1. The word ‘entrepreneur’ typically means ‘business owner’
The word ‘entrepreneur’ typically means ‘business owner’. Here at NSCC, we have a different view on the word ‘entrepreneur’ – For us, entrepreneurs are people who create growth and implement new ideas. Whether that be in our personal lives, in businesses or in our communities, it’s all entrepreneurship to us.
We believe everyone is an entrepreneur so, instead of asking “Do you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur?”, We ask, “What kind of entrepreneur are you?”
(If possible, play YES video – if not, maybe there is an example of some local innovators that you could mention to demonstrate the point)
At NSCC, we know that, if Nova Scotia is going to be successful now and into the future, we all need to think like entrepreneurs. We need to have the mindset and skills to both look for new opportunities to grow as well as to implement those new opportunities. By incorporating entrepreneurship into your classrooms and our campus culture here at NSCC, we can grow our Nova Scotia economy one person, one business, and one community at a time.

2. Your Entrepreneurial Self
… in the classroom
… on campus
... off campus
venturing
The Your Entrepreneurial Self initiative enhances and complements your learning experiences here at NSCC.
It provides you and your instructors with resources and funding to incorporate entrepreneurship into your classrooms. This could take the form of a guest speaker who owns their own business, a site visit to a local business, or in-class activities and assignments related to entrepreneurship. Ask your instructors what you will be doing in the classroom that relates to entrepreneurship.
Outside the classroom, you can learn about entrepreneurship on campus through YES and campus led lunch and learn sessions, workshops and special events. Some campuses have entrepreneurship societies and clubs that you can get involved with. (– provide details if you are one of those campuses)
YES also supports students to attend entrepreneurial events and activities outside of NSCC (off campus). Keep your ears open for opportunities or contact YES if you see something of interest.
And, if you have an innovative idea, you can get help to implement that idea through YES (listed in the Student Services section of our nscc.ca website) or, ask about the sandbox initiatives and incubator programs available at select NSCC campuses.(again, provide details if you are one of those campuses) (venturing)
Your Principal is responsible for championing YES and entrepreneurship at your campus. If you have questions about YES or how to get involved, you can find answers through your principal’s office.

3. Today we are here to talk to you about our 2015 Innovative Ideas Competition as well as take some time to get creative and generate some ideas. By the end of our workshop you will have all kinds of ideas – good and bad, have a better understanding of where good ideas come from and an understanding of how you can take one of your ideas and move it forward using the Innovative Ideas 2015 Competition.
The Innovative Ideas Competition has been at NSCC for over 5 years and, continues to grow each year. Through this competition, we’ve seen several students take their good ideas to the patent stage of development, and, one student was even in talks with major companies like Home Depot about carrying her product. The sky is the limit and we are always pushing ourselves to achieve new heights.
With the Innovative Ideas competition you simply pitch an idea – on paper and in person. Your idea can be something that benefits the community or a group of people, or it could be an idea for a product, service or business to make money.
Students pitch their ideas at the campus level, and the winners of each campus move onto provincial competitions where they compete with other post-secondary students from across NS for a chance to win up to $10,000 in prize money.
(We encourage you to get familiar with the specific details of the contest in advance to presenting to students so that you are equipped to answer their questions. You can find details at nscc.ca/ideas.)
Okay – lets get started!

4. Find alternate uses for …
WARM UP ACTIVITY:
In groups, have students brainstorm as many alternative uses for the common everyday item depicted (a pencil) on a piece of flipchart paper. Each group should have more than ideas. Give a small prize for the group with the most ideas.
Next, have student identify the top 3-5 ideas on their list that they could get behind (without necessarily recycling pencils) and have them present those ideas to the larger group.
You could also bring in some common every day items and give each group a different item.
Have students post their flipcharts on the wall.

