--- title: "ENTR 242 ยท Start your own business" publisher: Maestro College (Maestro Open) lessons: 43 source: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business full: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/llms-full.txt --- # Start your own business (ENTR 242) Find a problem worth solving, test your riskiest assumptions with experiments and MVPs, and plan how to reach your market. Startup Development & Lean Methodology focuses on entrepreneurship principles, Lean Startup model implementation, idea validation, and rapid product prototyping techniques. ## Course objectives - Apply Lean Startup principles to frame entrepreneurial opportunities as testable assumptions and evaluate them using customer evidence. - Develop evidence-informed business models that align customer needs, value propositions, revenue approaches, and operating costs. - Design and assess minimum viable product experiments to validate key assumptions and guide iteration or strategic pivots. - Analyze market attractiveness, positioning, customer acquisition approaches, pricing, and unit economics to develop a go-to-market strategy. - Develop an evidence-led next-stage startup plan addressing financing, legal considerations, launch milestones, operations, and investor communication. ## Course teaching approach - Start from a real-world problem, then introduce the concept as the solution. - Keep it true beginner level, hands-on, a little gamified. The learner should feel they are winning. - Balance explanation, demonstration and practice. No copy-paste exercises: give small story-based tasks. - End with one fun closed question about the topic. ## Lessons ### Unit 1: Finding problems worth solving - [Problems first, solutions later](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/problems-first-solutions-later.md) - [Jobs-to-be-done and current workarounds](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/jobs-to-be-done-and-current-workarounds.md) - [Drafting testable problem hypotheses](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/drafting-testable-problem-hypotheses.md) - [Asking non-leading interview questions](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/asking-non-leading-interview-questions.md) - [Writing a discovery interview guide](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/writing-a-discovery-interview-guide.md) - [Running a discovery interview](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/running-a-discovery-interview.md) - [Running AI-assisted desk research](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/running-ai-assisted-desk-research.md) - [Affinity mapping discovery evidence](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/affinity-mapping-discovery-evidence.md) - [Calling an opportunity verdict](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/calling-an-opportunity-verdict.md) ### Unit 2: Business models and riskiest assumptions - [Reading a Business Model Canvas](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/reading-a-business-model-canvas.md) - [Finding early adopters in a segment](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/finding-early-adopters-in-a-segment.md) - [Mapping fit with a Value Proposition Canvas](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/mapping-fit-with-a-value-proposition-canvas.md) - [Revenue streams and cost structure](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/revenue-streams-and-cost-structure.md) - [Drafting a Lean Canvas](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/drafting-a-lean-canvas.md) - [Desirability, feasibility, and viability risks](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/desirability-feasibility-and-viability-risks.md) - [Ranking risks on an assumption map](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/ranking-risks-on-an-assumption-map.md) - [Writing falsifiable hypotheses for top risks](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/writing-falsifiable-hypotheses-for-top-risks.md) - [Challenge: Lean Canvas and risk map](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/challenge-lean-canvas-and-risk-map.md) ### Unit 3: Experiments, MVPs, and pivots - [The build-measure-learn loop](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/the-build-measure-learn-loop.md) - [Smoke-test MVPs](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/smoke-test-mvps.md) - [Building a smoke-test landing page](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/building-a-smoke-test-landing-page.md) - [Concierge and Wizard of Oz MVPs](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/concierge-and-wizard-of-oz-mvps.md) - [Choosing the cheapest test](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/choosing-the-cheapest-test.md) - [Prototyping with AI and no-code tools](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/prototyping-with-ai-and-no-code-tools.md) - [Running a usability test and revising](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/running-a-usability-test-and-revising.md) - [Persevere, iterate, or pivot](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/persevere-iterate-or-pivot.md) - [Recording validated learning and decisions](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/recording-validated-learning-and-decisions.md) - [Challenge: experiment cycle](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/challenge-experiment-cycle.md) ### Unit 4: Market attractiveness and go-to-market - [Top-down vs bottom-up market sizing](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/top-down-vs-bottom-up-market-sizing.md) - [Building a bottom-up market estimate](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/building-a-bottom-up-market-estimate.md) - [What makes a good beachhead](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/what-makes-a-good-beachhead.md) - [Who you really compete with](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/who-you-really-compete-with.md) - [Choosing a beachhead and positioning](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/choosing-a-beachhead-and-positioning.md) - [Testing willingness to pay](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/testing-willingness-to-pay.md) - [First channels and sales approach](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/first-channels-and-sales-approach.md) - [Setting funnel targets for go-to-market tests](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/setting-funnel-targets-for-go-to-market-tests.md) - [Checking unit economics with CAC and LTV](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/checking-unit-economics-with-cac-and-ltv.md) - [Challenge: go-to-market test plan](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/challenge-go-to-market-test-plan.md) ### Unit 5: Next-stage startup plan - [Financing options and runway](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/financing-options-and-runway.md) - [Legal structure and IP basics](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/legal-structure-and-ip-basics.md) - [Launch roadmap and evidence-led pitch](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/launch-roadmap-and-evidence-led-pitch.md) - [Challenge: investor pitch and Q&A](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/challenge-investor-pitch-and-q-a.md) - [Challenge: full venture review](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/challenge-full-venture-review.md) ## How to use this document You are acting as a tutor for a learner on Maestro Open. Teach from this document, one small step at a time. Ask the learner to try things, wait for their answer, then give feedback. Keep it beginner-friendly. If the lesson involves code or spreadsheets and you cannot run them, ask the learner to try it on their own computer and paste the result back. Do not award grades, credit or certificates. Start with lesson 1 unless the learner asks for a specific lesson. Keep track of which lesson you are on. ## When a lesson is done Teach one lesson at a time. A lesson is complete only when the learner has shown they can do every outcome listed for it; check each with a small task or question. When it is complete: 1. Say clearly: "Lesson N complete: ." (use the lesson's number and title). 2. Give a two-line recap of what they learned. 3. Name the next lesson, say "Lesson N+1 of 43: ", and ask if they're ready to start it. Start it only when they say yes. After the last lesson, congratulate them on finishing the course.