Open Educational Resource · Free to read
EntrepreneurshipEssentials
Foundations for the Modern Entrepreneurial Journey
A free, open textbook for the introductory entrepreneurship course. Students learn by doing. Every module builds a skill they can use in any career, then applies it to a venture of their own.
- modules
- 8 modules
- lessons
- 24 lessons
- expert interviews coming soon
- 8 expert interviews coming soon
- open license
- CC BY 4.0 open license
Cover mockup · final art to come
Choose your format
Free online. Affordable in print.
Read it in a browser, download it, or pick up a printed copy. Campus bookstores can stock it for courses that require a physical text.
Read online
FreeThe full book in your browser, with expert videos and a linked resource library.
PDF download
Coming soonPrint-friendly PDF of the complete text and appendices.
ePub
Coming soonFor e-readers and offline reading on phones and tablets.
Print · Amazon
Coming soonA printed copy for students who learn best with paper.
Campus bookstores
Coming soonBookstores can order through Ingram using the ISBN (forthcoming).
LMS package
Coming soonImport-ready modules for Canvas and other learning platforms.
Inside the book
One journey, four parts, eight modules
Students move from noticing opportunities to pitching an evidence-backed venture. Every module links straight into the reader.
Part I
Discover: Seeing Opportunity
Build the entrepreneurial mindset, learn to see problems worth solving, and prove that real customers have them.
Part II
Design: Shaping the Venture
Turn a validated problem into a business model and a solution customers can react to.
Part III
Test: Proving What's True
Run real experiments and build the numbers that show whether the business can work.
Part IV
Launch: Deciding & Pitching
Weigh the evidence, decide to pivot or persevere, and tell the story of your venture persuasively.
Why this book is different
Every student succeeds, whether or not their venture does
Most entrepreneurship courses grade the business idea. This book's Dual-Track Model grades the learning, so a pivot or a failed experiment becomes evidence of growth, not a lost semester.
01
Skill Track
Each module teaches one transferable capability, such as customer interviewing, experimentation, or persuasive storytelling. It's valuable whether or not a student ever starts a company.
02
Venture Track
Students apply that same skill to their own opportunity and gather real evidence as they go, from first observations to a tested business model.
03
Integration Checkpoint
Every module ends with an evidence-based checkpoint, so the semester builds into a portfolio rather than a stack of disconnected assignments.
- of students build evidence-based ventures ready to launch
- 30%
- master transferable entrepreneurial competencies
- 70%
- deliver an evidence-based pitch of their journey
- 100%
Design targets of the Modified Dual-Track Model.
Expert interviews
Every module opens with someone who's done it
Industry experts introduce each module's topic on video, with chapter markers and a full searchable transcript.
Module 1
Entrepreneurial Foundation & Opportunity Awareness
Guest expert · coming soon
Module 2
Customer Discovery & Problem Validation
Guest expert · coming soon
Module 3
Business Model Design & Strategic Thinking
Guest expert · coming soon
Module 4
Design Thinking & Solution Development
Guest expert · coming soon
Module 5
Experimentation & Validation
Guest expert · coming soon
Module 6
Financial Modeling & Viability
Guest expert · coming soon
Module 7
Iteration & Strategic Decision-Making
Guest expert · coming soon
Module 8
Pitching & Entrepreneurial Storytelling
Guest expert · coming soon
For instructors
Adopt it in a week, not a semester
- ✓Syllabi for 8, 10, 12, and 16-week formats
- ✓Lesson plans and teaching guides for every module
- ✓Assessment rubrics for all three tracks
- ✓Slide decks and in-class activities
Free. Lesson plans, slides, and rubrics live in the Instructor Hub.
For students
Everything you need, nothing to buy
- ✓Editable templates and worksheets for every module
- ✓Glossary of key entrepreneurship terms
- ✓Case studies from diverse industries and founders
- ✓Evidence portfolio guide
More from Entrepreneurship Essentials
The book is the beginning
Workshops, programs, and new titles are in development. Join the waitlist to hear first.
Faculty workshops
Hands-on training for instructors adopting the book or teaching entrepreneurship for the first time.
Join the waitlist →Venture programs
Cohort-based programs for students and community members who want to take their venture further.
Join the waitlist →More titles
Future books and short guides in the Entrepreneurship Essentials series.
Join the waitlist →Get updates when new modules and resources go live
For instructors, students, and bookstores. Occasional emails, no spam.