportunities: (10 points max.)

  1. Find an existing 3D model (like on Thingiverse) and print it. (+3)

  2. Create an original 3D design in Fusion 360 and print it. (+5)

  3. Make something using the Glowforge (see Glowforge Learn Make Your First Prints). (+5)

  4. Create a clickable prototype in Figma with at least 10 frames. (+5)

• Publish your site. 

• Submit a link to your published site. 

  1. The URL will look like sites.google.com/view/site-name

Read Business Model Canvas

If you are going to continue into the world of business or entrepreneurship, the business model canvas will be an extremely useful tool that you will see again. If you plan to pursue more conventional employment, you may never work with a business model canvas again but it can still be useful for understanding a business and thinking about the "startup of you". 

You can use this template. If you are signed in to Google Docs you will be able to save a copy from the file menu. 

1. Create a Business Model Canvas for Netflix based on How to Develop a Business Idea: Crash Course Business - Entrepreneurship #2

2. Create a Student Success Business Model Canvas for yourself as a student

3. Create a Personal Business Model Canvas (watch Get to Know Business Model You) for the startup of you (your future career) 

4. Create a Business Model Canvas or Lean Canvas for your idea

Submit all canvases in one document. 

Purpose

• Public speaking is a necessary skill that can help you succeed in your academic and professional life. 

• The purpose of this assignment is to help you with face-to-face interactions with investors and customers.

Elevator Pitch Preparation

• Read the Pitching page of the course web site.

• Preview the grading form in Canvas.

• Premise: Imagine you encounter a potential investor or customer in the elevator at the top of a skyscraper. Prepare what you will say to them before reaching the ground floor. 

• Content: You are strongly encouraged to follow the basic outline from the Pitching page and to use the template for a basic value proposition from the BMC page. 

• Time: Shoot for 60 seconds. This will be about 150 words. It should definitely be at least 30 seconds and absolutely no longer than 90 seconds. 

• Guidelines: No notes or visual aids, just like if you were in an elevator.

• Most important: Practice multiple times!

Submission Instructions

• If you present in class, submit text that includes how you feel it went. 

• If there is not time for you to present in class, if you have an excused absence, or for online classes, record and upload to YouTube and submit a link.

Write a full report (5-7 paragraph essay) of an entrepreneur’s experience in business. This must be a person you interview.

The introductory paragraph should introduce your entrepreneur and the theory of effectuation in a thesis statement. 

Use body paragraphs to address each principle of effectuation and relate it to your subject, one paragraph for each, five body paragraphs total. 

A conclusion paragraph should restate the thesis (the main point), reiterate supporting points, and share your takeaways and how you can apply lessons learned to your entrepreneurial experience or career.

There is no specific format requirement like APA or MLA, but college level writing quality is expected with no spelling or grammar errors and indented paragraphs. You are encouraged to use a service like Grammarly or the Writing Lab. At a minimum, read your essay out loud to yourself before submitting.

Resources:

• Writing an Essay: Step-by-Step FGCU CAA 

• How To Write a College Essay, With Examples Grammarly

You made it to the end!

Write a review and reflection essay (500 word minimum) that sums up the course and your experience in it. 

Content guidelines:

• Recap the entrepreneurial process in general and how you went through it. For example, summarize idea generation and describe your idea notebook, summarize idea validation and include your value proposition canvas and how you researched the validity of your idea, summarize experimental design and describe or include your MVP, summarize business model validation and include your BMC, and describe how you have done or will do product validation. 

• What you most enjoyed about the course.

• Identify your major and if it changed during the semester. 

• In what ways you think you will apply knowledge and skills gained in this course to your life.

Optionally, if you want to get creative, you can write it with one of these audiences in mind:

• Your future self

• Your parents / family

• A student who is considering whether or not to take this class

• Your instructor

• A potential employer or business partner

Format is not important but proper spelling and grammar is expected.