Entrepreneurship and Business Growth Training Course

Participants can gather and interpret customer evidence before proposing a solution.

• Jobs to Be Done interviews uncover functional, emotional and social progress
• Interview guides separate observed behaviour from opinions, preferences and leading questions
• Customer journey maps identify moments, friction, workarounds and unmet outcomes
• Problem interviews documented through quotes, patterns, frequency and severity ratings
• Assumption mapping ranks beliefs by uncertainty and consequence for venture decisions
• Evidence logs distinguish validated learning, emerging signals and unsupported claims

Participants can assess market attractiveness, size an opportunity and identify competitive pressures.

• TAM, SAM and SOM estimates built from transparent demand assumptions
• PESTLE analysis identifies policy, economic, social, technology and legal drivers
• Porter's Five Forces tests rivalry, entry barriers, substitutes and buyer power
• Competitor maps compare offer features, pricing, channels and strategic position
• Market research sources evaluated for relevance, recency, method and bias
• Beachhead markets selected using urgency, accessibility, value and reference potential

Participants can select priority customer segments using evidence-based segmentation criteria.

• Segmentation variables combine needs, behaviour, economics, context and buying authority
• Personas grounded in research rather than demographic assumptions or stereotypes
• Buying-centre analysis maps users, influencers, gatekeepers, buyers and approvers
• Segment attractiveness scored by pain intensity, size, reachability and willingness
• Early-adopter characteristics distinguish urgent buyers from general market interest
• Target segment choices documented with explicit exclusions and rationale

Participants can create a differentiated value proposition for a defined target segment.

• Value Proposition Canvas links customer jobs, pains, gains and offer elements
• Benefit statements translate product features into measurable customer outcomes
• Positioning statements specify target, category, distinction and reasons to believe
• Value curves compare competing offers against decision criteria customers value
• Switching costs assessed across money, time, risk, habit and organisational change
• Messaging hierarchy aligns core promise, proof points, objections and call-to-action

Participants can design and critique a coherent business model for a new venture.

• Business Model Canvas connects customers, value, channels, revenue and key activities
• Revenue models compared: transaction, subscription, licensing, usage and advertising
• Cost structures classified as fixed, variable, direct, indirect and step costs
• Key partners assessed for capability, economics, dependency and bargaining power
• Make-buy-partner decisions tested against control, speed, expertise and investment
• Business model assumptions recorded with owners, evidence needs and review dates

Participants can design low-cost tests that generate decision-quality evidence.

• Hypothesis statements specify customer, expected behaviour, measure and threshold
• Minimum viable products matched to the riskiest assumption being tested
• Smoke tests measure demand through landing pages, advertisements and registrations
• Concierge tests validate service value before automation or product development
• A/B tests isolate one variable, audience condition and success measure
• Experiment cards define method, sample, duration, ethics and decision rule

Participants can build venture economics and forecast financial requirements.

• Pricing architecture combines willingness to pay, value, costs and competition
• Unit economics calculate contribution margin, acquisition cost and customer lifetime value
• Three-year revenue forecasts use volume, price, conversion and retention assumptions
• 13-week cash forecasts track receipts, payroll, suppliers and funding requirements
• Break-even analysis identifies volume, margin and fixed-cost thresholds
• Sensitivity analysis tests adverse cases for price, demand, costs and delays

Participants can create a focused market-entry plan with measurable commercial actions.

• Go-to-market sequencing aligns target segment, offer readiness and sales capacity
• Channel strategies compare direct sales, distributors, marketplaces and partnerships
• Sales funnels define stages, conversion rates, cycle times and accountability
• Customer acquisition plans combine outreach, content, events, referrals and trials
• Launch milestones coordinate product, marketing, legal, support and partner actions
• Commercial dashboards track pipeline, conversion, acquisition cost and early retention

Participants can communicate a concise and evidence-based case for venture investment.

• Pitch structures establish problem, customer, solution, market, economics and ask
• Executive summaries present the decision required, evidence, risks and next steps
• Storytelling uses customer stakes, tension, proof and commercial consequence
• Investment asks specify funding, people, decisions, timing and expected milestones
• Objection handling addresses market, execution, financial and credibility concerns
• Pitch decks use charts, evidence and concise claims without unsupported projections

Participants can identify legal and regulatory issues requiring early venture action.

