Action Planning
The process of breaking goals into specific, manageable steps with defined timelines and resources to achieve desired outcomes.

Active Listening
The practice of fully concentrating on a speaker to understand their message and responding thoughtfully, rather than listening passively.

Angel Investor
An individual who provides early-stage capital and mentorship to a business in exchange for equity.

Assets
Resources owned by a business, such as cash, inventory, equipment, or property.

Assertive Communication
A communication style that expresses needs, thoughts, and feelings clearly and respectfully while recognising the rights of others.

Authenticity
Being true to one’s values and communicating honestly, thereby building trust and credibility with others.

Balance Sheet
A financial statement showing what a business owns (assets), owes (liabilities), and the owner’s equity at a specific point in time.

Blended Learning
A pedagogical approach combining online digital learning with face-to-face or offline methods to enhance accessibility and effectiveness.

Brand Identity
The combination of values, visuals, tone, and personality that makes a business recognisable and distinctive.

Break-Even Point
The level of sales at which total revenue equals total costs, meaning the business neither makes a profit nor a loss.

Budgeting
The process of planning future income and expenses to allocate resources effectively and control spending.

Business Model Canvas (BMC)
A strategic management tool used to visualise and analyse key elements of a business, including value proposition, customers, operations, and finances.

Cash Flow Management
The practice of ensuring sufficient incoming cash to meet day-to-day business expenses and obligations.

Cash Flow Statement
A financial report tracking the timing of incoming and outgoing cash to manage liquidity.

Cognitive Reframing
A psychological technique that involves identifying and reshaping negative thought patterns into more balanced and constructive perspectives.

Competitor Analysis
A structured comparison of existing market solutions to identify strengths, weaknesses, and gaps.

Confidence Gap
The tendency for women to report lower self-confidence than men in professional contexts despite comparable competence.

Crowdfunding
A funding method in which many individuals contribute small amounts of money online to support a business idea.

Cultural Humility
An ongoing process of self-reflection and openness to learning from others’ cultural perspectives.

Cultural Safety
An environment in which individuals can express their identity without fear of discrimination or pressure to conform.

Customer Feedback
Opinions, reactions, or insights collected from potential or existing users about a product or service.

Digital Presence
The overall visibility of a person or business online through websites, social media, and digital platforms.

Ecosystem
The interconnected network of actors, institutions, and resources supporting entrepreneurship and innovation within a specific context.

Elevator Pitch
A short, persuasive explanation (30–60 seconds) describing what an idea or business does, who it serves, and what makes it distinctive.

Emotional Intelligence (EI)
The ability to recognise, understand, and manage one’s own emotions, and to empathise with the emotions of others.

Emotional Labour
The often-invisible work of managing emotions—one’s own and others’—as part of a professional role.

Empathy
The ability to understand and share another person’s emotional experience and perspective.

Empowerment
The process of strengthening an individual’s confidence, autonomy, and capacity to act on their choices.

EntreComp
The European Entrepreneurship Competence Framework defining the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to create value.

Entrepreneurial Mindset
A set of attitudes and behaviours—such as initiative, creativity, and perseverance—that enable opportunity recognition and value creation.

Entrepreneurial Roadmap
A structured or visual plan integrating vision, goals, milestones, and strategies to guide entrepreneurial progress.

Equity
The value of a business owned by the entrepreneur after deducting liabilities, including invested capital and retained earnings.

Financial Literacy
The ability to understand and apply financial concepts to make informed decisions.

Financial Planning
The process of forecasting income, expenses, and resource needs to support business sustainability and growth.

Fixed Costs
Expenses that remain constant regardless of production or sales volume, such as rent or salaries.

Funding Pathways
Different sources of business financing, including savings, loans, grants, or investors.

Gender Barriers
Structural or cultural challenges that disproportionately affect women in entrepreneurship, such as stereotypes or caregiving expectations.

Gender-Responsive Design
An approach that actively addresses gender biases and structural inequalities rather than assuming gender neutrality.

