IB1150: Integrative Project – Business Planning

Starting a Business

Warwick Business School

Aim of the Lecture

 To introduce you to the team that teaches this

module
 To be clear about the module, group work and
the role of the group leader
 To introduce the types of teaching on the
module
 To outline the methods of assessment
 To give you the boring information you need

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 The Module Team
 Paul Adams paul.adams@wbs.ac.uk
 John Lyon john.lyon@wbs.ac.uk
 Joanna Lea (Course Admin) Joanna.Lea@wbs.ac.uk
 Additional Consultants:
 Warwick Ventures, Virgin StartUp, Virgin Money, IBM

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Paul Adams (find me on LinkedIn)
 Started first business while doing MBA
 Dotcom then consultant
 Credit control business
 Head of Commercial Development –
Environment Agency
 Marketing director for group of SMEs
 Entrepreneur in Residence - UoB
 Head of Education, Virgin StartUp
 Founder of Big Wide World
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Warwick Business School
Module Aims
 Understand the environment of the entrepreneur
(what is it like to be involved in a start-up)
 Be able to present a short 'upper level pitch'
outlining a business idea
 Develop skills for team working effectively in a new
venture setting
 Produce a business plan for a new enterprise
 Understand risk and failure

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Success and failure
 Dotcom - failure
 Consultant - zombie
 Credit control business – success but boring
 Environment Agency – success £3m pa
 Group of SMEs – mix of success/failure
 University of Birmingham - success
 Head of Education, Virgin StartUp – success?
 Founder of Big Wide World – success?!

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Not just for start-ups!
 The entrepreneurial skills taught in this module are not just for
people who want to start their own business.
 Organisations of all sizes want employees who are
enterprising, proactive, and able to take ideas and turn them
into something real.
 The skills required are the same for a start-up looking for
investment or a team bidding for resources for a project within
a big company.
 We will be joined by two large organisations on the course
IBM and Virgin Money who will talk about how new products
are created.

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 Start-up or big business or both?

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 The boring information you need

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 Date Lecture Title
Lecture 1: Course Introduction
Monday 9th January
Lecture 2: Entrepreneurship and the Entrepreneur
Tuesday 10th January
Lecture 3: Team Capability and Formation
Monday 16th January
Lecture 4: Idea Generation
Tuesday 17th January
The challenge and corporate enterprise
Monday 23rd January
IBM and Virgin Money
Tuesday 24th January Lecture 5: Intellectual Property Rights

Monday 30th January Consultancy Sessions

Tuesday 31st January Consultancy Sessions

Lecture 6: Value proposition – features vs benefits
Monday 6th February
Lecture 7: Lean Startup and Minimum Viable product
Tuesday 7th February

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 Date Lecture Title

Monday 13th February Online Consultancy Sessions Week

Lecture 8: Business Plan and investors
Monday 20th February
Lecture 9: How to Pitch Your Business
Tuesday 21st February
Lecture 10: Marketing Strategy
Monday 27th February

Tuesday 28th February Lecture 11: Getting Traction

Lecture 12: Understanding Numbers: Profit and
Monday 6th March
Loss
Lecture 13: Understanding Numbers: Cash flow
Tuesday 7th March

Monday 13th March Lecture 14: Practice Pitch

Tuesday 14th March Lecture 15: Course Review

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‘People’
 We want your business idea to be as authentic as possible
e.g. the financing should be plausible, the market
research impeccable and the presentation polished.

 We allow you to make two assumptions:

 Typically, there are five people in the group. Is it usual for so
many people to set up a business? No. So, come the pitch or the
plan, your business may have fewer people in the set up.
 Those actually involved in the business are allowed to pretend
they have the relevant education and experience backgrounds.

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Business Idea Creation
 Your group will have to come up with its own
business idea.
 The topic is “How can you improve education with
technology?”
 Something scalable, needed, practical, that you are
passionate about, manageable…and fun!
 If are passionate about a non-education idea then go
for it - that is allowed

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 Analytical Framework
A. PRELIMINARY EVALUATION

1. PEOPLE 2. IDEA
3.

FAVOURABLE
OBJECTIVES ENVIRONMENT
MOTIVATION SKILLS MARKET
PERSONALITY COMPETITION
RESOURCES ENTRY NEEDS
CIRCUMSTANCES VIABILITY

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Analytical Framework
B. DETAILED EVALUATION

OBJECTIVES
4. BUSINESS PLAN
ENVIRONMENT
COMPETITION
RESOURCES (physical, people, money)
CONTROLS
CASH FLOW
FINANCIAL
STRUCTURE
MANAGEMENT

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Group Work
 This module requires that individuals work in a team.
 Groups are self-managing. There are processes in place such
as peer assessment to help support fairness in groups.
 Gives particular responsibility to the group leader. Group
leaders are elected by the group. The responsibility of the
group leader is important and is similar to that of a managing
director of the business.
 Groups have to elect their group leader by the end of this
week and tell us.
 The role of the group leader is to lead, encourage and help
motivate the team in developing the business idea and
leading them through to the pitch.

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Types of teaching

 Learn by doing!
 Lectures: These are designed to facilitate the learning
objectives and to introduce particular subjects which you are
then expected to explore more fully in your group.
 Consultancy sessions: These are a) 20 minute meetings and
b) online forum. The sessions are designed to develop your
business idea.
 1-1 meetings: I am in twice a week and can meet
before/after lectures

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Types of Assessment 12 CATS

 No exam!
 Two rounds of peer assessment
 10 minute group video presentation (40%)
 3000 word group written business plan of
Problem Solution (60%)

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Types of Assessment 15 CATS

 No exam!
 Two rounds of peer assessment
 10 minute group video presentation (40%)
 3000 word group written business plan of
Problem Solution (50%)
+
 1000 word essay (10%)

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Assessment deadlines
 Group Presentation/Video – Thursday
16th March which falls in week 10

 CAT 15 individual assignment – Wednesday

26th April week 1 term 3

 Group written business plan – Thursday

27th April which falls in week 1 of term 3

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A final word about assessment…

 This is a practical course

 You won’t get a 1st with just desk-
based research
 Get out there and interact with the
real world!

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Module Resources

 This module has its own dedicated page on

myWBS
 All of the lecture notes (after lectures), reading
materials and links to support the module
 Information about assessment and peer
assessment
 You will also see that the module has a number
of deadlines. Please make yourself familiar with
these deadlines and the website

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Group leaders to…
Joanna Lea (Course Admin) Joanna.Lea@wbs.ac.uk

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 Any questions?

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