• Legal entity choices compare liability, tax treatment, control and investment readiness
• Intellectual property audit identifies patents, trademarks, copyright and trade secrets
• Freedom-to-operate searches flag possible conflicts before product investment decisions
• Data protection requirements map personal data, consent, retention and access
• Sector regulations assessed through licences, approvals, reporting and conduct obligations
• Venture risk registers assign owners, mitigations, triggers and escalation routes

Participants can design an operating model that supports early delivery and customer service.

• Service blueprints connect customer actions, frontstage work and backstage processes
• Operating models define people, process, technology, suppliers and governance
• Critical path analysis sequences launch dependencies, owners, durations and milestones
• Capacity plans estimate demand, staffing, throughput and service-level constraints
• Standard operating procedures capture repeatable tasks, controls and exception handling
• Supplier due diligence examines quality, continuity, security and contractual obligations

Participants can build accountable venture teams and lead through uncertainty.

• Founder agreements clarify roles, equity, decisions, departures and dispute resolution
• RACI matrices assign responsibility, accountability, consultation and information rights
• Skills-gap analysis identifies capability needs across product, sales, finance and operations
• Psychological safety supports challenge, learning, disclosure and constructive disagreement
• Decision logs record alternatives, assumptions, chosen actions and review triggers
• Venture meeting rhythms coordinate priorities, experiments, risks and resource decisions

Participants can select growth paths that fit venture economics and capability constraints.

• Ansoff Matrix compares market penetration, development, product development and diversification
• Growth loops map customer actions that generate acquisition, usage or retention
• Cohort analysis separates acquisition performance from retention and expansion patterns
• Product-market fit signals combine repeat use, referrals, retention and payment
• Expansion criteria assess demand proof, local adaptation, partners and operating capacity
• Strategic option portfolios rank growth bets by return, uncertainty and resource needs

Participants can structure sales and partnership approaches for early commercial traction.

• Consultative selling diagnoses customer objectives, constraints, stakeholders and decision process
• Sales qualification uses BANT: budget, authority, need and timing
• Account plans map opportunity value, contacts, risks, actions and next meetings
• Partnership models compare referral, reseller, co-development and joint-venture arrangements
• BATNA preparation defines alternatives, walk-away points and negotiation priorities
• Commercial terms address scope, price, payment, service levels and termination

Participants can select and use metrics for digital acquisition, activation and retention.

• AARRR metrics track acquisition, activation, retention, referral and revenue
• Funnel analysis identifies abandonment points between awareness, trial and purchase
• North Star Metrics connect recurring customer value with sustainable business growth
• Search keyword research aligns customer intent, content themes and conversion pages
• Email lifecycle campaigns support onboarding, activation, renewal and re-engagement
• Dashboard design separates vanity metrics from actionable commercial indicators

Participants can assess funding options and prepare an investment-ready case.

• Bootstrapping, grants, debt and equity compared against venture stage requirements
• Term sheets examined for valuation, dilution, preferences, control and vesting
• Use-of-funds plans link capital requests to milestones, hiring and market tests
• Investor due diligence materials organise corporate, financial, customer and legal evidence
• Valuation methods compare comparable companies, discounted cash flow and venture capital
• Investment committee papers state recommendation, rationale, risks and approval conditions

Participants can establish governance and controls appropriate for growth-stage ventures.

• Stage-gate reviews assess evidence, funding, risks and continuation decisions
• OKRs connect venture priorities with measurable objectives and key results
• Management accounts track revenue, margin, cash, variance and forecast changes
• Risk appetite statements define acceptable exposure across strategic and operational risks
• Business continuity plans address critical services, incidents, recovery and communications
• Board reporting balances growth indicators, customer evidence, finances and key risks

Participants can integrate market, financial, operating and risk choices into one growth plan.

• Strategic narrative links customer problem, proposition, model and growth ambition
• Milestone roadmaps sequence validation, launch, revenue, hiring and expansion decisions
• Resource plans allocate people, budget, partners and technology against priorities
• Scenario plans prepare responses to demand shortfalls, delays and funding constraints
• Balanced scorecards align customer, financial, process and capability measures
• Review cadences establish evidence updates, decisions, ownership and accountability

Participants can build, review and present a complete evidence-based venture and business growth plan.

• Opportunity case consolidates customer evidence, market analysis and target segment
• Business Model Canvas aligns proposition, channels, partners, revenues and costs
• Financial model presents unit economics, cash requirements, scenarios and break-even
• Go-to-market plan specifies positioning, channels, sales funnel and launch milestones
• Risk register covers regulatory, operational, financial, market and execution exposures
• Executive pitch presents recommendation, investment ask, milestones and decision gates