Grant
Non-repayable funding, often awarded for innovative, social, or purpose-driven business activities.

GROW Model
A coaching framework structured around four stages: Goal, Reality, Options, and Will (commitment to action).

Growth Mindset
The belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort, learning, and feedback.

Idea Validation
The process of testing a business idea with real users to reduce uncertainty before investing resources.

Imposter Syndrome
A psychological pattern in which individuals doubt their achievements and fear being exposed as incompetent despite evidence of success.

Income Statement
A financial report showing revenues, expenses, and profit or loss over a specific period.

Intersectionality
An analytical framework examining how different aspects of identity intersect to shape experiences of advantage or discrimination.

Intrinsic Motivation
Drive that comes from internal values, interests, or passions rather than external rewards.

Lean Start-up
An agile business development approach based on iterative testing and customer feedback (Build–Measure–Learn).

LifeComp
The European framework for personal, social, and learning-to-learn competences supporting lifelong development.

Liabilities
Debts or financial obligations that a business must repay.

Market Fit
The degree to which a product or service matches a real problem and the needs of a defined target group.

Market Insight
Understanding customer needs, behaviours, and problems based on evidence rather than assumptions.

Market Need
A problem or unmet demand experienced by potential customers.

Mentoring
A developmental relationship in which a more experienced person supports another’s professional and personal growth.

Microaggression
Subtle, often unintentional behaviours or comments that convey negative messages to marginalised groups.

Microloan / Microfinance
Small-scale loans designed for early-stage businesses with limited access to traditional finance.

Mindfulness
The practice of non-judgmental awareness of the present moment, supporting emotional regulation and resilience.

Mindset Shift
A change in thinking patterns that enables growth, resilience, and proactive behaviour.

Mobilising Others
The ability to inspire and engage people to collaborate toward a shared goal or vision.

Non-Formal Learning
Structured learning outside formal education systems, characterised by flexibility and experiential methods.

Obstacle Reframing
The practice of viewing challenges as opportunities for learning and improvement.

Participatory Methods
Active learning techniques that engage participants directly, such as group work, storytelling, and simulations.

Policy Advocacy
Strategic actions aimed at influencing laws, policies, or public decisions.

Profit Margin
The percentage of revenue that remains as profit after costs are deducted.

Psychological Safety
An environment in which individuals feel safe to express ideas, questions, or mistakes without fear.

Resilience
The capacity to recover from difficulties, adapt to change, and continue pursuing goals.

Self-Awareness
Understanding one’s own emotions, motivations, strengths, and limitations.

Self-Confidence
Belief in one’s ability to take action, make decisions, and achieve outcomes.

Self-Efficacy
Belief in one’s capability to perform actions required to achieve specific goals.

Self-Regulation
The ability to manage emotions, impulses, and behaviours to remain focused and adaptable.

SMART Goals
A goal-setting framework ensuring objectives are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

Social Capital
The value derived from networks, relationships, and shared norms that facilitate cooperation and opportunity.

Social Skills
Interpersonal abilities that enable effective communication, collaboration, and conflict management.

Stakeholder
Any individual or organisation with an interest in or influence on an entrepreneurial activity.

STEM/ICT
Fields related to Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Information and Communication Technology.

Stereotype Threat
The risk of underperformance caused by awareness of negative stereotypes about one’s group.

Storytelling
Using narratives to communicate values, connect emotionally, and inspire engagement.

Strengths-Based Approach
A methodology that focuses on enhancing existing capabilities rather than correcting weaknesses.

Target Audience
The specific group a product, service, or programme aims to reach.

Target Customer
A clearly defined group of people for whom a product or service is designed.

Value Proposition
A clear explanation of how a product or service solves a problem and why it is valuable.

Variable Costs
Expenses that change according to production or sales volume.

Vision Board
A visual tool using images and words to represent goals and aspirations.

Vision Statement
A concise description of the future an entrepreneur seeks to create, reflecting purpose, values, and impact.