Small Biz Bee » Education

How to Select the Ideal Entrepreneurial Program

smallbizbee — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 18:42:05 +0000

Choosing an entrepreneurial program is an important decision which can have a significant impact on wether or not an entrepreneur is successful.

With a large number of entrepreneur programs to choose from it can be difficult to make the ideal selection. Shown below are some important aspects to consider when selecting among the large number of entrepreneurship programs:

Location

Some experts recommend that individuals seeking a career in technology select a school located in a major tech entrepreneurial center such as Silicon Valley or the Boston region where venture capital deals are made all the time. For technology entrepreneurs, some experts suggest a second-tier school located in a major tech market is preferable to a prestigious school located in the Midwest.

Reputation and Track Record

A school’s ranking and having a national reputation of academic excellence are often important factors to potential employers. They can also be important factors to venture capitalists.

Questions: What is the percentage of graduates of a particular entrepreneurship program that begin their own business? One expert estimates that up to 20 percent of people majoring in entrepreneurship begin a business immediately after they graduate. Who are the successful entrepreneurs who graduated from the program?

On-Campus Resources

It’s important to select a school that provides active opportunities for students to meet investors. On-campus small business development centers and entrepreneurial centers can also be useful.

The school’s affiliations with businesses and business related organizations can also be helpful to students during an externship and in their careers. A school’s affiliation with national and international student organizations including Students in Free Enterprise may be a desirable factor for some students.

Curriculum

In some programs, students as individuals or as part of a team have the opportunity to operate their own company during a majority of the program. A significant trend is the tech-transfer model in which entrepreneurship is taught across the curriculum.

At some institutions faculty members and graduate students from medical and engineering schools team up with MBA students to take innovative ideas and commercialize them.

Questions: What areas of concentration are available? Does the school have entrepreneurship clubs? Does the school have mentorship programs?

Flexibility

Online classes allow students to work at their own pace from home. They can take classes while building their business. Many school offer accelerated programs. Prospective students should make sure the online program they are considering offers all the important parts of on-campus programs.

Training

Externships provide valuable experience and networking opportunities.

Questions: Does the program provide a variety of externships? Do students have to find their own externships? Are they paid or unpaid externships?

Prerequisite Work

Some entrepreneur programs focus on entrepreneurial studies throughout the program, whereas other programs require an extensive amount of prerequisite work including business classes and general studies classes.

Faculty

Quality programs are taught by instructors that have been successful entrepreneurs.

Questions: What percentage of faculty members are entrepreneurs? How does the percentage compare to top ranked schools? Do some of the instructors have experience at developing Internet businesses?

Top Rated Entrepreneurial Undergraduate Programs

Some of the top rated entrepreneurial undergraduate degree programs are provided by the following schools:

Top Rated Entrepreneurial Graduate Programs

Some of the top rated entrepreneurship graduate degree programs are provided by the following schools:

About the Author: Brian Jenkins writes articles on management for Braintrack.com, including this article on General Management Careers.

Photo Credit: epak

Want to be our next guest author? Click here for details…

Small Business Questions from a Reader

smallbizbee — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:38:06 +0000

A reader of Small Biz Bee, Josef, recently asked me a very good question.

“I think a pretty interesting topic with rather limited coverage is how to decide whether an idea is worth starting a business. How to decide it’s worth quitting a safe, well paid day job? Should the idea be revolutionary? Or at least novel? Or it may be rather ordinary, just betting on good execution? Should I start only once I have a detailed business plan with detailed market research, or is that just a perfection paralysis and I should rely more on gut feelings? What are the signs it could go well or all wrong? Starting a new business may well be the most important decision in people’s life so no wonder it’s surrounded by endless questions and any guidance is highly appreciated.”

No doubt Josef is dealing with the myriad of questions that anyone thinking of starting a business goes through. And I agree, there is limited “real world” advice on the subject.

So, instead of answering all of Josef’s questions via email I’m going to answer them all right here in a four part series beginning tomorrow.

What We’ll Cover

How to decide it’s worth quitting the safe, well paid day job to start a business
Is your business idea “good enough”?
Overcoming perfection paralysis
Following the signs – early signs that your venture could go well, or all wrong.

Stay Tuned

That’s what we have on the docket in the next few days. I invite all of you to stop back by and check out the articles, and please lend your own expertise and opions to the subject in the comments of each.

Want Your Question Answered?

Do you have a business question you’d like answered “on air” here at Small Biz Bee? Drop us a line, we’d love to hear from you.

Can’t visit Small Biz Bee on a regular basis? You can stay up to date by having the latest Small Biz Bee news delivered to you for free via RSS or Email.

For exclusive Small Biz Bee content and offers, sign up for our free newsletter:

105 Absolutely Free Online Business Videos and Lectures

smallbizbee — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:00:38 +0000

If you’re looking for a big time business education without spending thousands of dollars, you’ve come to the right place. The following business videos and lectures are the same as you would get in the most prestigious MBA programs, all for free.

These videos range in complexity and length, but all incorporate the concepts and business foundations you will need to be successful. Some are as short as 1 minute and others are full class lectures, which cover topics such as entrepreneurship, financing, marketing, business planning, and more.

You can never have too much education, and thanks to the internet nearly everything you need to know is available to you, at your finger tips…for free, which is a pretty sweet deal.

I hope you find something here that helps you and your business be successful!

General Business – Getting Started

Startup

Entrepreneurship

Strategy

Business Tips

Marketing / Advertising

Small Business Accounting

Financing

Business Plans and Business Planning

Leadership

Social Media for Business

Branding

Business Profiles and Interviews

If you know of any free video lectures focused on small business or entrepreneurship let me know about them in the comments section and I’ll add them to the list.