A three-month work-based programme for managers driving ventures, new initiatives or business units, and for emerging founders — building the managerial discipline to lead a venture through its earliest and most demanding phases, applied to a real, market-justified initiative.
Ventures rarely fail for want of an idea. They fail for want of the managerial discipline to carry an idea through its most uncertain and demanding early phase.
Entrepreneurial Manager is designed for managers leading ventures, new initiatives or business units within an organisation, and for emerging founders. It builds the managerial discipline that turns opportunity into a credible, executed initiative — identifying and justifying an opportunity, planning the venture, leading under uncertainty, and managing risk through to a measurable outcome.
Rather than studying entrepreneurship in the abstract, each participant works on a real, market-justified venture or new initiative — one carrying evidence of approval from their organisation or founding group — so that capability is built and tested against a live commercial reality over three months.
Managers leading a new venture, product or initiative within an established organisation.
Managers accountable for a new or fast-changing business unit operating under uncertainty.
Intrapreneurs driving innovation inside a larger organisation against a commercial mandate.
Emerging founders building the managerial discipline to carry a venture through its early phases.
The programme works across the capabilities that most determine whether a new venture or initiative succeeds.
Defining the opportunity clearly and testing it against evidence of real market need rather than conviction alone.
Translating an opportunity into a workable plan — scope, value proposition, model and the path to a result.
Setting direction and keeping a venture moving when information is incomplete and conditions are changing.
Securing and organising the people, capital and effort needed, and turning the plan into delivered action.
Identifying, sizing and responding to the risks a new venture carries, and adjusting as they emerge.
Measuring what the venture actually achieved against its justification, and drawing the lessons it offers.
Each participant takes a real, market-justified venture or new initiative as their work-based project — carrying evidence of approval from their organisation or founding group — and runs it through the WAL formula: K + P1 + Q = P2.
Participants record their decisions, actions and learning in structured monthly reflective reports, building the discipline of questioning and critical reflection on their own practice as an entrepreneurial manager.
Development is corroborated through a three-way loop between the participant, their line manager or sponsor and WRIA’s central review — coaching, observation and self-reflection together.
A final report assessing the participant’s development as an entrepreneurial manager, grounded in the evidence of a real venture.
A venture or initiative that has been materially advanced — planned, resourced and executed against its market justification.
Practised capability in justifying an opportunity, leading under uncertainty, and managing risk to a measurable outcome.
A reflective management practice the participant carries forward into their continuing venture or role.
The participant defines and justifies the venture, establishes the relevant management knowledge, and agrees the scope and measures with their sponsor, under WRIA review.
The venture is planned, resourced and carried into execution, with monthly reflective reporting and continuing feedback from their sponsor and WRIA’s central review.
The participant consolidates learning, brings the venture to a measurable result, and produces a final assessment of their development, triangulated against external feedback.
Download the detailed outline of structure, focus areas, the work-based project and measurement for in-house delivery.
Organisations license the WRIA model and run Entrepreneurial Manager internally on WRIA’s online platform, coordinated by their own certified administrators and under the Institute’s standards and quality assurance.