Basics of entrepreneurship: thinking and doing (Coursera)

Offered by ESSEC Business School,
Basics of entrepreneurship: thinking and doing (Coursera)

Having entrepreneurial skills is beneficial for everyone, whether in your personal or professional life. Entrepreneurship is not just about starting your own business, it is a mindset that pushes you to see opportunities where others only see challenges and to know how to manage risk and uncertainty.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Having entrepreneurial skills is no longer a luxury, but an essential skill in everyone's toolbox!
Whether you are a student, an employee, young or not so young...come and discover the entrepreneur inside of you!
At the end of this course, you will be familiar with :

  • what entrepreneurship is,
  • the frameworks and practical tools that help you to be an entrepreneur and the mistakes to avoid,
  • a number of entrepreneurial methods and tools, or at least know how to learn and use them in practice,
  • how to find good business ideas and projects and how to manage risks.

Syllabus

Entrepreneurship fundamentals
Welcome to the beginning of your learning journey! This first module is about knowing what entrepreneurship is and when it makes sense to use it. Just as you choose the right clothes for the right occasion, we will show you when to put on your entrepreneurial hat and when to put on your managerial hat. You will discover that entrepreneurship is not something you ARE, but something you DO. The objective is also to demystify entrepreneurship for you in a very concrete way.

Frameworks and tools of entrepreneurship
In this second module, we will strat by the analyzing of a business model wich will give you a perspective on what kinds of questions any entrepreneur will have to answer. And hence, what kind of answers any entrepreneur will need to search! We'll explore the different ways to search and optimize those searches. Then, we will introduce two very useful perspectives that any entrepreneur or innovator can use when looking to develop opportunities and business models. Finally, we will end this module by presenting the basics of investment sources for startups.

Methods of entrepreneurship and innovation - Part 1
For this third week, you will discover the methods of entrepreneurship and innovation. This topic being quite dense, it will be divided into two parts. In this first part, we will go deeper into much more detail on the entrepreneurial process of ideas and developing them into opportunities, such as design thinking, lean startup and effectuation. Furthermore we are going to the management of risks and uncertainties of failing in doing so.

Methods of entrepreneurship and innovation - Part 2
You have now reached the last week of the course! You have learned what the ideation process, design thinking and lean startup are...we still have to see one last method...Effectuation! Now, you are familiar with the main methods, let's see the business plan! What is its objective and especially how can you structure your business plan? Then, let's talk about the fact that creating a startup or launching an innovation is often more effective when it is done in a team. And finally, let's conclude this journey with one last thing I've learned from great entrepreneurs!

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Innovation for Impact (i4i) The Carlson-Polizzotto Method of Value Creation (Coursera) Coursera
Northeastern University

Innovation for Impact (i4i) The Carlson-Polizzotto Method of Value Creation (Coursera)

Welcome! Partnering with Tech industry giants Curtis Carlson and Len Polizzotto, Northeastern University brings you “Value Creation: The Carlson-Polizzotto Method” a short-form course experience like no other. Building careers by solving for the value proposition - Curt and Len are responsible for driving the integration of the software technology behind Apple’s voice command intelligent assistant and creating the standard for high definition television - now known to billions today as Siri and HDTV.

Oct 5th 2026
1 Week
Design Thinking for the Greater Good: Innovation in the Social Sector (Coursera) Coursera
University of Virginia

Design Thinking for the Greater Good: Innovation in the Social Sector (Coursera)

Do you work for a nonprofit or in the social sector? Are you struggling to solve the problems and meet the needs of the people you serve? Come learn more about how design thinking, a human-centered approach to problem solving, can help you truly understand an issue, generate ideas worth testing and iterate to find solutions that make a real difference. Through global stories from areas as diverse as government, health care, and education, we’ll show you the tools, techniques and mindset needed to use design thinking to uncover new and creative solutions in the social sector.

