By Elizabeth Smith
The Entrepreneurship and Innovation course at Susquehanna offers students from all disciplines the chance to investigate the entrepreneurial opportunities that exist in various fields.
The course offers hands-on learning and a safe environment to test ideas and embrace failure when trying to launch a business.
According to Interim Dean and Professor Dr. Emma Fleck, “not only does this course address the mindset of the entrepreneur and how we can shape our minds to be more entrepreneurial, it provides the opportunity for students to develop an idea from scratch, plan and test the idea with customers before launching in a safe environment which encourages failure.”
The course teaches many skills that are vital to an inspiring entrepreneur, including practical and transferable skills that can help students regardless of whether they are pursuing creative writing, math, engineering, language, music or business.
“The practical skills for entrepreneurship include idea generation, idea testing, financial planning, basic website development and business launch,” said Dr. Fleck. “The transferable skills include curiosity, creative thinking, innovation and embracing failure.”
The course also opens doors to mentorship and funding from the Troutman Entrepreneurship Fund, a fund that grants students from any discipline up to $2,000 a year to kick start their business.
“Entrepreneurship is not just for business majors, it applies to anyone with an idea or dream to work for themselves,” said Dr. Fleck. “We support dreams and passions that can become side hustles, full time jobs or large-scale businesses. It is open to everyone.”
Entrepreneurship isn’t confined to just business majors, and the Entrepreneurship and Innovation course showcases the idea that anyone with a passion project can become an entrepreneur.