The minor entrepreneurship
Vision / Mission
The minor entrepreneurship educates students to become motivated entrepreneurs or enterprising employees. The education is competence oriented, with in mind that attitude is at least as important as knowledge and skill. We want to help students as much as possible to discover their own passions and talents. In a demand-driven learning environment students are trained to determine and realize their own goals.
Wow, Pow, How, Now
The wow, pow, how, now model is a cyclic model with four different phases. These phases contain steps that people make during the creating of a business. Besides that, this model is also appropriate to characterize people by means of the phase and corresponding role a person is comfortable with. This depends on someones predisposition, but also on experience. According to the context and state where people find themselves in, different roles can be adopted.
This semester, you are going to work on your entrepreneurial competencies. We classify the phases of entrepreneurship according to the WPHN-model. (More about the WPHN-model in the chapter ‘explanation WPHN-model’.)
Planning is done in the first three phases: wow, pow and how. The execution takes places in the final phase; now. The education concept demands that you work from within a context. You can choose yourself in what kind of situation you want to learn. Within the minor we advise 2 kinds of contexts: an enterprise or a project. If you want to do something different you have to present your proposal to your mentor.
During the minor you can start your own company or execute a project. From the very first day you will be:
– Creating an authentic concept that suits you. (wow)
– Finding out if there is a market to be found or to be created. (pow)
- Devising a strategy to complete your objectives. (how) – Recruiting customers, sponsors and suppliers. (now)
You will go through these phases twice, and every time you will improve your plan. Eventually you will be judged on the competences you have gained during the minor. You are expected to be entrepreneurial, independent of the context; in this case a plan or a project. (See also ‘Criteria per Phase’)
The most important thing is that creating your company and project must be executable within the semester the minor takes place in. It could be that finishing your company isn’t immediately executable because you have to make a big investment or want to graduate first. In that case we expect you to provide a similar service to the same target group.
For example: you want to open a tapas restaurant for cosmopolitan double income couples. This enterprise can’t be started within the minor. Instead, you will be organizing a wine and food evening for the desired target group.
to guarantee an adequate level for your now-competence, the following requirements are made for the enterprise and the project:
1. Enough customers, visitors and/or sponsors.
2. The execution will take around 420 hours.
3. The enterprise or project has to be yours.
1. After 6 months, during the assessment, you will be able to show you have
acquired customers, received visitors, etc. How many customers or visitors are sufficient will depend on the kind of enterprise or project and has to be discussed with your mentor. You will have to come with a substantiated proposal, which you will discuss together.
2. The execution, including preparation and aftercare will take around 420 hours. These study hours are equal to 15 EC, that are linked to the now-phase.
3. The success or failure of the realization of your idea lies entirely with you. You work for yourself, not commissioned by others. At all times you have to be able to make your own choices and justify them during the assessment.
Phases in short
New ideas often take root in an unexpected and intense experience.
It’s about experiences that impact you personally and pull you out of your comfort zone.
When you do something with this disruption, the WOW-phase starts. In the WOW-phase it’s important to freely associate, because it increases chances for new ideas. These ideas are often still somewhat vague and not immediately usable. These ideas, however, can provide a stepping stone to a usable idea.
In order to progress, it’s necessary to look at the available opportunities. This happens during the POW-phase. Having a good overview of the possibilities in the ‘real world’ can help you to convert rough ideas to concepts with a lot of potential. During this phase it’s important to continually spot new opportunities. This helps to determine the feasibility of certain ideas.
The HOW-phase deals with elaborating concepts with high potential to detailed plans. Thinking in an analytical and critical manner helps to prevent unfounded plans.
People who can easily work in these kinds of mindsets are NOW-ers. They are skilled at bringing into practice the instructions of the HOW-ers. It’s their job to elaborate the concept. The experiences that are gained by NOW-ers can be used by those that are good at the WOW-phase, completing the circle of phases.
GROWTH is defined as expanding what you already know and what you want you learn, change of context (looking at the subject from an different angle) and your level of independence.
Innovation process
The internal process that people encounter during innovation is a process that can be characterized by 12 steps. These 12 steps will be further explained per phase.
