​​Start Your Own Business with the Entrepreneurship Minor 

​Do you dream of starting your own business? Or do you already have an existing business that you want to grow further? Then this minor is for you! 

​What to Expect? 
In this Entrepreneurship minor, you get the unique opportunity to learn entrepreneurship by actually doing it! 
Over 20 weeks, you will work intensively on setting up and expanding a viable business. In practice, this means coming up with a product or service that customers are willing to pay for and bringing it to market. 

​You will have direct contact with customers and other stakeholders, create value, and receive payment in return. This is real entrepreneurship—you are literally "getting your hands dirty"! 

​The minor is packed with energy and creative ideas and provides ample space to develop your entrepreneurial skills and business. 

​Collaboration and Inspiration: The Power of Diverse Teams 

​What makes this minor particularly special is the collaboration with students from various programs and disciplines across RBS! This creates an inspiring environment where ideas from different fields come together and strengthen one another. This is your chance to involve students with different expertise in your start-up and work as a team. Alternatively, you can choose a more flexible collaboration and seek advice from other students. Research shows that diverse teams often perform better. 

​Guidance from Experienced Mentors 

​Another unique aspect of this minor is the guidance provided by experienced start-up mentors. The teachers and coaches have extensive experience in the entrepreneurial world and are ready to support you on your journey. Additionally, this minor provides access to a network of inspiring entrepreneurs and investors, allowing you to build valuable connections. 

​Who is This Minor For? 

​This minor is suitable for anyone who wants to start or grow a business, whether you already have a company or not. 

• ​Do you already own a business? If you already have a business, you can continue developing it during the minor. You will be placed in a special class with other student entrepreneurs who also have running businesses. Note: To qualify for this class, you must demonstrate that your business is already viable. Just having an idea or a plan is not enough. Participation in this class is only possible after an intake interview. 

• ​No business yet, but ambitious? If you do not yet have a business but want to start one, you will work in a team of about four students to create a start-up. Together, you will decide what kind of company you want to set up and take on the challenge. 

​English or Dutch 

​You can choose whether you want to be placed in a Dutch-speaking or English-speaking class. 

​Why Choose This Minor? 

• ​Learn real entrepreneurship by setting up your own business. 
• ​Work with students from different programs and disciplines. 
• ​Receive guidance from experienced mentors and gain access to a valuable network. 
• ​Get the opportunity to turn your ideas into reality. 
• ​Take this unique opportunity to develop yourself as an entrepreneur in an environment full of energy, creativity, and new possibilities ​

Because entrepreneurship does not fit into a fixed framework and participating start-ups are at different growth stages, our minor program is intentionally designed to be flexible. Upon completing this minor, even graduating within your own business becomes a possibility. This minor embodies the Rotterdam mentality: we love to take action, be visible, and make an impact. The motto 'don’t talk, just do' is our guiding principle. 

During the minor, you will work on all essential aspects of building and growing your own business. You have the freedom to determine which steps are most important for you and your start-up at any given time. At the same time, we work with proven methods to provide direction and stimulate your growth. We organize various check-in moments where you present the progress of your start-up and where your development as an entrepreneur is evaluated. These moments not only provide insight into what you have learned but also offer opportunities for feedback and adjustments. 

Regarding learning methods, the student is at the center of learning by doing. We apply principles from Lean Start-Up method by Eric Ries, where the build-measure-learn principle is the common thread. You will quickly learn to develop your product or service, collect market feedback, reflect on it, and make necessary adjustments. Through hands-on workshops, brainstorming sessions with fellow students, and coaching moments with entrepreneurs from the field, you get the chance to refine your business continuously. 

Beyond the methodological aspects, collaboration is a crucial part of the program. During interdisciplinary sessions, you will work with students from various programs, introducing fresh ideas and new perspectives. Furthermore, we organize networking events where you can pitch your product or idea to real investors or mentors from the business world. This not only provides practical feedback but also helps you build valuable connections for the future. 

You will develop (create and validate) a repeatable, scalable, and profitable business model for your company. This means building a business model that creates value for your customers, generates societal value, and allows you to pay yourself at least the minimum wage. You will develop your business in three key steps: 

Phase 1: Value Proposition 
Identify who your customer is, understand their needs, and develop a prototype accordingly. 

Phase 2: Road to Market 
Select the channel through which you will reach your customer and test your prototype. 

Phase 3: Business Model 
Develop the business model for your product and customers, then stress-test it. 

