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1. A103IAE Creative Thinking for Business
Simon Hill

2. AIM
• To understand the range of skills required for enterprise and
entrepreneurship;
• To start developing creativity and creative business thinking
• Begin practical enhancement of your skills

3. INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
On completion of this module you should be able to:
• To appreciate the range of skills required for
enterprise and entrepreneurship;
• To understand how these skills can be improved
(this week);
• To improve creativity;

4. What skills are needed to run a business?
Make a list of all the skills needed to start,
own and manage a successful business
and list what the skills would be needed
for.

5. Something that a person does
BEHAVIOURS:
• opportunity seeking and grasping
• taking initiatives to make things happen
• solving problems creatively
• managing autonomously
• taking responsibility for, and ownership
of, things
• seeing things through
• networking effectively to manage
interdependence
• putting things together creatively
• using judgment to take calculated risks

6. A philosophy
ATTRIBUTES:
• achievement orientation and ambition
• self confidence and self belief
• perseverance
• high internal locus of control
(autonomy)
• action orientation
• preference for learning by doing
• hardworking
• determination
• creativity

7. Something you can do
SKILLS:
• creative problem solving
• persuading
• negotiating
• selling
• proposing
• holistically managing business / projects
/ situations
• strategic thinking
• intuitive decision making under
uncertainty
• networking

8. Video
Cameron Herold Video:
http://www.ted.com/talks/cameron_herold_let_s_raise

9. SHARPENING YOUR SKILLS
HOW TO SHARPEN YOUR ENTREPRENEURIAL
SKILLS…
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•
•
•
•
•
Positive Attitude
Networking
Spotting Opportunities
Selling
Negotiating
Perseverance

10. SHARPENING YOUR SKILLS
HOW TO SHARPEN YOUR ENTREPRENEURIAL
SKILLS… split into 6 teams and brainstorm
•
•
•
•
•
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Positive Attitude
Networking
Spotting Opportunities
Selling
Negotiating
Perseverance
HOW DO YOU UNDERSTAND IT?
HOW WOULD YOU PRACTICE?

11. SHARPENING YOUR SKILLS
POSITIVE ATTITUDE
• PMA = 'Positive Mental Attitude'
“If you want to be like Linford, you have to think like
Linford” (from a TV Commercial)
• Successful people believe that:
• Their ideas will work
• People are generally good
• Things will be fun!
• Decide to be happy!

12. SHARPENING YOUR SKILLS
Ways to practice ?
1.
2.
3.
Be positive when you meet people (see what
happens)
Look for things to be happy about in your life
Do something positive for someone else (proof
read an essay, do the washing up, buy a round
of drinks, a lift to Uni)

13. SHARPENING YOUR SKILLS
Ways to practice ?
Good mood music, buy the Big Issue, exercise,
personal relationships, be around happy people,
socialising, learning to accept people/life…

14. SHARPENING YOUR SKILLS
NETWORKING
• Who do you know?
• Make a list of who you know (no matter how
vaguely) - what skills and knowledge do they
have?
• Build and maintain your network of contacts
(sometimes called friends!)

15. SHARPENING YOUR SKILLS
Ways to practice ?
1.
2.
3.
Accept invitations
Talk to more people
Remember their names, who they are , what
they do…

16. SHARPENING YOUR SKILLS
Ways to practice ?
Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Business cards (get
your own – collecting from others), CLUBS AND
SOCIETIES (Students in Business), forums,
halls of residence, family, neighbours…

17. SHARPENING YOUR SKILLS
SPOTTING OPPORTUNITIES
• Listen to people’s hopes, wishes, fears,
complaints etc.
• Decide how you would run any given
business better.

18. SHARPENING YOUR SKILLS
Ways to practice ?
1.
2.
Ask some of your friends for their list of
complaints about e.g. university,
accommodation, their part-time jobs
Next time you are in a bar/café/restaurant
decide how you would run the place better.

19. SHARPENING YOUR SKILLS
Ways to practice ?
Network and talk to others (their and your ideas),
research (seek gaps in markets), OTHER
PEOPLE’S STORIES (IDEAS DEVELOPED –
History), business seminars, Add+V module,

20. SHARPENING YOUR SKILLS
SELLING
• Face to face selling will be a vital skill for you in you future,
whether or not you go into business for yourself.
• BUT….You do not have to be a sharp-suited , fast talking
‘salesman’ or ‘saleswoman’ in the conventional sense.
• You do need to be comfortable to persuade others to be
interested in you /your product /your service.

21. SHARPENING YOUR SKILLS
Ways to practice?
• Car boot sale, sell some stuff at Uni
• Part-time job which involves selling
• Many hundreds of books, tapes, websites etc.
with loads of advice (that’s what they are selling!)

22. SHARPENING YOUR SKILLS
Ways to practice ?
Observe/shadow, try to advertise/market a
product/service, internet selling (eBay), difficult
case, convincing friends to do sth, try to get
funding from parents…

23. SHARPENING YOUR SKILLS
NEGOTIATING
• Rule # 1
Everything is negotiable
• Rule # 2
In business you don’t get what you deserve,
you get what you negotiate

24. SHARPENING YOUR SKILLS
• It’s not all about price, think about value
• Get the best possible service for the best
possible price
e.g. racing bicycle wheels
• Internet price: £210
• Local bike shop: £270 (includes free realignment, repairs, servicing, forever)
Which is best value?

25. SHARPENING YOUR SKILLS
Ways to practice?
• Ask for student discount in places you don’t think
they offer it yet (but should!)
• Next time you buy something, try to negotiate a
little (price, delivery, after-sales support)
• Go to shops who are willing to haggle
(independents as opposed to big chains)
• Ask for a pay rise in your part-time job, but be
ready to explain why you deserve it!

26. SHARPENING YOUR SKILLS
Ways to practice ?
Coventry City Market (haggle), housemates,
deadline negotiation, car boot sale, …

27. SHARPENING YOUR SKILLS
PERSEVERANCE
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Learn never to give up!
If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again…
If at first you don’t fail, you won’t succeed
USA banks look for a number of previous
business failures before granting new loans.

28. SHARPENING YOUR SKILLS
Ways to practice?
• Stay up late (or get up early) and get an
assignment done before it’s due (use the extra
time to make it better instead of finishing it off)
• Try a sport or activity which requires
perseverance (walk to Uni, bike ride, run, hill
climb, hour-long gym class)

29. SHARPENING YOUR SKILLS
Ways to practice ?
Test your limits, find something you want and try to
get it, diet, learn something new (language), …

30. SHARPENING YOUR SKILLS
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•
•
•
•
•
Positive Attitude
Networking
Spotting Opportunities
Selling
Negotiating
Perseverance

31. Self Study
Practice at least two of the areas discussed
today, and prepare a short 3 minute outline
of what you did and what else you could
do.
No PowerPoint required

32. - Beer mat idea competition

33. Questions?