Topic outline

  • General



    Welcome to the Art, Life & Entrepreneurship - Spice up your business course.

    The course is intended for Aalto ARTS students that either already operate a solo business or are in the last stages before launching such a business. The existing/targeted business could be freelancing (using "verokortti", or Finnish "kevytyrittäjä" or having your own company, either "toiminimi" or "oy". 

    In the course, your will be working on your own business or to-be-business project.

    Based on weekly exercises for discovering or improving the following aspects in your business/project:

    • Entrepreneurial self awareness
    • Understanding the customer
    • Optimizing your offering
    • Finding sales channels
    • Pricing your offering
    • Understanding the operating field
    • Tracking the vital functions of your business
    • Communication

    Lectures/workshops will be in English but you are welcome to do your own homework in whatever language you find is most appropriate for your business. 

    Workload:

    3 ECTS

    The course consist of 6+1 sessions (Zoom). The sessions are held on Fridays 13:00 - 16:00.

    Of the sessions, 6 will be 2h weekly workshops + and the 7th will be a final presentation of your business.

    In addition to the 2 hours of workshops/lectures, each Friday session will end with a 1h teacher sparring/peer support hour. The topics of these support hours will be set up based on input and requests from the participating students. 

    Outside class we expect you to work at least 7h/week developing your own business + reporting weekly progress.

    Prerequisites:

    Active business/project or mature business idea ready to be tested in action.

    Evaluation: Pass/Fail

    In order to pass, students need to:

    • Complete all 6 business development activities and hand in the weekly reports on time.
    • Participate at least 6 out of 7 workshops,
    • Complete the course pre assignment.

     

    Course material: http://www.lucykimbell.com/stuff/Fieldstudio_SocialDesignMethodsMenu.pdf