Student Course "From Idea to Product"

13-15+ year olds
20-30
1 week (8h)
Business idea workshop 90min
Seminar
Introduction to business ideas
What is an idea? An idea is the thought or intention to do something. There are many different kinds of ideas and they can pop into one’s head at any given moment. An idea needs an impulse to give it an impetus. For example, when walking your dog in the park, you see someone eating a pastry on the bench, and you have an idea to eat a hot dog there in the evening.
Seminar
Finding and choosing a business idea
A very common method for generating ideas is brainstorming, which teams also use in this activity. Students are given a list of different problems, from which they must choose one problem. If students are not interested in talking about any of the problems on the list, they can come up with a problem themselves.
Seminar
Customer mapping
In order to map the customer, the customer is drawn on paper (a stick figure), and through the process of visualisation, the customer group to which their product/service is sold is described (in drawings or words). Characteristics are given as inspiration,
Seminar
Sales strategy
Develop a plan with the team on how and at what price to start selling your product/service, i.e. establish a sales strategy
Seminar
Overview of the business idea
Give your classmates a brief overview of your business idea based on the topics covered (finding and selecting a business idea, customer mapping, and the sales strategy)
Milestone

Students have practical experience and skills for

Finding and selecting a viable business idea
Mapping and segmenting the targeted customers
Developing and presenting a short action plan for business idea
Indipendent work 45min
Reading
What is a competition?
People often believe that an idea that unexpectedly strikes them is a brilliant business idea, but it usually turns out that there are already many similar companies on the market. If an idea comes to you, it is worth researching what is already available on the market and how your idea differs from others.
Seminar
Competitor analysis
As homework, complete the competitor analysis table (team assignment)
Milestone

Student have done a competitor analysis to their business ideas

Found a list of relevant competitors
Analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of the competitors
Found and described their own competitive advantage
Business battle 90 min
Game
Business battle
Business Battle is an intensive learning game that involves digital tools, but is played in real time in one room. It helps to understand the challenges of a start-up.
Independent prototyping
Seminar
Build a product/service prototype at home.
Making a prototype depends on the nature of the product or service and can be visualised or built. A sample can be built for the product using similar materials, colours, and elements. The product can also be drawn and elements can be described for specification.
Seminar
Prepare a business idea presentation
The team prepares a summary introduction of their business idea.
Milestone

Know how to present a business idea:

can describe the offer - a product/service
can define a customer and customer value
can describe the basic sale strategy
can describe the competitors and their differentiation
can describe the key activities and resources needed
Business idea presentations 45min
Seminar
Business idea and prototype presentations
The presentation is free-form and can be done by the team together. During the presentation, other students come up with at least one question to ask the team that has just introduced their business idea.

Missioon:

Students get a hands-on experience with entrepreneurship - the process from finding a business idea to the creation of a prototype.

Missioon:

Students get a hands-on experience with entrepreneurship - the process from finding a business idea to the creation of a prototype.

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