Entrepreneurship Track at Carleton University
The best way to learn about Entrepreneurship right now at Carleton is to
take courses 42.360 Small
Business Management and 42.491 Entrepreneurialist
Culture, go to the Magic from a Hat
Lectures and try out for the Wes Nicol business
plan competition. Professor John Callahan and I have put this series together
and it will answer a lot of your questions... on how to become a successful
entrepreneur or intrapreneur.
New this year, we are introducing LearnByDoing.ca
as a part of 42.491. Here students will split into teams and start real
businesses making real sales and having real life experiences.
For the Summer of 2003, we will also be taking applications from Business co-op students in 3rd and 4th years (who are also enrolled in 42.491) who would like to participate in the new Entrepreneurship Co-op Program. For students who are accepted, they will receive $4,000 from the program during the Summer of 2003 (at $1,000 per month) to further develop and launch their enterprises. Students interested in this program must submit a business model/plan that has some or all of the following characteristics: a. it can be started using bootstrap capital, b. it can be marketed using guerrilla marketing (substituting brains for money in the marketing wars), c. it creates value beyond just having a JOB, d. the business model is right, e. there is pixie dust in the equation. You will be required to submit your business model and plan to a Committee made up of Professor Shaobo Ji, Professor John Callahan and Dr. Bruce Firestone.
To get some idea of the type of business model that will be accepted in
this program, please see gradeAstudent.com.
This business was started by graduates of 42.491 and is a very successful
startup. Their business model is completely reinventing the computer repair
industry. They are in the business of on-site computer repair-- both on-site and
on-time.
In addition, for those interested in real estate development, I
teach a class in the Faculty of Engineering and Design called Enterprise
of the City, which deals with real estate issues-- everything from site
selection through to design, zoning, development and cost/benefit
analysis.
This Entrepreneurship Track really works-- there are
already over 15 graduates who are not just talking the talk but walking the
walk-- they have started their own startups. Successful grads who have: a. a
great business idea, b. a sound business model, d. a love and dedication to what
they do, can then go on to secure start-up coaching from DramatisPersonae.org
Coaching-- everything from getting launch clients, guerrilla marketing, "no"
money down start-ups, securing seed capital to pulling together an Advisory
Board and getting office space.
You may also wish to join Exploriem.org, a networking organization
for Professional Entrepreneurs.
The Province of Ontario operates a young
entrepreneurs' Summer
Company Program for students aged 15 to 29. You must be a full time student
returning to school in the Fall to be eligible. Grants
of up to $3,000 are available under this program for student summer
startups.
There are some GOC (Government of Canada) programs that you should know about for SME financing. Check out: the Small Business Loan program and the SR & ED Tax Credit program too.
You should also know about the Technology Ventures Co-op:
entrepreneurially-inclined Engineering students who wish to start their
own businesses may receive a half credit for a co-op term at the same time. You
must be a third year student to qualify. Students enrolled in 360 and third year
students enrolled in 491 are eligible. Technology-based start-ups may also
qualify for financial assistance.
There is significant support for Entrepreneurship and Technology
Advancement at Carleton University-- you can find out more at: available
programs.
In terms of books, this is an under-researched area in my view. Some of the works you look at, may not be as helpful as you might wish; possibly because they are written by people who have studied entrepreneurship but never been involved in actual start-ups.
What is different about the Callahan/Firestone/Carleton team is that we study it and we have DONE it too.
Anyway, you can read:
What They Don't Teach You at the Harvard Business School,
Mark H. McCormack, Bantam Books, New York, 1984.
What They Don't Still
Teach You at the Harvard Business School, Mark H. McCormack, Bantam Books,
New York, 1989.
Mark McCormack has a rather favourable opinion about himself but, darn it,
these are still useful books for young entrepreneurs to read-- they teach you:
a. there are no rules in entrepreneurship, b. you can start your own business
(like IMG) with $500 and a good idea, c. you can name your own prices and create
your own rule book.
Ottawa, Canada. 2003.
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