5. My IRKS… My IRKS…
Define “IRKS”
Brainstorm a list of things that that ‘irk’ people. These could be as big as social and economic issues, to day to day challenges (e.g., forgetting to water your plants).
Once a good fun list is brainstormed, pick one and brainstorm some products or services that we could generate to solve the problem. Try to pick something silly or outrageous that you don’t think someone would pick if the activity were serious.
Once you’ve done an example, break students into groups and have them pick a problem (which may or may not be listed in your brainstorming) and generate ideas for potential products or services that would solve that problem on flipchart. Give them 5-10 minutes to brainstorm and then have them present their best ideas (top 3) to the larger group). Post their flipcharts around the room. By the end of the workshop, they will be surrounded by ideas!
irk: to be irritating, wearisome or vexing to (thefreedictionary.com)

6. The World Around Me…
Clip articles out of a recent newspaper or print from online. Choose articles for which you could foresee students being able to generate product and service ideas to solve. Common problems we see in the news are things like fires, accidents, etc. are useful for this activity. Some articles may be social (e.g., hospital stays, illness, poverty, etc.), while others may be more about industry and/or infrastructure (e.g., traffic jams, challenges in construction, etc.). Lastly, the article may be practical/trivial/novel (e.g., household cleaning tips, make-up tips, sending the ashes of a deceased into space, etc.). All have potential for good product and service ideas.
Post news articles around the room on pieces of flipchart paper. Have groups of students circulate the room and add product or services ideas to solve the problem in the article (or address the opportunity) to the flipchart paper. At the end of the rounds, have the group standing by an article share some of the best ideas on the flipchart.

7. The Pitch…
Once students have had opportunity to generate lots of ideas, have each group select an idea that resonates with them. Let them know that they are going to pitch this idea to their peers in three easy steps.
Have students watch the video linked to this image. Pause the video at key points so that students can follow the instructions for their pitch. Next circulate a print copy of the “PITCH” handout at the end of this presentation and have students incorporate what they’ve already done into a succinct pitch of their idea to fellow students.
You may want to have a small prize for the team with the best pitch. You can use our Ideas 2015 judging criteria available for download on e2.nscc.ca to judge pitches.

8. Celebrating our NSCC Ideas
In conclusion…
There are lots of ideas out there – both good and bad.
Even a bad idea has potential – think bungee jumping or chia pets for example. Who would have ever thought those ideas would catch on?
The key is to find an idea that you are passionate about and believe in. Once you have that idea, anything is possible.
We would like to leave you with a little bit of inspiration. This is a video submission from the Global Entrepreneurship Week Student Challenge which really represents NSCC’s Innovative Ideas Competition well. Enjoy!

9. Insert Campus - Insert Contact Contact’s Email & Phone
To learn more about the Innovative Ideas 2015 competition or to get involved, get in touch with your campus contact or visit our website nscc.ca/ideas
Insert Campus - Insert Contact
Contact’s & Phone

10. The Pitch… Here are some key elements to include in your pitch:
What is the Idea? (Product/Service Name and Description)
What problem does it solve or what does it make easier/better? (Bigger, faster, cheaper, safer)
What makes the idea one-of-a-kind? How does your idea stand out?
Who is your perfect customer/target market (who will buy/use your idea)?
How will you reach your market? How will they know about your idea?
How can they access your idea and what will they pay for it?
How much will your idea cost to produce?
How much money can you expect to make off your idea and/or what is its social impact (profit or savings on government expenses)?
Provide each group with this handout and walk through the questions with them:
The video they just watched should help them to answer the first 3 questions posed.
Questions 4-6 are about marketing. Explain to groups that their product is not appealing to just anyone and, there is likely a specific person (or type of person) who is most likely to buy it. They need to identify who that person is and what methods of promotion would best reach that person. For example, a basic, multi-purpose drill. Who is most likely to buy this product? Maybe its men aged who maybe don’t have their own home (apartment dwellers) or who do but who aren’t particularly handy. They aren’t looking for specific tools for specific jobs but a tool that could do many different small/basic jobs. The best way to reach these men might be through promos in basic hardware stores like Canadian Tire and Home Depot, tv ads, etc.. Your students may have other ideas.
For the purpose of the activity, have them “guestimate” price, cost to produce and potential profit/impact from their idea.
NOTE on SOCIAL IMPACT: An idea may or may not have an obvious method for generating revenue but, if implemented could save our economy lots of money. For example, an efficient pump system for accessing clean drinking water in under-developed countries/regions. Those regions may not have the revenue to fund that pump but, implementing the idea in those regions could save billions of dollars in aide and health care costs.