Class Syllabus: New Product Development for Entrepreneurs
Join Now | Sign In | Shopping Cart
UniversalClass™ - Why not learn something new today?

Class Syllabus: New Product Development for Entrepreneurs

Request More Information
Tell a Friend
Office Hours: 24/7
Course Meeting Times: 24/7
 

Course Description

Do you have a new product idea? This course is designed for entrepreneurs who desire the practical tools necessary to transform their product idea into a marketed and commercial product. We review the basic steps of this journey including- how to assess the commercial potential for your product through consumer research, how to obtain capital funds to finance your product development, how to protect your idea through patenting, how to best market and advertise your product, and best options for manufacturing and distributing your product to the marketplace. 
 
 
New product idea
 
Other topics of interest include:
  • how to develop a market and competitive study
  • understanding consumer needs
  • conducting effective consumer surveys
  • small business grants and loan opportunities
  • funding through venture capitalists
  • how to conduct a patent search, filings, and costs
  • advertising options- free and fee based
  • developing product specifications
  • identifying prototype manufacturers
  • low cost distribution options 

Course Requirements

No previous coursework is required for this course. Just bring your ideas and thinking cap to the table.

Course Goals

The goal of this course is to equip inventors, entrepreneurs, and small businesses with practical and proven techniques necessary to mobilize their product idea.

Course Materials

No course materials are necessary.

Grading Policy

There will be 5 assignments and 5 exams.

Syllabus

Chapter 1- Concept Validation

Validating our product concept is important for new product development. In this lesson, we review market assessment, competitive studies and intelligence, and consumer research techniques. All of these tools are necessary to adequately determine the commercial potential of our product.

 
Chapter 2- Obtaining Startup Funds

As an entrepreneur, there will be a need for start up funds. These funds are referred to as capital. Here, we will examine opportunities for acquiring capital that can be made available to small businesses, i.e. grants, the Small Business Administrations, bank loans, venture capitalists, and personal funds.

 
Chapter 3- Protecting Your Idea

Is your product idea novel and unique? If so, how can you best protect it from being duplicated? In this chapter, we introduce the concept of a patent. We review basic patent fundamentals, your rights, how to conduct a patent search, how to patent your invention, patent filing costs, and options other than patenting.

Chapter 4- Marketing and Advertising

In this lesson, we will examine the two target groups (consumers and businesses) and the various methods of reaching these groups through Internet, television, and print media strategies.

Chapter 5- Manufacturing and Distribution
In this chapter, we examine how to develop your product package (specification, materials of construction, and drawing), getting it ready for prototype manufacture, and various methods of managing and distributing your product to the market.
 
Chapter 6- Review

Featured Courses in Marketing

Business Writing Basics

1. Business Writing Basics

($70.00) We live in world where communication is paramount to survival. more
  Administrative Assistant Fundamentals

2. Administrative Assistant Fundamentals

($60.00) Administrative Assistant Fundamentals A clueless boss gives you a wide-open field. more
     
Advertising, Marketing and Sales Writing

3. Advertising, Marketing and Sales Writing

($65.00) There you are, cold-calling yet another sales prospect. more
  Business Administration 101

4. Business Administration 101

($55.00) Whether you are already running a business, have yet to start one or have been hired to support a business owner, it is important to know the basics of the business administrative process. more

