1. 12 things learned in 14 years of
enterprise education in higher education
A Personal View

2. 1st thing
Only a very few enterprise learners actually
become entrepreneurs within 3 years of
graduation.
Enterprise learners and actual entrepreneurs are
generally different people.

3. 2nd thing
Most enterprises survive, in one form or
another, for 2 years+
This is my personal experience. It may not be
true everywhere. The ‘in one form or another’
is what matters.

4. 3rd thing
There’s an ideology of enterprise. It doesn’t play
equally well in all situations.
Some love it, many ignore it.

5. 4th thing
Some things never seem to deliver as
enterprises for new graduates. Why is this?
Retail (even online)
STEM Based
Social Enterprises (see 5th thing)

6. 5th thing
There’s lots of interest in social enterprise
amongst learners in all disciplines.
This doesn’t seem to translate into lots of
sustainable enterprises for new graduates. Why?

7. 6th thing
An effective enterprises is usually a balanced
partnership: a ‘creative practitioner’ and a
‘salesman / manager’.
Someone has to look after the money and the
customers.

8. 7th thing
There are fewer enterprise starts from the
business disciplines than you might expect.
Possibly because the typical business
curriculum; even in enterprise; is ‘linear’ rather
than ‘holistic’.

9. 8th thing
There are more enterprises from the creative
fields than elsewhere. This is what you’d expect
from a sector with a ‘fragmented’ organisational
structure.
However, this may also be because the
curriculum is often ‘holistic’ and ‘improvisatory’.

10. 9th thing
Many early stage graduate entrepreneurs can’t
express their business case clearly: either orally
or in writing.
This corrects itself after initial meetings with
outside business advisors. However, it’s worth
reflecting on.

11. 10th thing
Effective enterprise curriculum is largely ‘show
and tell’: either by entrepreneurs or by the
students themselves.
In some disciplines, it will be very little like the
‘canon’ of enterprise thinking. It’ll be much
more about creative problem solution or
employability.

12. 11th thing
Enterprise curriculum has to be negotiated with
teaching and learning teams. Without
negotiation it is just ignored.
Innovation initiatives with teams have a typical
trajectory:
Enthusiasm, Expansion, Caution, Review,
Renewal.

13. 12th thing
Maybe enterprise can’t be ‘taught and learned’
only ‘imparted and acquired’ (as Oakeshott said
about politics).
The ‘show and tell’ may be the master
demonstrating to the apprentice. He can’t
explain what he does but he can show it.