Business Ideas and Opportunities

50 hours

7853

4.5

Identify challenges and problems as opportunities.
Identify ideas for creating small businesses, recognizing the needs of the target audience and the market.
Describe, analyze, and evaluate a business idea capable of meeting needs.
Identify and apply different methods of collecting information necessary for creating and guiding a business.
Recognize the viability of a business proposal, identifying different factors for success and failure.
Recognize the characteristics of a business and the activities inherent to its pursuit.
Identify financing, support, and incentives for business development, according to its nature and operational plan.

Creation and Development of Business Ideas/Opportunities
- Concept of sustainable business
- Identification and satisfaction of needs
  - Ways to identify needs for products/services for potential clients/consumers
  - Ways to satisfy the needs of potential clients/consumers, considering quality, environment, and innovation standards

Systematization, Analysis, and Evaluation of Business Ideas
- Basic business concept
  - As a response to society's needs
- From opportunities to business ideas
  - Study and analysis of idea banks/markets
  - Analysis of a business idea - potential clients and market (target)
  - Description of a business idea
- Concept of opportunity related to customer service

Information Gathering about Business/Market Ideas and Opportunities
- Methods of information gathering
  - Direct – from clients, competitors, potential partners or promoters
  - Indirect – through associations or specialized public or private services, using market/feasibility studies and information available online or other media
- Types of information to gather
  - The business, the market (national, European, and international) and competition
  - Products or services
  - Location, facilities, and equipment
  - Logistics – transport, storage, and stock management
  - Means of promotion and clients
  - Financing, costs, sales, profits, and taxes

Analysis of Business Creation Experiences
- Contact with different entrepreneurship experiences
  - By sector of activity/market
  - By business
- Business models
  - Benchmarking
  - Creation/differentiation of product/service, concept, brand, and customer segmentation
  - Outsourcing partnerships
  - Franchising
  - Ground-up structuring
  - Other modalities

Business and Target Definition
- Brief definition of the business
- Brief description of activities
- Target to be reached

Financing, Support, and Incentives for Business Creation
- Means and resources to support business creation
- Public services and support – programs and measures
- Banking, private supports, and own capital
- Partnerships

Development and Validation of the Business Idea
- Analysis and prior validation of the business to be created
- Critical market analysis
  - Market studies
  - Market segmentation
- Critical analysis of the business and/or product
  - Advantages and disadvantages
  - Market and competition
  - Development potential
  - Start-up installation
- Market economy and social economy – commercial entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship

Types of Business
- Nature and legal constitution of the business
  - Liberal profession
  - Sole proprietorship
  - Limited liability company

Contact with Entities and Information Gathering in the Field
- Contacts with different types of entities (municipalities, funding entities, technical advisors, partners, etc.)
- Documents to gather (pro forma invoices; location and facility plans; technical catalogs; promotional materials of companies or businesses, etc.)