Other Related Classes in Marketing

  • ABC's of Technical Writing Technical writing is the art and science of translating technical information into readable, accessible writing usable by a wide audience. If you have ever read the user's manual for a piece of software or equipment you've purchased, you've seen technica...
  • Administrative Assistant Fundamentals Administrative Assistant Fundamentals A clueless boss gives you a wide-open field. Learn what's important to your boss, understand what your company is looking for and help the fool meet those expectations. ( John Hoover) Oh how times, and peop...
  • Advertising, Marketing and Sales Writing There you are, cold-calling yet another sales prospect. Your verbal pitch is pure gold; your prospect is attentive--interested--and seems ready to buy. But just as you're about to close the deal, you hear that eternal refrain: Send me something ...
  • Business Administration 101 Whether you are already running a business, have yet to start one or have been hired to support a business owner, it is important to know the basics of the business administrative process. This course will trace a path through the inception, setup a...
  • Business Analysis 101 How can you make a significant difference in your organization? One way is to be part of a project that improves the company's performance or launches it in a new direction. The business analyst (BA) plays a key role in the development and execution of ...
  • Business Credit 101 Business Credit 101 provides potential and current business owners with the necessary knowledge to successfully use credit within their business. There are many reasons why business operators rely on credit to maximize their business potential, but it ...
  • Business Ethics 101 Business ethics is an important part of any industry. Students or managers, unfamiliar with many ethical challenges, behaviors, or regulations will find themselves struggling in business industries that include finance, accounting or human resource manag...
  • Business Management 101 Introduction to Business Management The world of business management offers an array of career opportunities unparalleled among income earning possibilities. Industries from mining to waste disposal have management-level positions in many companies. ...
  • Business Math 101 This course takes you through an overview of the wonderful world of business mathematics. The course is designed for a person of any age and anywhere in the world. All that is required of the learner are a computer, a connection to the internet, a c...
  • Business Writing Basics We live in world where communication is paramount to survival. In a work environment where communication is equated with the professionalism and efficiency of an individual, would you jeopardize your career because of bad writing? Do you want the embarra...
  • Creating an Effective Sales Team Every small business owner or new entrepreneur knows that the success of their company will depend largely on the effectiveness of their sales team. After all, if you are not selling something, then you can hardly call yourself in business since business...
  • Customer Relationship Management 101 Quality in a service or product is not what you put into it. It is what the client or customer gets out of it. (Peter Drucker) We are exposed to customer service (of one kind or another) at least once a day, every day of the week, fifty-two wee...
  • Customer Service 101 Good customer service is not about satisfying the cu stomer, it is about wowing the customer! It's about making the customer walk in, do business, and walk out again absolutely stunned that their transaction was so enjoyable. Customer service is ...
  • Dealing With Difficult People Dealing with a difficult or toxic personality can be damaging both emotionally and physically, particularly if the person is your boss or sitting in the cubicle right next to you. Confronting those who compromise your comfort and job security can be very...
  • Diversity Training 101 Diversity training is not a new concept, but one that many organizations have been implementing into their training programs. The idea is that when employees are exposed to a variety of different cultures, individuals with different sexual preferences an...
  • Employment Law Fundamentals 101 Learn the basics of Employment Law , the potential pitfalls and ways to keep yourself out of court so that you can grow your business by hiring, evaluating, and managing employees. This course will discuss all the necessary information you need to know...
  • Event Planning 101 Event planning is one of the hottest new fields available to people from all walks of life today. Although some event planners may possess a college degree in business or a related field of study, a college degree is not required to be an event planner,...
  • Freelance Writing 101 If you have ever dreamed of being a freelance writer this course is for you. Get started today learning about this exciting field and in no time you can be on your way to earning a living, extra income, and more, by doing something that you love – ...
  • How to Improve Your Concentration Concentration is a part of our daily lives. We concentrate on our work and our life situations, either consciously or subconsciously. Is focus the same as concentration, and if not why are the terms often used so interchangeably? Why can some of us re...
  • How to Improve Your Memory It's surprising how much of a memory is built around things unnoticed at the time. - Barbara Kingsolver, novelist Memory is one of the most basic and important functions of the human brain. In fact, without memory we can't learn. Most peo...
