A good idea is nothing more than a tool in the hands of an entrepreneur. Spend a class session in a brainstorming exercise to stimulate creativity. Brainstorming begins by defining a purpose. In this case we want to generate ideas for a business that undergraduate business students can start before they graduate. Choose a student to serve as the facilitator, who will record every idea on the board—with no criticism. Encourage brainstorming to occur spontaneously and abundantly

(although you may wish to set a parameter that the idea be legal in nature). Students should strive to fill a known or perceived void. Don’t spend time getting committed to one idea.

Once a sizable list has been generated (about 50 ideas, or when the exercise runs out of gas), identify the most promising ideas. Refine and prioritize the ideas. Have the group choose about 10 percent (five or six ideas) and discuss their opportunity potential.

Could they stand on their own as viable opportunities—

or, better yet, could two, three, or all six be combined into a feasible venture?