Building Business in the Context of a Life

Course Number 1647

Senior Lecturer Bhaskar Chakravorti
Winter, 20 Sessions
Paper

Career Focus

Building a Business in the Context of a Life (BBCL) is designed for any student who plans to be involved in entrepreneurial activity at some point in his or her career.

Educational Objectives

• Understand how to identify and assess meaningful entrepreneurial opportunities from a business and personal perspective
• Gain an in-depth understanding of your vision, values, motivations, definition of success, comparative strengths and weaknesses
• Understand and apply a process and frameworks for developing an integrated life plan (personal and professional) and ensuring that it remains useful and relevant over time
• Develop a language for developing and communicating your life plan with those important to you
• Understand mindsets that support enduring success (e.g., "living life forward," "just enough," "juggling not balancing")

Course Content

BBCL includes 15 whole-class sessions divided into four learning modules:

1. What is success?
2. Identifying entrepreneurial opportunities
3. Integrating business and personal life
4. Reflections on entrepreneurship and life

BBCL also includes five small-group sessions focused on key steps in the life plan development process. Students also meet individually with the professor to review his or her life plans.

BBCL uses a variety of materials to strengthen class and small group discussions and to facilitate life planning: cases, guest speakers, movies, polls, notes with exercises, and other readings, including the book Just Enough: Tools for Creating Success in Your Work and Life.