1 - What preparation is needed for the course?

Attendees should arrive at the first session prepared to give a five-minute introduction that outlines their background, interest in entrepreneurship, product/business ideas, and why they are experts in solving customers' needs. Their product/business idea will be central to applying the course contents to their business idea and testing the feasibility.

2 - What are the course prerequisites?

The course is designed for engineers with experience building a hardware or software solution from design, to implementation, to 24/7 operation. 24/7 operational use is the best validation for any design.

We expect attendees to have strong quantitative skills and be comfortable with modeling. Experience with managing a team or project management is a plus.

3 - What is the format of the course?

The course is delivered as four two-hour discussions spaced two weeks apart. Attendees are expected to discuss the course concepts regarding their personal experiences. By sharing experiences, attendees will gain a perspective on concepts from several points of view.

4- How much outside of class will be required?

Attendees should spend two to four hours between sessions reviewing the course materials. They should question what they know from their experience and compare it to the alternatives in the course. There are often multiple possible solutions, and the “best” solution varies with the context.

5- What kind of products will the course address? Is it hardware or software?

The course focuses on solutions and their value. A solution can be delivered as a service, software, or hardware, and the price could be independent of the delivery. We will examine the solution and its value from multiple perspectives. Many businesses underprice their products because they lack a strong understanding of value.

6- What kind of customers does this course address?

The course is designed for business solutions. Our discussion about customers and value is even more critical for high-value solutions. The higher the value (and cost), the more people at the customer staff is involved in the purchase decision,

7 - How many members of my team can register for the course?

The strength of the course discussion depends on a diversity of views. Contact the instructor if you want to register more than two people from your team.

8 - Who is the instructor?

As an entrepreneur,  the instructor has written one business plan funded by investors, experienced one IPO, three M&A selling, and one M&A on the buying side, and struggled with three failed turnarounds.(1) The most satisfying part of entrepreneurship is joining a early-stage company of less than ten employees and growing the product sales, reaching breakeven, and scaling sales distribution to more than $200M in annual sales. 

As an engineer, the instructor has worked on state-of-the-art prototypes, scaled the devices through manufacturing, installed products, and driven installations to a global scale. Beyond design, he has built a manufacturing process and a service organization through this process.

The instructor has three patents, negotiated with competitors to shape four international standards, led product introductions, and spoken at conferences in North America, Europe, and Asia.

The instructor has worked with electronics, computer networking equipment, computer security, distributed computing, and wireless communications. If you have used certified Wi-Fi equipment, you have experienced some of his contributions.

See www.linkedin.com/in/eugenechangmitalum/

(1) Fixing a company failing from people problems is hard,.

Updated: October 14, 2024