BI NORWEGIAN BUSINESS SCHOOL · UNIVERSITY OF AGDER · 20+ YEARS IN PRACTICE
Entrepreneurship taught
by someone who's actually done it.
Courses, consulting, and frameworks for founders and leaders who want academic rigor without the academic distance. From Norway. For the world.
★ 4.9 / 5 | from course participants | Taught at BI & UiA | Advised 200+ founders
Engagements across 30+ companies and institutions in Norway
OUR COURSES
Practical insight
for serious leaders
JUST LAUNCHED
Cross-Cultural Communication
€49
Self-paced | 3 hours | Lifetime access
Read culture like a professional skill. Negotiate in Japan and the U.S. without losing the deal or yourself.
The cultural iceberg: what's really beneath a polite "yes"
The six phases of a Japanese negotiation, where trust precedes terms
The seven phases of an American negotiation: momentum, ROI, concrete asks
Cultural awareness as an operating skill, not a soft one
AVAILABLE NOW
How to Pitch: Precision in Every Detail
€49
Self-paced | 3 hours | Lifetime access
A clear 10-slide pitch you can deliver with confidence — and the practiced answers to defend it.
The 10/20/30 deck, slide by slide — what goes on each one, and why
The “so what?” test that exposes weak slides before investors do
How to “be yourself” on stage — building credibility, not performing it
Q&A preparation: the investor question stack, in order
FALL 2026
Business Model Canvas
Waitlist open | Price TBA
A defensible business model you can pressure-test.
The complete BMC playbook from someone who teaches it at UiA
The blocks most founders skip — the ones that kill the company
ABOUT
Bridging boardroom and classroom.
For 20+ years I've worked alongside founders, scale-ups, and corporate boards — through negotiations, exports, transformations, and the slow grind of building something that lasts.
Today I teach what I learned at BI Norwegian Business School and University of Agder, where I run entrepreneurship courses and executive programs for the next generation of operators.
Strategy must be lived,
not laminated.
The Framework
The disciplined path
from idea to investment.
Three pillars I return to in every founder conversation, every board meeting, and every classroom. Each one builds on the last — skip a pillar and the structure collapses.
01
Know where you stand before you move.
Strategic Safety
Most decks fail in the first slide because the founder hasn't done the honest math. Strategic safety means understanding your real position — cash, customers, defensibility — before you ask anyone for anything.
02
Discipline turns ideas into companies.
Operational Structure
A clear 10-slide deck. A 20-minute presentation. A 30-point font. The structure isn't a constraint — it's the practice that forces clarity. What you can't say simply, you don't yet understand.
03
Test in rooms that don't owe you a yes.
Global Validation
Two decades of international negotiation taught me one thing: validation is what survives a skeptical room in a different culture. If your story only works at home, it isn't a story yet — it's a wish.
Idea → Structure → Validation → Growth
Free Resource
The Cross-Cultural Negotiation Playbook.
15 pages. The five foundations and the full negotiation flow for Japan and the U.S. Read the room before you walk in. Free.
The cultural iceberg. What actually drives every cross-border meeting, and the six unwritten norms sitting below the surface.
The Japan playbook. Five foundations and the full six-phase flow, from first meeting to long-term follow-up.
The U.S. playbook. Five foundations and seven phases, from prep to close.
The side-by-side cheat sheet. Japan vs. USA on one page. Pull it up before you walk in.
What to do next. A clear path from reading the room to running the full system.
What participants say
From founders, students, and operators.
"August’s sessions are calm, structured, and immediately practical. I left with clearer thinking and tools I could use the same day."
Greta N.
Interior designer
"If you're looking for a top-tier learning experience, August's courses are second to none."
Ingunn E.
Baker
“August connects theory to practice with concrete examples and smart questions that spark reflection. His sessions consistently make complex topics feel more accessible and actionable.”
Preethy M. J.
Norstellar
“August is a teacher who not only makes the subject understandable, but truly interesting.”
Elise U. L.
Norstellar
“Thanks to August, I was finally able to gather my thoughts, clearly define my plans, and most importantly, get my business off the ground! I highly recommend it.”
Kacper K.
Freelance Graphic Designer