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

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.

Nov 23rd 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.

Nov 30th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Social Business Model and Planning for Social Innovation (Coursera) Coursera
Copenhagen Business School

Social Business Model and Planning for Social Innovation (Coursera)

In this course we will take the social business opportunity that you have identified in the first course to a higher level. Specifically, you will develop a business model using the Business Model Canvas. Gradually you will also start writing your business plan. Moreover, you will be able to assess different organizational forms and select the one that is appropriate for your developed business model.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Renewable Energy and Green Building Entrepreneurship (Coursera) Coursera
Duke University

Renewable Energy and Green Building Entrepreneurship (Coursera)

Welcome to the course where you learn to launch a new business in the energy, finance, real estate, design, engineering, or environmental sectors, while also helping you create positive environmental and human health impacts around the world. We will integrate tools, trends, and tips from the field of entrepreneurship as a career path for making a difference and generating wealth in the renewable energy and green building sectors.

Nov 30th 2026
3 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.

Nov 30th 2026
4 Weeks
Developing Innovative Ideas for New Companies: The First Step in Entrepreneurship (Coursera) Coursera
University of Maryland, College Park

Developing Innovative Ideas for New Companies: The First Step in Entrepreneurship (Coursera)

This course assists aspiring and active entrepreneurs in developing great ideas into great companies. With strong economies presenting rich opportunities for new venture creation, and challenging economic times presenting the necessity for many to make their own job, the need to develop the skills to develop and act on innovative business opportunities is increasingly vital.

Nov 30th 2026
4 Weeks
Innovation: From Creativity to Entrepreneurship Capstone (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Innovation: From Creativity to Entrepreneurship Capstone (Coursera)

The capstone for the specialization will provide a learning experience that integrates across all the courses within it. It will involve analysis of a situation concerning a new enterprise – a venture of one’s own or within a larger organization – to develop the current business model and compare against alternative business models so as to identify potential opportunities and challenges.

Dec 7th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Experiencing Design: Deepening Your Design Thinking Practice (Coursera) Coursera
University of Virginia

Experiencing Design: Deepening Your Design Thinking Practice (Coursera)

How do we unlock the transformational power of design thinking? To do this, we must understand that this power lies not in what it encourages us to do, but in who it encourages us to become. We become design thinkers by experiencing design. In this course, developed at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, we will guide you through six key phases of the design journey - Immersion, Sensemaking, Alignment, Emergence, Imagining, and Learning in Action.

Nov 30th 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.

Nov 30th 2026
5-12 Weeks