WOW
Roles
Wowers experience things in their own way. They have a different view on certain experiences. Some of these experiences makes them dream about it. This is why they usually come up with unexpected ideas. In the beginning they may seem strange, but sometimes they could lead to a great idea.
Innovation process
Hope
1.Intense experience
2.Touched by
3.Dream
Criteria wow phase
The student can determine his or her own passions and talents. They have knowledge about and experience with creative techniques. Based on their own knowledge and creativity they can create an authentic concept.
Products wow phase
Creative/ authentic idea for a company.
Reflection report about passions, talent and how much you are into starting a company
Books/Movies/Documents
Byttebier, I. (2002). Creativiteit hoe?zo! : inzicht, inspiratie en toepassingen voor het optimaal benutten van uw eigen creativiteit en die van uw organisatie. Tielt: Lannoo.
Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action | Video on TED.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from http:// www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action.html
POW
Roles
Powers are active people who are always hunting for opportunities.
That is why they prefer a broad view, to see any useful possibilities.
When they are focussed on detail they will encounter some problems.
Once they found all of the possibilities, they prefer to have some influence on their environment to increase the success rate.
Innovation process
Ambition
4.Scout possibilities 5. Dare
6.Set goals
Criteria pow phase
The student can determine how the market for their chosen branch works. They can name chances or create them based on their concept. Students will then describe ambitious but realistic goals based on the concept.
Products pow phase
Internal/external analysis Confrontation matrix
Marketing strategy
Books/Movies/Documents
Business Model Canvas Explained. (2011). http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=QoAOzMTLP5s&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Floor, J. M. ., & Raaij, W. F. van. (2010). Marketingcommunicatiestrategie : reclame, online marketingcommunicatie, public relations en voorlichting, sponsoring, promoties, directmarketingcommunicatie, winkelcommunicatie, persoonlijke verkoop, evenementen, geïntegreerde communicatie. Groningen [etc.]: Noordhoff.
Kotler, P., Broere, F. ., & Roozenboom, T. (2009). Principes van marketing. Amsterdam: Pearson Education.
Michels, W. . (2012). Communicatieplanner. Groningen [etc.]: Noordhoff.
Netherlands – Geert Hofstede. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2012, from http://geert-hofstede.com/ netherlands.html
Seth Godin: How to get your ideas to spread | Video on TED.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from http:// www.ted.com/talks/seth_godin_on_sliced_bread.html
HOW Roles
Howers don’t want things to get out of control. nobody wants that but Howers are extra alert to this. That is why they plan every little detail. Howers never go on a trip without extensive planning and they even calculate possible delays into their planning so that they will always arrive on time. Howers are essential to a good team. They pay attention to detail, are trustworthy and they are great in researching possibilities and threats.
Innovation process
Control
7. Analyze 8. Thrust 9. Construct
Criteria how phase
Based on their goals the student will develop solutions in order to gain the desired result. The goals will be based on the SMART-technique and will lead to a strategy.
Products how phase
Legal financial plan
Books/Movies/Documents
Floor, J. M. ., & Raaij, W. F. van. (2010). Marketingcommunicatiestrategie : reclame, online marketingcommunicatie, public relations en voorlichting, sponsoring, promoties, directmarketingcommunicatie, winkelcommunicatie, persoonlijke verkoop, evenementen, geïntegreerde communicatie. Groningen [etc.]: Noordhoff.
Kotler, P., Broere, F. ., & Roozenboom, T. (2009). Principes van marketing. Amsterdam: Pearson Education.
Michels, W. . (2012). Communicatieplanner. Groningen [etc.]: Noordhoff.
NOW Roles
Nowers want to see and experience. They are at their best when plans are being executed. Athletes and musicians are great examples of Nowers. They are competent in execution. To be able to do their work properly they value detailed instructions. Once they know this they will do fine on their own. Nowers are social people. They prefer to work in a group and care for other people, but not for everybody. People that don’t appreciate their work or ignore them won’t be cared about.
Innovation process
Confirm
10. Experiment
11.Self confidence
12. Experience
Criteria now phase
The developed strategy for the company will be executed and workable techniques will be formed. Based upon the gained experience the student will reflect upon their progress and an improvement plan will be created.
Products now phase
Reflection report about executive tasks:
The negotiating with suppliers, and giving a pitch presentation
