Thinking and Acting Like an Entrepreneur
In a world defined by rapid change and complex problems, developing your entrepreneurial mindset is essential for driving innovation and creating meaningful impact. Thinking and Acting Like an Entrepreneur, a self-guided program broken down into three distinct badge courses, explores entrepreneurship as a process rooted in action, adaptability, and continuous learning. Built upon Babson’s proven Entrepreneurial Thought & Action® (ET&A™) methodology, you will learn to act sooner, embrace smart risks, and translate ideas into practice through real-world problem solving and experimentation.
Throughout this certificate program, you will take a close look at how you can use purpose-driven entrepreneurship to make the world around you a better place. Guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals, you will learn to identify problems and craft sustainable solutions, creating a positive impact for your customers and your community. By the end of the program, you will be able to apply design-thinking principles to create practical, innovative solutions across industries, becoming an entrepreneurial leader equipped to inspire others as you work together to bring your innovations to life.
- Explore the mental frameworks and mindset traits that drive entrepreneurial thinking, including resilience, curiosity, and risk tolerance
- Build entrepreneurial self-efficacy and confidence in your ability to navigate uncertainty and take initiative
- Apply Babson’s Entrepreneurial Thought & Action® (ET&A™) methodology to take meaningful action, even without complete information
- Identify and solve problems as a basis for launching your ventures
- Learn several problem-identification techniques and how to use them to create value
- Learn to apply design thinking principles to solve complex problems creatively
- Utilize rapid ideation and iterative experimentation to strengthen ideas
- Align solutions with desirability, feasibility, and viability for real-world impact
- Aspiring entrepreneurs with a new venture entrepreneurship idea
- Entrepreneurs who want to take their business to the next level
- Executives looking to grow their entrepreneurial mindset to innovate in their current role
- Professionals looking to expand their skill set across industries and functionalities
- Recognition and Credentialing: A digital certificate that serves as verifiable proof of learning and achievement, which can be displayed on platforms such as LinkedIn and included on your resume and portfolio
- Course Content and Learning Outcomes: You gain industry-relevant knowledge, practical skills, and frameworks designed for professionals seeking career advancement or specialization
- Flexibility: Our self-paced digital courses allow flexibility for busy executives and professionals
- Expert Instruction: Experienced faculty, industry leaders, and professionals with real-world expertise teach our courses
- Networking Opportunities: You gain access to a network of peers, alumni, and industry professionals.
- Assessments and Engagement: To earn a credential for completing this course, you must complete assignments, quizzes, case studies, and/or interactive projects
Upon completion of this series of courses you will earn a digital certificate.
What you need to know
Course Structure
Costs & Program Discounts
Course Leaders

Craig Bida
Professor of Entrepreneurship
Professor Craig Bida’s work and teaching focuses on how people can turn ideas into real-world applications that create tangible impact. He is currently the Director of the FutureLab on Mobility, a collaboration between the Toyota Mobility Foundation and Babson College that seeks to create economic and social progress by collaborating across the sectors on cutting edge, community-centric mobility solutions. He is also the Founder and CEO of Think Design Disrupt, a purpose-driven brand-building consultancy that designs, reimagines, and activates brands to create world-changing social and environmental impact.

Phil Kim
Lewis Family Distinguished Professor in Social Innovation
An internationally recognized expert on entrepreneurship, Professor Phil Kim studies, teaches, and advises on different aspects of how entrepreneurial ideas become reality. Widely published and a sought-after conference speaker, he also regularly advises entrepreneurs on issues related to launching and establishing their businesses, and coaches student entrepreneurs as they start their businesses. Prior to becoming an academic, he worked as a management consultant.

Heidi Neck
Jeffry Timmons Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies and Academic Director of the Babson Academy
Professor Heidi Neck is at the forefront of shaping the future of entrepreneurship education. She leads programs that train faculty worldwide to teach entrepreneurship through practice-based, experiential methods, including Babson’s Symposia for Entrepreneurship Educators and the Babson Collaborative. Neck has authored six books and over 45 academic works, including the widely used textbook Entrepreneurship: The Practice & Mindset. She has received multiple national awards for her contributions to entrepreneurship education.