Business Fundamentals, Team Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Innovation: Changemaker Lab

For more information please visit: https://sites.evergreen.edu/entrepreneurship/

In the Changemaker Lab program you will learn the skills you need to start and run your own business or become a trusted advisor in organizational settings. Most of our time will be spent working in teams and teams of teams to create a learning organization that will facilitate learning about many business concepts and the development of strategic business plans around actual sustainable businesses, social enterprises and projects. This Changemaker Lab program is ideal for those looking for a practical, hands-on approach, who have the energy and commitment to take charge of their learning and discover themselves in a caring and safe innovative team environment.

This radically different pathway gives you the opportunity to set-up and run your own projects and ventures. Inspired by the pioneering Finnish ‘Tiimiakatemia’ approach, we designed this program collaboratively together with our Evergreen Entrepreneurship students and were the first to introduce this program to the United States. The Tiimiakatemia Changemaker Lab is accredited by Tiimiakatemia Global®.

You will learn by doing and specifically develop the following skills: Self‐leadership skills, Project leading skills, Planning skills, Team coaching skills, Strategic skills, Team leadership skills, Service skills, Negotiation and selling skills, Financial skills, Marketing skills, Innovation skills, Data processing and IT skills, Team learning skills, Creativity skills, International skills and Communication skills and work on developing Initiative, Courage to make choices and Goal orientation.

In the first few weeks you’ll form a Team Company of up to 20 students, and work on real projects while gaining entrepreneurial experience and learning how to operate and run an organization as a Holacratic structure. As a Team Entrepreneur, you’ll work with your team in your own office environment virtually or in the classroom in our innovative open office space. You will create and manage projects around your passions, attend directors' meetings, manage budgets and build valuable contacts and networks. 

We learn how to model a business as a social purpose for-profit entity or create a sustainable not-for-profit entity. We learn the technical aspects of using design thinking to do sustainable business modeling, marketing, web development, search engine optimization and social media marketing that enables us to innovate and market our ideas and launch businesses and projects. We learn to develop marketing and branding information strategically. We learn hands-on about credit, practical accounting, understanding financial statements, business expenses and costs, income taxes, planning and forecasting for a business, and learn how to determine if that idea of yours is practically feasible. We learn how to change the future starting today. We have many such examples, the learning is dynamic, and you decide. We have found a way to democratize education and are applying that to our program.

Your Team Company will run its own training sessions under the supervision of experienced Certified Tiimiakatemia Team Coaches. You’ll also join professional workshops and personal development sessions to ensure you develop your entrepreneurial potential. You may also choose to participate in a variety of international learning opportunities in Europe and Africa.

This learning-by-doing program prepares you for work in the same way a graduate development program does, ensuring you’ll be confident, motivated and resilient when you face the challenges of your workplace. You’ll know your strengths, interests and aspirations. You will have a clear understanding of where you come from, what you want to accomplish and will determine how you'll know when you get there. You’ll have key skills and valuable contacts to hit the ground running in your career and be internet tech ready for the "gig" economy.

You’ll graduate with diverse and exciting career options. Our alumni have said that the program prepared them well for starting their own businesses and for careers in leadership, marketing, project management and business and non-profit management in general. A number have already started their businesses and have formed potential lifelong friends and connections.