To establish a viable business, the following competencies are essential: 

1. ​Analyzing Challenges: First and foremost, it is crucial to select a (niche) market based on solid market analysis and strong reasoning. You will identify a ‘lucrative’ market, recognize trends and developments, and understand connections. Additionally, you will step into the shoes of your potential customer, exploring their needs and what keeps them up at night. This analysis forms the foundation of your future business. 
2. Creating Value: Once you have clearly defined the main challenge of your target audience, you can create value for them. This is achieved by developing an innovative service or product that meets a need or solves a significant problem. It is essential to prove that your target audience genuinely wants what you offer. That’s why you involve them in the development process to maximize value creation. The problem you solve can be financially driven, but it can also address social or environmental needs. 
3. Achieving Impact: You develop a business model that is viable. This includes creating effective strategies to reach your target audience and selling your service or product at a price that is at least market-competitive.
4. Managing Complexity and Contradictions: Entrepreneurship is about trial and error. This means you need to be able to recognize opportunities, even in adversity, and leverage creativity. Learn to operate effectively in uncertain, dynamic conditions and continuously adapt. Do not be afraid to make mistakes, but carefully assess the advantages and risks to make well-informed decisions that align with your goals. 
5. Encouraging and Activating Others: Build genuine connections with your target customers and other stakeholders who are essential for making your business model viable. Understand what drives them. Actively seek feedback for personal growth and involve your team members, potential customers, and other stakeholders in internal and strategic changes. Translate external challenges into an inspiring vision and engage different groups in a tailored manner. 
6. Self-Awareness: Practice self-regulation, including self-awareness, self-efficacy, motivation, and perseverance. Develop a clear vision of the skills needed to become a successful entrepreneur. 

​To be admitted to the minor, the internship (or semester 5) must be completed. Students may also be admitted if they have sufficient practical experience, which will be assessed by the program. 

There is no need to purchase literature, but the program relies heavily on literature such as:

• Blank, S., & Dorf, B. (2012). The startup owner's manual: The step-by-step guide for building a great company. BookBaby. 
• Mares, J., & Weinberg, G. (2014). Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers. S Curve Publishing. 
• Osterwalder, A., & Pigneur, Y. (2010). Business model generation: a handbook for visionaries, game changers, and challengers. John Wiley & Sons. 
• Osterwalder, A., Pigneur, Y., Bernarda, G., & Smith, A. (2014). Value proposition design: How to create products and services customers want. John Wiley & Sons.

-          Ries, E. (2011). The lean startup: How today's entrepreneurs use continuous innovation to create radically successful businesses. Crown Business.

​​The program is structured around a hybrid setup of two days of in-class education at school and two days of independent work. The in-class sessions include interactive workshops, brainstorming sessions, and guest lectures from entrepreneurs within Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences' startup ecosystem, all aimed at developing practical skills and knowledge. During the independent workdays, you apply these insights to your own startup. This combination fosters both collaboration and independence while directly connecting you to the university’s dynamic entrepreneurial network.​ 

Within this program, you will develop competencies through practical assignments. Together, you will work towards various progress milestones. At the end of the program, it is up to you to demonstrate your competence and mastery of these skills. To assess this, we organize an evaluation day. During this day, you will be assessed both as a group and individually. This assessment will take place through a presentation, an interview, and the demonstrated progress of your business. 

Are you a student from another educational institution and you want to take a minor at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, you can apply in 2 steps as follows:

1) Register for the minor of your choice via the blue button Enroll. You can find this button at the top right of the minor's page.
Download and fill in the learning agreement
Submit this learning agreement to the Exam Board of your study programme.
Once the Board of Examiners has given its approval, please register for the minor in step 2 no later than 23-05-2025

2) After approval, register in OSIRIS Aanmelding of Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences via the link below (create an account first). https://osiris.hr.nl/osiris_aanmeld_hrprd/WelkomPagina.do?proces=KOM2509&opleiding=MINOR-RBS-VT+00

Part of the registration process is to upload the following documents:
- The learning agreement signed by you and by your institution;
- A scan or photo of your passport or ID card;
You will receive a message from Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences whether your application has been positively assessed or not.

In OSIRIS Aanmelding, you must also upload the Evidence Paid Tuition Fee (BBC) for the academic year in which you want to follow the minor. You can request the BBC from your institution after you have signed or issued an authorization for the payment of the tuition fees for the academic year in which you want to take the minor.

You will receive a message from Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences when your application has been approved.

Join our online introduction

Monday 31-03 16:00 - 16:30