Thirteen Weeks. Thirteen Lessons.

This course is like trade school for entrepreneurs. The lessons build on each other and sum to a playbook that will be available to you whenever you’re ready to take the leap.

Can entrepreneurship really be taught?

The drive and determination is up to you, but the skills can be learned by anyone. Engineers, scientists, writers, artists – anybody can learn this stuff and use it to solve problems.

Why do students always have the same ideas?

This was the most frustrating thing for me when I began teaching in 2013. Then I realized: they are solving their own problems – advice we’ve all heard – but their problems are limited in scope. Many students haven’t worked in companies before, so lack the context to recognize business-to-business opportunities.

This course is an introduction to business-to-business opportunities. Students start by finding a good customer, then work backwards to design a product or service they want to buy.

“Finding Your Venture” is ENTR410

A two-credit elective offered through the University of Michigan Center for Entrepreneurship. You can read the Fall 2025 syllabus here. The course is developed and taught by Brian Hayden. Previous co-instructors include Thomas Zurbuchen and Paul Brown and Mike McFall.

The community of presenters, instructors, students, faculty, and advisors extends beyond the classroom in Ann Arbor and into projects, companies, and relationships around the world.