CE-BUSN-1102 - Circular Entrepreneurship

Course Description

Do you want to start a business but you’re not sure you have the tools to be successful? This course is developed to support aspiring entrepreneurs from all educational backgrounds who wish to start their own businesses rooted in circular economy principles. A circular economy is an economic system that is based on reusing and regenerating materials or products to focus on continuing production in a way that is sustainable and environmentally friendly. During this course, you’ll gain the knowledge and skills you need to start a business or improve an existing business by implementing the ideas that circular economies are based on.

Is This Course For You?

If you’re interested in starting your own business, this course is for you. Whether you have an established career, have no work experience, or have taken a break from pursuing a career, this course will help you gain the knowledge and tools you need to start a business. If you’re not interested in starting your own business but would like to understand what a circular economy is because your company is transitioning to a model that uses the principles of circular economy, you will also benefit from the lessons in this course. The only prerequisite is a high school diploma or equivalent.

What You’ll Learn

The four modules in this course are entrepreneurship principles, circular economy principles, market research and business planning, and access to finance. In each module, you’ll learn the main relevant concepts in each area as well as how to use them for your business.

You’ll learn both about circular economy and entrepreneurship and how the two concepts can work together to create a strong foundation for a business. You’ll learn about the definitions and implications of entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial orientation and the entrepreneurial process as well as the definition and principles of circular economy, and differentiate between the different circular economy business models and strategies.

This hands-on course will also teach you how to develop circular economy business models, use material flow analysis (MFA), life cycle assessment (LCA), and more. On top of these more technical business skills, you’ll also learn how to conduct market research, use tools to secure customers and investors, and more.

How You’ll Learn

This 8 week online course will have two lessons per week that you can complete at any time during the week. Course work is expected to take up 8-10 hours per week, so you can arrange your schedule to work with that time constraint. This course will have you doing hands-on projects, and as you learn about different concepts you will also be practicing implementing them so you can understand how they can benefit you as you start your business or improve an existing one.

Skills You Walk Away With

By the end of this course, you will:

• Explain the core principles of circular economy, Life cycle assessment (LCA), and material flow analysis (MFA)  
• Articulate the various definitions and attributes of entrepreneurship and articulate personal motivation for entrepreneurial activity
• Define the phases of the entrepreneurial process, including:
  • Idea generation
  • Value proposition
  • Opportunity evaluation
  • Planning
  • Company formation/launch
  • Future growth
• Identify opportunities for entrepreneurship, assess gains and risk, identify existing resources and potential funding sources, and seek additional information necessary to build a business proposal
• Understand the implications and applications of market research, marketing strategies, and digital tools in marketing and develop product messaging for a business, product, or service
• Identify CE opportunities and transform opportunity into a CE business model