Open Educational Resource · CC BY 4.0
Entrepreneurship Essentials The free OER textbook for Introduction to Entrepreneurship
Foundations for the Modern Entrepreneurial Journey
Entrepreneurship Essentials covers the introductory entrepreneurship course in one free, open textbook. Students learn by doing. Every module builds a skill they can use in any career, then applies it to a venture of their own.
- modules
- 8 modules
- lessons
- 24 lessons
- expert interviews coming soon
- 8 expert interviews coming soon
- open license
- CC BY 4.0 open license
Cover mockup · final art to come
Choose your format
Free online. Affordable in print. Open in every format.
Every edition of this open textbook carries the same CC BY 4.0 license. Read it in an accessible browser edition, download it, or order low-cost print copies through Amazon or your campus bookstore.
Read online, free
FreeThe complete textbook in an accessible web edition, built for screen readers and mobile, with expert videos and a linked resource library.
Free PDF download
Coming soonA print-friendly, tagged PDF of the full text and appendices.
EPUB for e-readers
Coming soonAn accessible EPUB 3 edition for offline reading on phones, tablets, and e-readers.
Print edition on Amazon
Coming soonA low-cost printed copy for students who learn best with paper.
Campus bookstore orders
Coming soonBookstores can order through Ingram using the ISBN (forthcoming).
Canvas & LMS course package
Coming soonImport-ready modules for Canvas and other learning platforms, in IMS Common Cartridge format.
Inside the book
One entrepreneurial journey, four parts, eight modules
Students work through the essentials of entrepreneurship in order, from noticing opportunities to pitching an evidence-backed venture. Every module links straight into the reader.
Part I
Discover: Seeing Opportunity
Build the entrepreneurial mindset, learn to see problems worth solving, and prove that real customers have them.
Part II
Design: Shaping the Venture
Turn a validated problem into a business model and a solution customers can react to.
Part III
Test: Proving What's True
Run real experiments and build the numbers that show whether the business can work.
Part IV
Launch: Deciding & Pitching
Weigh the evidence, decide to pivot or persevere, and tell the story of your venture persuasively.
Why this book is different
Every student succeeds, whether or not they launch a venture
Most entrepreneurship courses grade the business idea. The Dual-Track Model in Entrepreneurship Essentials grades the learning. Most students build career-ready skills on the Skills Track; those who choose the Venture Track can pivot or run a failed experiment and still show evidence of growth, not a lost semester.
01
Skills Track
The core of every module, for every student: one transferable capability, such as customer interviewing, experimentation, or persuasive storytelling, that builds a stronger career whether or not a student ever starts a company.
02
Venture Track
An optional path for students ready to build. They apply the same skill to their own opportunity and gather real evidence as they go, from first observations to a tested business model.
03
Integration Checkpoint
Every module ends with an evidence-based checkpoint, so the semester builds into a portfolio rather than a stack of disconnected assignments.
- of students follow the Skills Track, building career-ready entrepreneurial skills
- 70%
- of students add the Venture Track, building the observations and skills to launch a business
- 30%
- deliver an evidence-based pitch of their journey
- 100%
Design targets of the Modified Dual-Track Model.
Expert interviews
Every module opens with an entrepreneur who's done it
Industry experts introduce each module's topic on video, with chapter markers and a full searchable transcript.
Module 1: Entrepreneurial Foundation & Opportunity Awareness
Guest expert · coming soon
Module 2: Customer Discovery & Problem Validation
Guest expert · coming soon
Module 3: Business Model Design & Strategic Thinking
Guest expert · coming soon
Module 4: Design Thinking & Solution Development
Guest expert · coming soon
Module 5: Experimentation & Validation
Guest expert · coming soon
Module 6: Financial Modeling & Viability
Guest expert · coming soon
Module 7: Iteration & Strategic Decision-Making
Guest expert · coming soon
Module 8: Pitching & Entrepreneurial Storytelling
Guest expert · coming soon
For instructors
Adopt it in a week, not a semester
- ✓Syllabi for 8, 10, 12, and 16-week formats
- ✓Lesson plans and teaching guides for every module
- ✓An Instructor Teaching Guide with assignments and rubrics
- ✓Slide decks and in-class activities
Free. Lesson plans, slides, and rubrics live in the Instructor Hub.
For students
Everything you need, nothing to buy
- ✓Editable templates and worksheets for every module
- ✓Glossary of key entrepreneurship terms
- ✓Case studies from diverse industries and founders
- ✓Evidence portfolio guide
More from Entrepreneurship Essentials
The book is the beginning
Workshops, programs, and new titles are in development. Join the waitlist to hear first.
Faculty workshops
Hands-on training for instructors adopting the book or teaching entrepreneurship for the first time.
Join the waitlist →Venture programs
Cohort-based programs for students and community members who want to take their venture further.
Join the waitlist →More titles
Future books and short guides in the Entrepreneurship Essentials series.
Join the waitlist →Get updates when new modules and resources go live
For instructors, students, and bookstores. Occasional emails, no spam.