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Entrepreneur Interview Project (EIP) - Instructor Introduction

Please see this 2-minute video introduction.

The Entrepreneur Interview Project (EIP) is freely available and provides students the opportunity to interact with small business owners. They ask questions that span competitive practices, start-up, information sources, technology, training, financing, challenges, and advice. Students gain invaluable insight.

The EIP provides the following advantages:

Student Development

Students learn directly from entrepreneurs:

Stand-Alone Class Project

Instructor Resources

Web Based

Student Feedback

Here is a sampling of student feedback:

Entrepreneur Interview Archive

The Interview Questions

Eight questions that span the topics of competitive practices, start-up, information sources, technology, training, financing, challenges, and advice:

  1. What three things, in your opinion, must you do (and do well) in order to survive and thrive in your business? Please explain each in detail.
  2. What do you feel are the three most important sources of business information that you regularly use? Please give details for each (e.g., if a web page, please state the site; if a magazine, please state title, etc.).
  3. How did you decide to get into this type of business, and what was your initial goal?
  4. In hindsight, if you could go back in time and study any three topics just before you got into your business, what would they be? Please explain why each of these would be helpful to you.
  5. What new technologies can help you to become more competitive? Technologies can relate to machinery, equipment, software, processes, etc. Please give details.
  6. In today’s environment, what do you think are the best sources of financing/credit (banks, vendors, etc.) and what advice can you give to me on how to establish them?
  7. What do you consider to be the three biggest challenges facing your business right now (please give details)? Please explain your approach toward each.
  8. What advice can you offer to an aspiring entrepreneur? How can I prepare, and on what should I focus?

Getting Started

Adding the EIP to your class is completely free (there is never a charge)
Go to the Canvas Commons and search for "Entrepreneur Interview Project". Import the module into your existing course or sandbox. After downloading, please contact ConsultaPedia for login credentials.