The Entrepreneur Track builds the core business competencies and professional traits that entrepreneurial-minded participants need to tackle the ever-changing landscape within a new venture. This intensive and supportive Program puts individuals in the strongest position to succeed as entrepreneurs by giving them the perspective, competencies, and networks they need.
During the Entrepreneur Track, participants will learn to identify, evaluate, and act on the viability of business opportunities in situations marked by risk, change, and uncertainty. Graduates will finish with a strong grasp of the skills and processes that help entrepreneurs become successful regardless of whether they are starting a new company or service or launching a new product in a larger organization. Our interactive learning model teaches by simulating the experience of advancing from being a lone idea-generator to working in a well-functioning team launching a successful enterprise. Particular emphasis is spent on creating an idea, developing its brand, modeling its finances, and then effectively pitching it to advisors, investors, and prospective hires.
The Fullbridge Entrepreneur Track is structured to include the following curriculum themes:
Classic Business Concepts
Participants are introduced to classic business concepts that are the building blocks to successfully launching an enterprise, including innovation, creative problem-solving, and valuation. Fullbridge Entrepreneur Track gives participants a practical framework in which to structure and execute ideas for their new venture’s goals and business model.
Entrepreneurial Finance
For entrepreneurs, being able to model a business key. Finance accounts for over 50 hours of Fullbridge Entrepreneur Tack content. Participants learn:
- how to structure financial statements and evaluate cash flow, key skills for modeling a business
- how investment decisions are made, including how enterprises are valued by investors
- how to leverage different sources of funding at various stages of growth
Through engaging tutorials, case studies, and real-world scenarios, the curriculum builds participants’ fluency in the language of finance through the lens of an entrepreneur.
Previous knowledge of finance is not required. Fullbridge starts with the basics and teaches finance from the ground up. Participants learn by doing, not rote memorization.
Strategic Thinking in a Global Context
Today’s workplace is global - markets and business relationships are no longer bound by geographic borders. Even emerging growth and social ventures need to think about international opportunities. Fullbridge Entrepreneur Track introduces participants to global business trends, how to effective apply business research to uncover new trends, creative problem solving, innovation, and business analysis. The ability to frame business knowledge in a broad context is of immeasurable value: participants will be able to illuminate strategic areas of consideration in their new ventures and in potential competitors.
Analytical Tools and Presentation Skills
For entrepreneurs, Excel and PowerPoint are important tools and Fullbridge teaches participants how to leverage them. This Program includes immersive tutorials on Excel and PowerPoint. These interactive tutorials provide the solid groundings in basic technical skills, as well as opportunities to develop expertise in financial decision-making. Excel and PowerPoint will be utilized in both individual and team exercises throughout the Program, to synthesize data and deliver structured presentations and compelling pitches.
Professional Development
An initial step to understanding how to become an effective entrepreneur is recognizing the traits that will promote success. Professional development is a key component of The Fullbridge Program Entrepreneur Track. Starting a business and leading a team requires steady, unwavering resolve and clear vision of your strengths and weakness. As a budding entrepreneur, it is important to know where your skills and temperament will best serve the company and where and when you need to engage other people.
Three full days of the Program are devoted to a multi-phase professional development experience led by Tim Butler, Director of Career Development Programs at Harvard Business School. Throughout the Program, participants receive advice, evaluation, and direct feedback from Tim and Fullbridge Career Coaches, individuals with extensive professional experience and degrees from the nation’s top business schools. The 20-hour career module uses a sequence of assessments and tools to help participants gain insight into their personal drivers and then map these drivers to professional pathways. Additionally, this module provides hands-on resume instruction and a thoughtful approach to authentic networking.