Class 6: September 3, 2026 · ENTR 5500
Notes from September 3, 2026. These notes record the discussion and instructions given that day. For current requirements and due dates, use the assignment guidelines and semester schedule.
Applying the Business Model Canvas
Teams mapped the children’s toothbrush idea across the canvas. The slides contain the framework; the activity showed why a product needs a whole operating model around it.
- Customers and users may differ. Children use the toothbrush; parents buy it. Dental practices may also be buyers or distribution partners. Define whose problem each part of the offering solves.
- Partners can aggregate demand. A dentist already sees many relevant customers. Reaching people through an organization that has assembled the audience can be more effective than acquiring each person separately.
- Channels involve tradeoffs. A large retailer or marketplace offers reach, but may reduce control over presentation, the customer relationship and access to customer information. Direct sales offer more control while leaving more acquisition and operating work to the business.
- Resources need not mean owning a factory. Contracts, supplier relationships, manufacturing access, expertise and brand rights can supply the capabilities a startup needs.
- Separate fixed and per-unit costs. Rent and other overhead differ from the costs of producing and delivering another unit. Include packaging, shipping, storage and returns when thinking about the economics. Revenue might come from product sales or a genuinely useful recurring service.
The canvas helps expose the work and assumptions that still need testing. Completing it does not establish that the model works.
Recognizing and shaping opportunities
The HBS chapter was introduced through three steps: notice an unmet need → discover a fit between the need and available resources → create an offering and the operating system around it. Innovation can require imagining something customers have not yet requested, but that is not an excuse to stop listening to them. Continue learning from customers as the offering develops.
Entrepreneur project and themes
Work in groups of three to five, with four as a useful target. Find and interview a founder, then relate that person’s experience to themes from the course. A theme is an observed pattern, lesson or practice supported by the cases, readings, events and other material—not merely a topic heading. Look at where the entrepreneur’s experience supports a theme and where it challenges it.
The baseline interview criteria are a founder of a business with roughly two years of operating experience, meaningful revenue (the starting benchmark is about $500,000 annually), and substantial full-time involvement. Borderline candidates and service businesses can be discussed before committing; the aim is an experience-rich interview rather than selecting someone only for fame.
For outreach, seek relevant expertise and availability rather than fame alone. The Tim Ferriss bronze-medalist example illustrates this approach.
The final project includes an 8–10 page group report and a creative presentation/demo of up to 10 minutes. A routine slide presentation is not the intended format. Discuss a podcast or other exception before investing in it. The report should connect themes to the origin story, model, tradeoffs, risks, team and challenges—not just retell a biography.
What to do next
- Complete the HBS Chapter 1 quiz on ELC before the start of class Tuesday, September 8. This extends the previously announced Friday deadline. Use LockDown Browser; the quiz is closed-resource and your own work, with no AI assistance.
- Expect 14 questions, mostly multiple choice plus short responses. A few clear sentences are better than padding: explain the idea concisely in your own words. Study the reading as well as class notes.
- Begin forming groups using the spreadsheet to be posted in Slack. Groups should be settled by the start of class Thursday, September 10. Use Tuesday’s class for remaining matchmaking.
- Begin collecting possible themes; detailed journal guidance will follow in class/Slack.
- Review names for the optional September 8 challenge.
For reading preparation, active notes in your own words were encouraged. AI-supported study formats can help, but should not replace engaging with the material.