  • How to Write a Business Plan 101 Most CPAs will tell you that the number one mistake people make in starting a new business is that they fail to write a business plan. Without a written set of plans and directions, a new business will struggle on many levels. You may start out doing wel...
  • How to Write a Grant Proposal Did you realize that you are most probably an experienced grant writer already? NO , you say, I've never written a grant in my life before -- but you have. Most people out there have asked somebody, at some time, for something in writing (one way ...
  • Human Resources Management 101 Many professionals who enter into the world of human resources quickly believe that they will succeed in their new found field simply because they have a knack for relating with people from all walks of life. While having good people skills is certainly ...
  • Internet Marketing Basics Today's business marketing efforts require an internet presence, an active campaign and a steady attention to the details of your company's internet marketing efforts. Don't let your company get left behind in the marketplace of ideas and sales. Universa...
  • Interview Skills 101 Preparing for your job interview could very well be one of the most important moments of your career. Landing the perfect job can be a challenge, but with the determination and passion you will need to begin a successful career, you can easily overcome t...
  • Leadership and Supervision 101 The idea of leadership is one that seems to constantly change. What was once valued in a leader in past centuries, is no longer valued in our modern era. So then, how do we define leadership? And is leadership the same as supervision ? In this Lead...
  • Managerial Accounting 101 Managerial accounting is not as widely used as other forms of accounting, nor is it as known. While companies concern themselves with financial accounting methods like audits, budgets and financial statements, they often completely ignore the forward-th...
  • Marketing Outreach Marketing a company's products and services to potential and existing customers is not only necessary, but a key ingredient to growing sales. Outreach marketing is the facet of marketing in which a company representative actively seeks out potential lead...
  • Memory and Concentration Techniques Memory, concentration, focus, communication, problem solving and relationships all interconnect and interact to give us the information we need to function properly in the everyday world. T his course will focus on these topics and explore how memory wo...
  • Resume Writing 101 One of the most important and intimidating steps in the job search process is writing a solid resume that gets the attention you want and need. Unfortunately, many job seekers get overwhelmed before they even get started. The result is poorly-written res...
  • Retail Business 101 The idea of running one's own business is the dream of hundreds of thousands of Americans. The reasons for opening your own business are myriad; to be your own boss, to set your own hours, to do what you want to do, to provide a product or service where ...
  • Small Business Guide Starting and operating a business is a minefield of rules and regulations. The regulations set in the moment you decide to start your own business. You need to get licenses and permits from the authorities. There are restrictions on the type of business ...
  • Special Events Planning 101 Think back to the last time you went to a convention, a wedding, or an off-site business meeting. Everything you saw--from the sign-up posts, to the table decorations, to the folders you've been handed--had to be created by someone. That someone would ...
  • Speed Reading 101 Speed reading provides you with the tools and information you need to improve not only the speed that you read, but your comprehension and concentration as well. Speed reading will also provide you with effective tools that you can use when you're in a p...
  • Team Management 101 Team Management Is -- Designing & Developing a Team Committed to a Common Purpose No man will ever make a great leader who wants to do it all by himself or to get all the credit for doing it. (Andrew Carnegie) 'Managing' used to be just tellin...
  • Telephone Skills and Quality Customer Service Today's consumers have a variety of options for shopping, obtaining services and getting the help they need. They can use catalogs, the mail, the Internet and face-to-face contact, yet telephone customer service is still the first choice for most custome...
  • Travel Writing 101 Travel writing is a fun, interesting and fulfilling career. If your goal is to become a full-time travel writer who is able to live off your income from writing alone, it is important to understand that travel writing, like any other career, requires you...
  • Workers' Compensation 101 Since as far back as Ancient Greece and Rome, there has been a system in place in all civilized societies to compensate those individuals who have become injured or disabled due to a work-related accident. The laws and regulations governing what is known...
  • Workplace Safety 101 This course focuses on workplace safety, health, and inspection. Throughout this course you will learn what workplace safety is, why it is important and how it affects a business. Common areas of workplace safety are discussed, including office safety...
  • Writing Effective Persuasion 101 Do you hear stirring speeches that inspire to go out and take to heart what the speaker was talking about? Do you wonder how some people can sell nearly anything simply by how they talk? If you do, then chances are you are wondering about being persuasiv...
 
Request More Information   Tell a Friend