12 topics for entrepreneurs

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Update of the article published on November 26, 2013

Creating a new company is an exciting challenge and I believe that from the beginning, two key factors should not be missing: innovation and agility.

See: Create a company. Innovation and agility… 

The following figure represents the 12 topics organized into independent modules that take three hours each. They are relevant topics that facilitate knowledge and transmit the best proven practices for the process of starting a new company.

All of them have as their origin and destination the client.

12 topics for entrepreneurs

Actually, by creating a new company we put into practice a good idea, transformed into a product, service or business model, so that it generates benefits in the economic and/or social field and that it lasts over time.

In our environment, it is difficult to differentiate, innovating has associated risks and sometimes difficult financing. To carry out this complex process with the precise agility of knowledge and methodology, it is necessary to overcome barriers that exist in our environment, both to innovation and to new projects.

The 12 topics that I present here are the result of analyzing the most common deficits observed when facing the process, not from a legal or bureaucratic point of view, but purely from a business and strategic point of view.

We are not talking about self-employment, nor about a speculative investment, but about a new company with the desire to grow and endure over time.

The knowledge gained will also be useful to define a new business model or to reorient or consolidate an existing small business.

Presenting 12 independent modules that make up a complete course and that transmit internationally recognized knowledge, experiences and practices to help entrepreneurs. Each of the modules can be done online or in person and its content is adapted to your needs. It is necessary to agree on the dates personally and identify the number of modules to be carried out. The duration of each module is about 3 hours.

Please send the following pre-registration form.

Pre Registration form

1.      At the beginning the idea. Something to link: External needs with our abilities. Discovering the client.

How to link our skills, know-how, etc. with a recognized need with external potential.

  • Relate an ability, capacity, expertise, knowledge etc. to an outdoor necessity.
  • The beginning of a business idea.
  • What do we do? What needs have detected? Who are the potential customers?
  • Market segments. Segmentation. A global look: where there is something similar?
  • Build a model.
  • Principles of ideas generation.
  • Analysis and filtering ideas. Generate a project.

2.      Voice of Client. ‘It matters little what you invent, what matters is what your customers expect’.

The entire process of creating a company is customer-oriented:

  • Identifying our profitable market segment. To highlight subsets of market with common needs and expectations; by geography, applications, perceived benefits etc.
  • Who is the customer? Asking and listening to the customer. Sampling systems and surveys.
  • How to understand voice of customer? Root analysis, explicit and implicit needs and expectations.
  • Methods of extracting information. Methodology of interpretation.
  • The test value / customers.
  • The Kano model.
  • Design: Differentiation questionnaires and Quality for design. (QFD) .

3.      Defining our vision and strategy.

We help define our target, the first results and the medium-term vision:

  • Describe the future: where we are going. A clear picture painted in words. Based on values ​​and realities .
  • Current and future to create reality: Analyze the “gap” .
  • The strategy: how to get to fulfil the vision.
  • Communicate the vision , define the strategy, objectives and milestones .
  • The strategic axes. Strategy in one page.
  • Share and contrast strategy.
  • How do we measure?
  • Risks. Alternative pathways. Competition.

4.     The value creation. Customer Value Proposition

How to create value from the beginning and with a clear customer value proposition

  • Define the value for our client. How are we going to meet?
  • What will be our value proposition to the customer? Types of value propositions.
  • Methodology for creating the value proposition.
  • Life cycles of products or services.
  • Analysis of portfolios. Mature markets and segments.
  • Analysis of margins and profitability.
  • Our positioning vs.. the value proposition .
  • Consistency and follow-up. Forecasting horizons.

5.     Forecasts: The best tool to compete. Sales forecasts, projections and resource needs.

Content:

  • The best estimates are a competitive advantage.
  • Companies working to make their increasingly reliable forecasts better meet the needs of your customers and gain greater margin.
  • In an environment of change forecasts are more important.
  • Forecasts are always wrong. How do we reduce the margin of error : Historical and filters. Statistics and trends. Simulations.
  • Agree inputs. Check accuracy. Records and biases.
  • Define responsibilities. Agree Inputs. Place premises.
  • Collaborative Planning.
  • Supply chain. Exceptional demand .
  • Consensus forecast .
  • Defining Performance Indicators and Improvement. Monitoring and action.

