15.390 | Spring 2013 | Graduate

New Enterprises

Readings

[Aulet] = Aulet, Bill. Disciplined Entrepreneurship: 24 Steps to a Successful Startup. Wiley, 2013. ISBN: 9781118692288. [Preview with Google Books]

SES # TOPICS READINGS
1 Course introduction and elements & role of a business plan

[Aulet] Prologue.

Mini case study

2 Idea generation Mini case study
3 Analyzing ideas and inspirations

Watch Video and take notes on: TEDxTalks. “TEDxVictoria - Dave Morris: The Way of Improvisation.” January 7, 2012. YouTube. Accessed on December 16, 2013. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUO-pWJ0riQ

Watch the IDEO video “Deep Dive” Parts 1 & 2 on YouTube, and especially focus on the beginning of Part 2 on brainstorming:

Mini case study

4 Speed dating for team formation [Aulet] Step 0: “Getting Started.”
5 More team formation and idea refinement Mini case study
6 Market segmentation & primary customer research

[Aulet] Step 1: “Market Segmentation.”

Mini case study

7 Moving from the broad list of potential markets to specific targets

[Aulet] Steps 2–5.

Mini case study

8 Determining what you can do for your customer

[Aulet] Steps 6–9.

Mini case study

9 Defining and refining what makes you unique

[Aulet] Steps 10–11.

Mini case study

10 Simulation lab on marketing plan None
11 Competitive advantage Mini case study
12 Business economics part I: Cost of customer acquisition

[Aulet] Steps 12, 13, and 18.

David Skok’s blog posts:

Halligan, Brian, and Dharmesh Shah. Foreword and chapters 1–2 in Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social media, and Blogs. Wiley, 2009. ISBN: 9780470499313. [Preview with Google Books]

13 COCA examples and discussion None
14 How do you make your business economically sustainable & attractive?

[Aulet] Steps 15–17, and 19.

Article: Needleman, Sarah E. and Angus Loten. “When Freemium Fails.” The Wall Street Journal (WSJ.com). August 22, 2012. online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443713704577603782317318996.html

15 Sales and distribution Mini case study
16 Go-to-market simulation lab None
17 How do you design and build your product? [Aulet] Steps 7, and 20–23.
18 Nuts and bolts of building your financial statements None
19 Product definition, development to delivery Mini case study
20 Legal considerations to start a company None
21 Scaling the business, team section & how to present a business plan [Aulet] Steps 14, and 24.
22 Troubles ahead None
23 Student team presentations None
24 Student team presentations (cont.) None

Course Info

As Taught In
Spring 2013
Level
Learning Resource Types
Lecture Notes
Tutorial Videos
Activity Assignments
Written Assignments