1M/1M: The Entrepreneurship Curriculum

I was talking to Apoorv Sharma of the Indian Angel Network this morning and he asked me some questions about the 1M/1M curriculum, which, as I answered them, seemed like questions that may be on other people’s minds as well. So here is an explanation of the 1M/1M curriculum:

First, we follow a methodology. The entire curriculum is predicated upon a philosophy of bootstrapped, capital efficient entrepreneurship, precise positioning, efficient go-to-market strategy, and aligns with the trends of the present day.

Second, we are completely case-study based. The curriculum is a combination of video lectures and case studies, and we have the absolute best repository of case studies for early stage entrepreneurship anywhere in the world. Harvard, Stanford, MIT – nowhere would you find such a collection of case studies, because no one else has focused so intensely and precisely on the very early stages of business building. We have. And, over the last six years, I have interviewed hundreds of successful entrepreneurs and garnered their strategies and experiences with early stage entrepreneurship. The 1M/1M curriculum is a succinct and systematic synthesis of these case studies and the video lectures are based on the lessons learned in these case studies. One more point: this is also the best collection of bootstrapped entrepreneurship case studies, true to the philosophy of the program.

Thirdly, we have a core curriculum and an elective curriculum. In the core curriculum, entrepreneurs can master the most critical topics of early stage, capital efficient entrepreneurship like bootstrapping, financing, positioning, validation, customer acquisition, etc. In the electives, we cover the major trends and opportunities, as well as domain specific strategic nuances: Web 3.0 and e-commerce, Cloud Computing, Online Education, Healthcare IT, Mobile and Social Apps, Gaming, Outsourcing, etc.

Fourthly, we have Q&A and discussion forums attached to every single module, where you can ask specific questions. If you are negotiating a term sheet, and have questions on valuation, or compensation for a key employee – you can ask questions and get answers. In addition, of course, we have private roundtables for supplemental discussions.

The 1M/1M curriculum is based on my experience of coaching over 300 entrepreneurs at the free public roundtables, and if you spend 50 hours absorbing it, you will be in a substantially better place than where you started in terms of your knowledge of the basic issues of early stage entrepreneurship. It is an extremely structured program, predicated on a philosophy and a methodology that addresses many of the common fallacies, the primary one being that entrepreneurship equals fund-raising. No, entrepreneurship equals customers, revenues, and profits. Fund-raising is an optional tool and can be powerful if you know how and when to use it.

In 1M/1M, we teach you how to be a sophisticated entrepreneur, not a simplistic one who runs after investors all the time. We teach you how to create value and valuation, how to preserve ownership, and many other critical topics.

Most importantly, you have the benefit of several hundred successful entrepreneurs – luminaries in their fields – sharing with you their lessons from the trenches through our case studies.

I hope this clarifies some of the questions on people’s minds.

This segment is a part in the series : 1M/1M