Master Syllabus for the Miami University Institute for

Entrepreneurship
ESP 201: Introduction of Entrepreneurship and Business Models
Course Introduction
This course provides students with an introduction to the entrepreneurial process. It exposes you
to the concepts, practices, and tools of the entrepreneurial world. This will be accomplished
through a combination of readings, cases, speakers, and field projects designed to convey the
unique environment of entrepreneurship and new ventures.
Course Objectives
How to recognize and evaluate new ventures opportunities
The issues faced by entrepreneurs when starting a venture
The fundamental skills and tools required for starting and growing a new business
The difference between an opportunity and an idea
The role of entrepreneurship in the economy and society at large
The need for sustainable competitive advantage
The methods for estimating profitability of a new venture
Assessing your potential and interest in becoming an entrepreneur
ESP 251: Marketing Section
Course Introduction
ESP 251 is a two-part, semester long course. One half of the semester is spent exploring how
entrepreneurs attract and retain customers (marketing) in order to create business value. The
other half of the semester explores how business value is recognized in financial terms.
Course Objectives
Understand the unique constraints, challenges and opportunities involved in developing
marketing strategies in a resource scarce environment
Understand how to segment and target potential customer markets.
Understand how to appropriately position and communicate a product or service's unique
value.
Learn how to create engagement from target customers using few resources.
Demonstrate ability to self-learn marketing practices and create opportunities wherever they
are.
ESP 251: Finance Section
Course Introduction
The key to a successful entrepreneur depends upon many factors, especially in the start-up
phase of the endeavor. Passion, network, knowledge, the team are a few. But, arguably one of
the most critical is the ability to plan, monitor and predict the finances needed to start and to
sustain the business. Without a basic knowledge and understanding, the entrepreneur is at the
mercy of others to provide this information.
Course Objectives
Basic financial concepts of funding and profitability running(sustaining) the business
The understanding of funding options, business models, transactions, different cost within the
business
The basic measures(Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow) and valuation
ESP 252: Creativity and Organization
Course Introduction
This course is initially about understanding the foundations of creativity and leadership. We will
explore Design Thinking as the central focus of providing tools and techniques to solve problems.
This course covers problem-solving models along with idea generating techniques. This course
covers leadership styles along with personal growth techniques. It explores the need to expand
thinking abilities to combine both right and left-brain approaches to develop innovative ideas and
solutions to meet the challenges of everyday life. Activities will give students an opportunity to
apply the concepts, models, techniques and leadership styles.

Course Objectives

Identify and practice five keys to effective leadership.


Apply the tools and techniques used within the framework of Design Thinking in a variety
of
situations;

Generate a higher number of innovative ideas when confronted with a task or problem

Design and implement Human Centered Design to develop creative solutions to business
problems

Select those techniques that best fit their personality and apply them to many different
business and personal situations

Apply professional communication and presentation protocols

Develop and present their personal vision, core values and ideal selves
ESP 252: Entrepreneurial Leadership

Course Objectives
All participants a clear understanding as to the importance of leadership in an entrepreneurial
companys success
All participants a leadership model that they can live personally and introduce into their startups and existing companies
All participants with opportunities to develop their personal vision, core values and their ideal
self.
All participants with development time to focus on coaching, team development and emotional
intelligence

All participants with an understanding their personal best leadership experience.

All participants with an opportunity to gain a level of self-awareness.

ESP 321: Start Up Entrepreneurship

Course Introduction
ESP 321 is based on conversations with more than 150 founders, funders, and management
team members in startup and early stage growth companies in an effort to understand what it
takes to be a successful member of such organizations. Be a great team player, understand
iterative testing to identify best options, figure-it-out by yourself, own it, and bring a sense of
urgency, all have been common themes.
In this course, students will have the opportunity to build a foundation and understanding of
commonly used processes/techniques used in many startups to get sh*t done. These include
focused productivity by operating in short sprints to complete work and running a series of
ongoing iterative tests to optimize common business model opportunities.
Each class session is made up of a combination standup review meetings in which students
report on their progress, work sessions and feedback. It is expected the majority of learning will
be self taught (figure it out) and the majority of work will be completed outside classroom hours
(get sh*t done).
In this course students are viewed as colleagues in a startup with similar performance
expectations
Course Objectives
Understand the unique challenges and opportunities involved in working in an entrepreneurial
growth company

Understand how to construct and analyze short tests to identify business model opportunities

Learn how to appropriately contribute to the success of a team working in a time-urgent mode.
Understand what it takes to be a valuable member of an entrepreneurial growth company
Demonstrate ability to self-learn digital/testing/measurement tools and create opportunities
wherever they are.

