Class: Developing Innovative Ideas for New Companies: The First Step in Entrepreneurship

Platform: Coursera

Length: 7 hours a week for 6 weeks.

Subject: Business.

Certificate: No.

My rating: 4/5

When I signed up for Developing Innovative Ideas for New Companies, it wasn’t because I was struggling running Insanitek. It was because there are many Insanitekians that are signing up for help moving their innovation from a thought to a product and then onto a successful business. I’m looking for tools that can be very useful for you to use so that you succeed in your dreams.

Who it’s for

This class comes with no prerequisites. However, I would not say it’s for everyone. You must truly want to do something in the realm of business and entrepreneurial markets to really get anything out of it. Furthermore, you also have to be able to allot a good deal of time to listening to lectures and thinking if you really want to make the most of it. (Total time per week is close to 7 hours a week!) Still interested? Good! Check out the introductory video below and see if it’s really something you’re interested in.

Class structure

If you were to jump right to the videos, you’ll see that this class jumps right into the topic without preamble. To get a lead in to the topic, you must read the introduction and links on the sidebar on the class website. However, even if you don’t check out these links, you’ll still do well with the lectures and text alone. Alas, the text is not free. It is the professor’s work, and it costs $4.99 for the ebook. {However, if you are an active Insanitekian, I will loan you my copy for free.}

The lectures themselves are basically his taped lectures from class. You’ll see his power point and a video of the professor during most of the lecture videos. He is speaking directly to his students in his class. This can get a bit annoying from time to time, but for the most part it’s not too distracting. Then again, I like to work with my hands while listening to lectures so I may have tuned them out after a bit…

At the end of every lecture set there is a quiz. The quizzes ask that you think about the points discussed in lectures and write a thoughtful response. They aren’t hard, but they aren’t easy. They are, however, a little challenging if you haven’t given yourself the proper time to really study the notes and think about your own business.

One of the best things about the lectures and quizzes is that they are up all at once. You can truly learn at your own pace. If you want to go quicker, go quicker. If you want to go slower, go slower.

[row class=”row-fluid”]
[col class=”span6″]Pros:

• The class makes you think about your business from the beginning “aHA!” moment.
• You also have to address the gritty details about yourself to understand how to make your product succeed.
• Not only do you address your mindset and work ethic, but you also have to think about how these play into the business plan.
• You have to think about your competitors and the road ahead. [/col]

[col class=”span6″]Cons

• The book is not free.
• You may not have the attention span to listen to all the lectures.[/col]

[/row]

Have you taken this course? Would you like to get paid for your opinion? Send an email of inquiry to HR@insanitek.net to find out more information.