6. Capital, resources and organization. Tangible and intangible. Formal beginning.

Content:

  • The formal beginning. Resources that we need. Assets: Tangible and intangible.
  • The vocation of survival and growth.
  • Requirements: People skills, experience, motivation. Resources. Initial Capital. Organization, values ​​, leadership.
  • The parties involved, “stakeholders”.
  • The cost of resources and capital.
  • Financial projections. The development of intangibles: human capital, structural capital and relational capital.
  • The balance sheet and the hidden balance .
  • Estimation of resources and funding.

7. Basic concepts in finances. Balance sheet, income statement and cash flow. Profitability. Funding. Costs.

Content:

  • The financial balance or “balance sheet” : A still image to a date.
  • Concepts: assets and liabilities, current , current or fixed assets. Inventories. Reserves. Liquidity and indexes.
  • Operating account or results. Concepts: Direct and indirect costs. Margins. Amortization . Finance costs , provisions .
  • EBIT and EBITDA. Gross and net profit.
  • Cash flow or cash . Concepts . Projections of cash .
  • Financial measures , ratios. ROCE.

8.    ” Lean startup” . Find a business model instead of running a business model .

Content:

  • Lean + startup = speed.
  • Speed ​​is the elimination of non-value tasks and iteration.
  • Simultaneous activity of linked processes.
  • Development cycles and learning cycles .
  • Build, measure and learn. Iterate cycles . Persevere or pivot .
  • Create a business model from the true minimum ( MVP ) .
  • The “Canvas” Model as a facilitator of startup.
  • Designing a business model.

9.     Agile Innovation. Innovation and agility from the beginning.

Content:

  • Innovation as a process. The process of “future” vs. the operating process .
  • Agile processes and innovation. Integration. Kaizen and innovation. Barriers to innovation and agility .
  • Create habits and innovative culture.
  • The process of innovation and support.
  • Exploration and generating ideas and opportunities. Concepts and prototypes. Selection and validation. Business filters.
  • Reviews by phases. Ability to perform and generate profits. Ability to review and learn. Structured decision making .
  • Appropriate tools and techniques.
  • Surveillance technology and technology management .
  • Portfolio Management. Cycles of products and platforms.

10.    Design. What are the expectations of our clients? Extract customer expectations for quality design.

Content:

  • The design and ease of design . Design according to expectations.
  • Affinity diagrams. The explicit, expected and tacit. What is exciting or decisive?
  • Design methodologies. Design skills: QFD (Quality Function Deployment) in the 70 ‘s. DFE Design for Excellence, for Assembly, for Manufacturing ( DFM ) CPK ‘s testability, for Service ( Serviceability ). Green design. User orientated design. Concurrent design.
  • How to involve the client. Alliances and partnership projects.
  • Assessment and measures.

11.    The basic processes. The integrated and harmonic management.

Content:

  • What is a process? Organization processes. Vision and values.
  • Strategy applied to everyday life. What is the holistic management process ?
  • How to integrate basic processes: Market and customers. Operations and supply chain. Innovation. Supporting processes.
  • How to reduce stress? Integrated and harmonic processes. The plan continued .
  • Skyline and Skyline plan decisions.
  • Incorporate change and relevant information in decision -making.
  • Integrate the intangibles. Education and training.
  • The integrated management: an ongoing process with monthly review cycles.

12.   Organisation. From the functional to a learning organisation.

Content:

  • Organising the company. Transmission of values ​​and creating habits. Best practices.
  • Functional organization and division of labour. Organization by processes.
  • Matrix organizations. Organization by projects.
  • Concept of “Lean”. Simplifying processes. The “startup” and the lean startup.
  • Working in teams. High performance teams .
  • Organizational maturity. The learning organization
  • Change and cultural change.
Let’s go…
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