Building a Business
Duration:
- 5 weeks
Time commitment:
- Short programme
Location:
- Oxford
Cost:
- Free
About the programme
Building a Business is a programme open to all current University of Oxford students who are either in the early stages of exploring their own potential ventures or hoping to improve their own businesses. This foundational programme will give you the opportunity to understand and learn more about what it takes to run your own business.
Over the course of five weeks, you will learn the business fundamentals of customer development, how to market your idea and also to demystify financial literacy. This experience is designed to give you the tools and confidence to pursue your own potential ventures.
The programme is supported by EnSpire Oxford, a University initiative, and delivered by the Entrepreneurship Centre.
The below table shows the programme outline for 2023.
Outline
The Journey from Student to CEO panel
Join us for the 'The Journey from Student to CEO' panel and hear from our alumni, Holly Reeve, Mina Bekheet, and Husayn Kassai, who will be discussing their own entrepreneurial journeys and sharing guidance with those who might be thinking of starting their own ventures.
In addition to the panel discussion, the session will introduce the business model canvas framework, and our panellists will be providing an overview of their own business models and how this tool can be used successfully.
This session will be facilitated by Leah Thompson, Head of EnSpire, University of Oxford.
Customer Development workshop
This session, with Bolaji Sofoluwe, will cover a vital part of the entrepreneurial journey - building a customer base. This session will also unveil the well-guarded strategies of world-class customer-centric enterprises, which will help to shape the overall business strategy.
In this talk, you'll learn:
- to explore essential concepts
- how to decipher your target audience
- to foster growth by designing the customer journey.
An Introduction to Entrepreneurial Finance for Startups
Have you ever wondered what the difference is between funding at the seed stage and funding at a later stage? Do you wonder where a venture capitalist’s valuations even come from? Then this will be the session for you.
Edward Keelan is a partner with Octopus Ventures, one of the UK’s most active and recommended venture capitals. He’s also an alumnus of the Saïd Business School Executive MBA and a regular speaker on entrepreneurship and early-stage finance.
In this talk, you'll learn:
- an understanding of key financial terminology to help kick-start your own venture
- tips on how to finance your ideas and turn them into a reality
- the answers to any burning questions you may have about your own finance model, in the question and answer session.
Developing a Successful Brand and Client Loyalty
By analysing the success of iconic brands that have been able to survive market challenges, Flavilla Fongang has developed the ‘Beyond Marketing Approach’, helping businesses to develop their brand ecosystem to maintain high client engagement and increase their lifetime value. During this session, Flavilla will discuss this approach and share marketing strategies developed to improve brand engagement and convert more prospects.
In this talk, you'll learn:
- how to create a following of faithful individuals who buy from you frequently
- about beyond Marketing activities which create the most engagement
- how to create your brand ecosystem to increase your client lifetime value.
Scaling For Success panel session
Join us for the final session of the Building a Business series and hear from the ‘Scaling For Success’ panel which includes Oxford alumni, Lily Elsner, Henry Majed and Sushma Shankar. They will be discussing the challenges and hurdles you might face when scaling your own venture and how to navigate this journey.
This session is facilitated by Maria Zubeldia, Director of the Entrepreneurship Centre.