Contact Us

    Center for Business,
    Entrepreneurship & Tourism

    Meier Hall 336
    1200 University Street
    Unit 9007
    Spearfish, SD 57799-9007

    Phone: 605-642-6276
    Fax: 605-642-6273
    Email: CBET@bhsu.edu
 

So what? who cares? why you?® is a proven, systematic methodology to find the business value that lives inside innovation. Developed by Wendy Kennedy, the methodology provides a practical hands-on set of tools and frameworks to help researchers, scientists and technology entrepreneurs discover and communicate the business value of their innovations. Based on more than 20 years of academic and entrepreneurial expertise, the methodology is in use by more than 10,000 scientists, engineers and researchers at organizations in more than nine countries.

So what? who cares? why you? ®

How Ready Are You?

Find out if your new product is prepared to go to market. Take the test from www.wendykennedy.com and get your Readiness Factor!

Turn Good Ideas into Great Commercial Opportunities

For every stage along the path to commercial readiness, there is a chapter in "So what? who cares? why you?" devoted to helping you get there. Used by a global community of more than 10,000 scientists, inventors and entrepreneurs, So what? who cares? why you? is a proven methodology for commercialization that provides:

  • A step-by-step approach through each phase of the readiness process
  • Practical tips, visual tools and worksheets to solidify your idea
  • Examples and case studies taken from real-world commercialization success stories

WKI Pre-incubation Program

WKI’s So what? who cares? why you?® methodology and tools are the basis of the WKI Pre-incubation Program. The WKI Pre-incubation Program is a turnkey system to assess the incubation readiness of pre-venture entrepreneurs and their ideas. This program has all of the training, tools, materials and support you need to launch your own branded program.

Pre-Incubation is About:

1. Scoping the business value of your idea or innovation
2. Using a structured methodology to explore business opportunities for the idea
3. Coaching you to explore the best possible options to move your idea forward
4. Sharing experiences and insights with other founders

Pre-Incubation is a Program, not a Class:

1. This is a hands-on coaching program – not training. It’s a dedicated space and time to work on the viability of your idea with guidance from expert coaches and feedback from other founders.
2. This is a program of 9 weeks for 2-3 hours each week. Each coaching clinic session is an interactive meeting, with founders presenting and discussing a specific aspect of the business value proposition for their ideas.
3. We use a best practice methodology known as So what? who cares? why you?® It’s based on visual models, maps and frameworks that Founders populate to explore the business value of their innovations.
4. Founders helping Founders – the program is open to Founders only. There are six to ten founders in a program. (note: Founders can bring a team member, but only if they are accompanied by the Founder).


Our Commitment to You:

1. We will equip you with the So what? who cares? why you? toolkit to prepare your tools in advance of each session.
2. Coaching sessions are structured to be high value and results oriented. We will guide the sessions, but you as a Founder fuel the discussion.
3. We will coach, push and often provoke important conversations to help you work through tough issues.
4. These are working meetings, not training sessions – you’ll be on your feet drafting and revising your thinking about your idea.
5. Upon completion of the program, you will walk away with a roadmap showing the business opportunity for your idea. This can be packaged as a ten-slide presentation, summary document, or pitch statement. 
 
 
Your Commitment to Us:

1. As the Founder, you will clear your schedule to attend each weekly meeting.
2. You will commit to the full program.
3. You will come prepared with drafts of your tools for the week’s scheduled topic.
4. You will actively participate in coaching sessions, becoming part of the “extended team” of other Founders in the room.
5. You will remain open to exploring the possibilities for your idea.

For more information contact the Center for Business, Entrepreneurship & Tourism @ 642-6276