Experiential Online Learning Program for Entrepreneurship Educators
“Startup success can be engineered by following the process, which means it can be learned, which means it can be taught.” - Eric Ries
Want to prepare students for the age of the entrepreneur?
100 Steps 2 Startup™ provides professors and other educators with a:
- Complete 12-week, online curriculum that leaves 94% of all students with a measurable increase in entrepreneurial capacity.
- Full suite of instructional tools: videos, exercises, quizzes, assignments, and more.
- Dynamic learning experience that students rave about.
Created by tenured professor and entrepreneur, Dr. Sean Wise, these materials take students on the journey of successful entrepreneurship — with you as their guide.
Perfect for online learning
“The 100 Steps program was a perfect fit for distance education.”
Providing an experience beyond the textbook
“100 steps to startup elevated the learning experience for business and non-business students, providing them with an experience beyond the textbook. The online videos, worksheets and classroom activities enhanced their social learning experience. Students reported higher levels of engagement, interest and energy with their approach to entrepreneurship with the 100 steps as their guide.”
A Vital Resource to Entrepreneurial Educators
“Dr. Sean Wise’s 100 Steps 2 Startup™ program is a unique, easy-to-follow approach to starting any venture. It is a vital resource to entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship educators and others interested in implementing lean startup principles. I highly recommend this program to anyone interested in learning how entrepreneurship is done in the 21st century!”
Teaching entrepreneurship by guiding, not lecturing
No doubt about it. Today’s students are keenly interested in entrepreneurship. That doesn’t mean they dream of being the next Jeff Bezos. Most don’t. Instead, what students want is the real-world nuts-and-bolts of how to go from a germ of an idea to launching a viable small business.
The problem is, lectures and textbooks don’t work. Entrepreneurial knowledge is too tacit. To get the best outcomes, the learning must be experiential, where students take the entrepreneurial journey themselves, with you as a Guide on the Side, not a Sage from the Stage, one proven step at a time.
100 Steps 2 Startup™ makes it easy for you to create this transformative experience in your classroom.
Structured experiential learning + proven startup methodology = positive outcomes
100 Steps 2 Startup™ is an online toolkit of materials that enable you to teach modern entrepreneurship. It’s a complete curriculum with everything you need:
- 180 short videos
- 80+ worksheets
- Slides
- Syllabi
- 80+ hands-on exercises
- Homework assignments
- Quizzes
- Grading rubrics
- Examples
- And more
How does it work?
Students watch a short video on a “step” and then do the hands-on exercise. Working in teams, they engage in such entrepreneurial activities as ideation, opportunity evaluation, customer discovery and validation, MVP creation, market penetration, pitching investors, scaling and more, and then discuss their experiences in class.
As you guide them through each step, students build their entrepreneurial knowledge and confidence.
Why? Because, with your guidance, the proven startup methodology has come to life for them.
The curriculum is divided into 12 week sessions, which fits most semester-style courses. However, it can be easily adapted to other schedules.
A curriculum and approach your students will love. (So will you!)
Chances are, you don’t want to spend your time preparing lesson plans and lecturing. You want to work directly with your students, helping them learn and grow in their entrepreneurial journey.
100 Steps 2 Startup™ allows you to do that. During each class, you’ll be able to engage your students in practicing skills, actively. And because this program has everything you need to start teaching, little or no pre-class prep is required.
Students love the experience. Many who have worked through the program say it has opened their eyes and helped them build skills they’ll use regardless of the business or career path they ultimately choose.
Here’s what just some students have to say:
Felt like Sean Wise was my personal coach, cheering me on
“I’m currently using this program in my MBA entrepreneurship class and I have to say it is FANTASTIC! Plus I feel like Sean Wise is my personal coach, cheering me on! The platform has certainly helped me a TON. It’s great for learning how to start your own business.”
— Ibiyemi Balogun, CHRP
Course built my entrepreneurial skills and resilience
“Although I’m a business student and take many business courses, this course… really taught me practical skills on how to put this into life. It gave me a clear path of what’s expected of me for each step and the knowledge I should have. During the course, I was able to build my entrepreneurial skills, my resilience, and become a better group member. It’s a course I will never forget!”
— Jackie, Student
Teaching style made me want to come to class!
“This is a very unique class and I would recommend it to all my friends. The teaching style of this class is what makes you want to come to class. Watching each video and going through each worksheet helped me understand the concepts behind how to have your own startup.”
— Rohita, Student
Created by a tenured professor and experienced entrepreneur
100 Steps 2 Startup™ was created by Dr. Sean Wise, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship at Ryerson University and an accomplished entrepreneur.
Ten years ago, while teaching the subject, he found that students needed to go beyond merely doing case studies and business plans. They needed to get out of the classroom, roll up their sleeves, and gain real exposure to starting a business.