ESP 331: Social Entrepreneurship

Course Objectives
To provide students with a working knowledge of the concepts, opportunities and challenges of
social entrepreneurship.
To encourage students to think critically about the role of social entrepreneurship in creating
innovative responses to critical social needs (e.g., hunger, poverty, inner city education, global
warming, etc.).
To engage students in an experiential learning process with others to develop a better
understanding of the context and domain of social entrepreneurship.
To provide opportunities for reflection and informed action in the implementation and funding of
social entrepreneurial solutions.
ESP 341: Corporate Entrepreneurship
Course Introduction
This course aims to teach you how to be entrepreneurial in an organization. You have to think
differently in a group. Be a catalyst in the group. You need to learn to be disruptive and think the
unthinkable. You need to create successful NEW business model in your organization.
Course Objectives
Transform your culture by being innovative and a catalyst and supporter in your group for
thinking differently.

There are traits (are they innate or learned?) that typify and describe successful Innovators.

So what needs to change in your organization to support these disruptive ideas and
solutions?
ESP 351: Creativity in Entrepreneurship
Course Introduction
Creativity is the central focus, which may be defined as the application of your mental ability and
curiosity to discover something new. Some believe creative thinking skills must be taught. Others
believe creative thinking cannot be taught. Whatever the truth, our challenge and goal is to teach,
learn, experience and unleash our creative abilities. I believe this is accomplished though
observation(modeling) and practice until creative thinking becomes a natural part of our everyday
academic, work and personal experience.
Course Objectives
Add to your personal marketability, both short term and long term
This course will run like a creative entrepreneurial venture, our success depends on the
involvement of the team members
Know the difference between excellence work, good work and just enough
Courage to create, to risk and to make mistakes in the quest for ideas that lead to true
innovation of a product, service or process that delivers value
Knowing who you are, your passions, your barriers to pursuing those passions and designing
ways to overcome them.
ESP 401: Entrepreneurship: New Ventures
Course Introduction
The Entrepreneurship: New Ventures course is designed to provide you with a realistic view of
what entrepreneurship means while familiarizing you with the concepts, tools, and frameworks
necessary to identify potentially valuable market opportunities, to evaluate the feasibility and
attractiveness of those recognized opportunities, and to plan and launch a new venture to exploit
the opportunities they consider most attractive. We will pay particular attention to the steps
necessary to identify a problem worth solving and to the role of business models, which offer a
blueprint for how a startup venture creates, delivers, and captures value. The goal is to help you
develop the critical thinking, communication, entrepreneurial, and managerial skills as they relate
to the identification, evaluation, planning, funding, and launch of new ventures and other
entrepreneurial enterprises.
Course Objectives
Developing an entrepreneurial mindset that will enable you to consider more broadly how
changing political, technological, and socio-economic conditions alter the decisions you make
about a given opportunity

 The entrepreneurial process from the generation of potentially valuable ideas to the launch,
management, and growth of a startup venture designed around a problem/solution set that early
adopters and other customers value, during which we will cover a wide-range of thoughtful topics
To connect theory with practice the real world, and you will be challenged to apply
principles, concepts, and frameworks to address real world situations
ESP 461: Entrepreneurial Consulting
Course Introduction
Here are the primary team/individual responsibilities: Interviewing and communicating with the
client! Conducting research involving the project! Interviewing impacted target groups and
assessing their responses! Preparing and delivering presentations to instructor and client!
Attending team meetings; being prompt; completing assigned work; being available for meetings
with the instructor; working independently! Being a professional in every situation
team,
instructor, customers, client, etc.
Course Objectives
Gain an understanding of the consulting process and developing a logical and systematic
process for identifying problems and opportunities confronting entrepreneurial firms.
Develop your capacity to think strategically about business opportunities.
Integrate knowledge and skills from previous coursework and business experience to add value
to the entrepreneurial enterprise and deliver a final winning result.
Understand how to work effectively as a project team to achieve a winning result under time
pressure.
Create value for the business client by achieving the mutual expectations
Develop personal leadership and consulting skills
Learn how to present data/information/solutions in a compelling manner
Each member of the team is expected to be a professional delivering their part of the load.