Follow up to the key takeaways from Negotiation Mastery certificate at Harvard Business School (HBS Online), this informational piece covers reflections on the Entrepreneurship Essentials certificate. 

The article will cover two aspects of the course work:

A) Who should Not take this course.

B) Who should take this course.

Who should Not take this course:

As the name highlights, the course is called Entrepreneurship Essentials. As such, it's not necessary intended for people who may already have extended academic background on the matter. For example, if you have studied Business as an undergrad or post graduate, then this course is not intended for you. 

Similarly, if you have a business background through real-world experience, then you may not benefit much. Lastly, if you have an investment banking background, such as valuation of ideas, growth analysis...etc, then this may not suit your fancy.

On the other hand, if you have the knowledge and just need a refresher, especially with the famous Harvard Business School (HBS) case method, then you should definitely go for it.

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Who should take this course:

If you are an aspiring entrepreneur, but don't have the theoretical or practical know how, then this is a good place to start. The course does a good job in reinforcing the fundamentals, some of which are:

  • Start with the idea and ensure product/market fit.
  • Run small experiments, learn fast through customer feedback.
  • Pivot as needed and as quickly as possible.
  • Bootstrap as you need and then raise funds.
  • Find a partner in the venture capital space, who can truly provide guidance, vs just funds.
  • People and teams are critical to the success.

The frameworks utilized to bring all the aforementioned together is POCD. People, Opportunity, Context and Deals. Without going into the details of each, it's worth mentioning that founders of firms like, Rent the Run Way (RTR), Intuit, Dr. Johns Spin brush, bring these concepts from paper to life, through their journeys. The bitesize videos from the founders of many firms, along with HBS faculty ensure the right mix of theory and practical knowledge. These learnings can serve as foundational elements for any founder, to kickoff their own journeys.

Closing thoughts:

The coursework spans 4 weeks and if you're a returning learner, there is a 30% discount. The value created by the learnings at a market competitive price, value captured by the learners, along with brand recognition of HBS, simply cannot be beat. Or in words, it's a great product/market fit.