Soon after that, 100 Steps 2 Startup™ was born. Today, it’s the best curriculum of its kind for educators who teach business.
In fact, 94% of students who have participated report a significant increase in their entrepreneurial:
- capacity,
- capability,
- intentions,
- experience, and most of all,
- confidence.
Imagine seeing similar outcomes in your classroom!
No prerequisites required. No startup experience needed.
You may be wondering, how can students who may not have even taken a business course before, be able to learn to create a real, revenue-generating venture?
The reason is, Dr. Wise uses the Lean Startup Methodology, where students get out of the building and in front of early adopters to experiment and pivot their way to early traction — just like real entrepreneurs do! This theory is already in the mainstream of business academia, but you get to actually implement it with your students!
Learning outcomes you can promise students and curriculum approvers
After using 100 Steps 2 Startup™ in your course, your students will be able to:
- Recognize the fundamental principles of lean startup.
- Describe how the lean startup cycle works.
- Increase the velocity of self-learning.
- Design an experiment. (Choose appropriate measurement techniques, validate hypotheses, etc.)
- Recognize and implement a pivot.
Request a 15-minute demo then receive free access to explore at your own pace
You wouldn’t use a textbook without first reviewing it. So, to assess the potential of 100 Steps 2 Startup™, we invite you to sign up for a 15-minute demo, followed by 30-day free access so you can explore the program at your own pace. You’ll see how well it works for both students and instructors.
Contact us for access to the full curriculum after a short demo
The sooner you evaluate, the sooner you’ll be put this program into action in your course.
Questions? Want to chat with Dr. Wise personally about the program? Contact us.
Frequently Asked Questions
I have questions. Can I talk to Dr. Wise personally about this program?
Yes. Dr. Wise will be happy to set up a meeting with you to discuss the program, answer your questions and give you his insights based on teaching entrepreneurship for over a decade.
Can I hear what more students are saying about the program?
Yes. There are dozens of student testimonials and reflections available for you to review. Click here.
What is the cost to me and/or my educational institution for this program?
It doesn’t cost you or your institution anything. Just like textbooks, the curriculum material is purchased by the students — at a greatly reduced price compared to non-students who buy the program.
I notice you also sell this program to entrepreneurs. How is this version different?
Two major differences:
- The curriculum is available to your students at a much lower price. In fact, it’s affordable for just about any student.
- In addition to the curriculum materials, you also get teaching guides personally created by Dr. Wise (which are based on his 10 years of teaching entrepreneurship.) This allows you to jump right into teaching without having to extensively prepare.
Can we adapt and/or add-to the materials in the program?
Yes. 100 Steps 2 Startup™ is available to you in a Creative Commons licensing arrangement. That means you and your students can incorporate your ideas, stories, experiences, examples — and even create derivative work. In this respect, the program is similar to open source software.
How much lecturing would I do?
As much as you find impactful. All the key material is online and available for students 24/7. For most of this class you became be a Guide on the Side, not a Sage from the Stage. Notwithstanding, some Professors find that a few early lectures and in-class exercises can positively impact the Professor’s credibility and offer an opportunity to connect. We provide you with both options and you decide what’s best for you.
How do I use this program in 1 semester vs. 2 semesters?
Both!
It’s easy. 1 semester will take your students through the first 32-41 Steps (depending on their team speed and how many pivots they undertake). At the end of the first semester most students have found PROBLEM SOLUTION FIT. For most non entrepreneurship majors, this is sufficient. For business students, some schools offer the course over 2 semesters. This allows students to continue growing their venture, including creating an MVP, acquiring users and generating revenue.
Do students still have access to the program after the course ends?
Yes. Each cohort gets access for 1 year from their class startup date. Historically about 10% of students continue building their startup after the course has ended. So we give students access to 100 Steps 2 Startup™ for 12 months from initial sign-up. If they need more time, they can email us and request an extension for a small fee.
What is the optimum class size for this course?
The program can (and has been) be used effectively in both large (50-100+ students) and small classes. The ideal team size is 3, but teams can also effectively include 4 students. Classes with over 50 students (more than 10 teams) would benefit from 1 or more TA’s.
Is the 100 Steps 2 Startup™ program used as the primary resource in an entrepreneurship course, without additional assigned textbooks or materials?
100 Steps is the text book. It is the centrepiece. Nothing else is required.
Are there additional books that are recommended or required as supplemental reading for the course?
There are no additional required readings. The Lean Startup by Eric Reis would be a good fit and there is a list of optional resources available aspart of the program.
Do students enroll in 100 Steps directly online or are they required to purchase a “code” through our University bookstore?
Students enroll directly. Each Professor receives a unique promo code per class/per semester. They pass this on to the students who then “buy direct”.