Entrepreneurship and innovation are vital to the economy. Entrepreneurs who start and grow their own businesses create job opportunities, often by utilizing existing resources in a unique way or introducing new technologies, products, and services to market. The process promotes research and development by forcing established brands to create innovations that compete with emerging ones. Those results can lead to new divisions or departments, spurring even more job opportunities.
By studying entrepreneurship and innovation, you can contribute to that growth and equip yourself with the characteristics needed for success. Yet, what “success” looks like depends on your career aspirations. You might want to start your own business or instead drive growth within an existing organization. Either way, entrepreneurship and innovation skills are essential to helping you take the next step in your career.
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DOWNLOAD NOWIf you’re interested in developing those skills, Harvard Business School Online offers four entrepreneurship and innovation courses that enable you to assess new business opportunities, negotiate deals, harness innovation, and transform your ideas into viable ventures. Are you curious which certificate program is right for you? Here’s an overview of how HBS Online courses can help you achieve your goals, whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or want to drive innovation within your organization.
Which Entrepreneurship and Innovation Course Is Right for You?
If You Aspire to Start or Grow Your Own Business
There are several skills entrepreneurs need to succeed, depending on where they are in their entrepreneurial journey. If you’re just starting with a kernel of an idea but don’t know how to validate it, Entrepreneurship Essentials might be the right fit for you.
Entrepreneurship Essentials is a four-week online course that will teach you the language of the startup world. You’ll explore how entrepreneurs validate concepts through structured experiments, refine their business strategies, and raise the capital necessary to grow their organizations.
If you’re already at the fundraising stage and want to secure maximum value and financing from investors and stakeholders, explore Negotiation Mastery. This eight-week online course will equip you with the skills to close deals that might otherwise be deadlocked, craft agile strategies, and resolve differences before they escalate into costly conflicts.
As you grow your business, it’s vital to understand what causes customers to buy your product or service and how to assess new opportunities and potential threats. Our six-week online course Disruptive Strategy will help you discover customer jobs to be done—a framework that uncovers the underlying motivations that influence the buying process—enabling you to create products and services people actually want.
If You Aspire to Drive Innovation Within Your Organization
Disruptive Strategy can also help you protect your company from emerging threats. As your industry evolves and new businesses surface, it’s important to know how to organize for innovation and align resources, processes, and financial strategy to position your organization for growth and compete in the marketplace.
To further ensure you create innovative products and services that resonate with your audience, explore Design Thinking and Innovation. The seven-week online course will teach you how to leverage fundamental design thinking principles and innovative problem-solving tools to address business challenges. You’ll learn how to apply human-centered design and heighten your organization’s approach to innovation.
The HBS Online Learning Experience
No matter which course you take, you'll experience what makes HBS Online unique, including:
- World-class faculty
- Self-paced online coursework with deadlines
- Engaging, interactive content
- Social interaction with fellow learners
- Real examples of business challenges faced by experts
- The HBS Online Community, a global network of business professionals
- Career growth and a positive return on investment
Finding the Right Course for You
Whether you’re interested in starting your own business or driving innovation within your organization, taking an online course can help you develop the skills, strategies, and tools you need to succeed.
If you still aren’t sure which entrepreneurship and innovation course is the right fit, download our free course flowchart to determine which program aligns best with your goals. Or, if multiple programs interest you, consider pursuing a Learning Track, which enables you to take three courses within the entrepreneurship and innovation subject area.