Sep 28th 2026
4 Weeks
Structure: Building the Frame for Business Growth (Coursera) Coursera
Michigan State University

Structure: Building the Frame for Business Growth (Coursera)

Just like when building a house the foundation for your business provides the framework for success. A business built on weak structure will struggle to succeed. We'll address some of the most pressing issues that you as a business owner must face while constructing the proper framework for your business.

Sep 28th 2026
4 Weeks
Mastering bitumen for better roads and innovative applications (Coursera) Coursera
École des Ponts ParisTech

Mastering bitumen for better roads and innovative applications (Coursera)

During the four coming weeks, best experts in bitumen will bring you their knowledge and experience to build a strong understanding of today’s realities and new perspectives on the future of bitumen. Total is the European leader on bitumen markets. Innovation has always been the key to sustainability and durability in the products they develop. Their main objective here is to share technical knowledge and experience to insure bitumen are being used in the most effective and efficient ways for their different applications in road works.

Oct 5th 2026
4 Weeks
Innovating with the Business Model Canvas (Coursera) Coursera
University of Virginia

Innovating with the Business Model Canvas (Coursera)

Have you ever gotten really excited about reading or writing a business plan? You might have started out excited, but I’m going to bet you didn’t stay that way. Let’s be honest- business plans are boring and mostly ignored. In this course, you’ll learn key tools from the worlds of design thinking and Lean Startup to approach the Canvas with thoughtfulness, focus, and above all a test-driven approach to business model innovation.

Sep 28th 2026
2 Weeks
Cybersecurity Awareness and Innovation (Coursera) Coursera
EIT Digital

Cybersecurity Awareness and Innovation (Coursera)

It’s not you, it’s me! What’s going on? This course empowers students, professionals and wider community to deal with cybersecurity attacks and risks focused on identity management and it is an introduction to the upcoming full course focused on cybersecurity awareness. It is provided a practical overview of challenging issues like identity credentials management and security, e-mail threats and web impersonation, or web hacking.

Sep 28th 2026
5-12 Weeks
HI-FIVE: Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment (Administrative/IT Perspective) (Coursera) Coursera
Columbia University

HI-FIVE: Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment (Administrative/IT Perspective) (Coursera)

HI-FIVE (Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment) Training is an approximately 10-hour online course designed by Columbia University in 2016, with sponsorship from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). The training is role-based and uses case scenarios. No additional hardware or software are required for this course. Our nation’s healthcare system is changing at a rapid pace.

Sep 28th 2026
4 Weeks
Innovación Educativa (Coursera) Coursera
Tecnológico de Monterrey

Innovación Educativa (Coursera)

El curso de Innovación Educativa tiene como intención que el estudiante conozca y aplique los conceptos de tendencias e innovación educativa. En él conocerá tendencias en educación como flipped classroom, gamificación, educación basada en competencias, etc.; así como la metodología de design thingking para llevar a cabo una innovación partiendo de una necesidad del usuario. Además, se adentrará en temas de competencias digitales, tecnologías emergentes abarcando sus ventajas y desventajas, así como modelos de incorporación de tecnología educativa.

Oct 5th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Legal Tech & Startups (Coursera) Coursera
IE Business School

Legal Tech & Startups (Coursera)

LegalTech is the reaction to the disruption that technology is having across all sectors of the economy. Considering that the legal sector is one of the most resistant to change, due to its conservative nature, we can see just how different the future will be. In this course, IE professor Marti Manent will guide you through the essential stages of this disruption in technology, giving you the key tools and ideas to consider when starting your online business.

Oct 5th 2026
4 Weeks
Working for a sustainable future: concepts and approaches (Coursera) Coursera
Lund University

Working for a sustainable future: concepts and approaches (Coursera)

In this course, participants are introduced to key notions and concepts evolving in sustainability science that are relevant to all, independent to one's work or field of interest. After having completed the course, participants will have a better understanding of the vocabulary used today and should demonstrate the ability to reflect critically to integrate different perspectives of environmental, social, and economic sustainability to their specific area of interest or research.

Oct 5th 2026
5-12 Weeks