Simple Steps for Starting Your Business

In essence, the goal of the program is to generate a deeper, higher-level conversation between the client and mentor as to whether the client is ready to start a business.

Simple Steps for Starting Your Business Session 1 – Startup Basics
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This introductory workshop focuses on the basics of testing your business idea and identifying the key factors that influence start-up success. Start-up Basics provides you with an overview of the skills and tools you need when deciding to start a business. In this session, you learn about: the advantages and disadvantages of owning a business, the most profitable form for your business, and the fundamentals of formation, organization, marketing, cash flow and funding sources.

Simple Steps for Starting Your Business Session 2 – Business Concept:
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The second workshop focuses on your business concept and step-by-step guidance in researching your idea, your market, and your competition. At the end of the Business Concept workshop, you are able to: identify your target markets, describe your products and services, and collect key competitive information to support your feasibility plan.

Simple Steps for Starting Your Business Session 3 – Marketing Plan:
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The third workshop provides you with an introduction to marketing communication methods and tools to maximize your customer reach. The discussion in the Marketing Plan workshop covers pricing strategies, positioning, the difference between features and benefits, and different marketing strategies. At the end of this session, you will know how to: outline your marketing strategy, test your marketing message, choose the right sales channel, and exercise your marketing strategy.

Simple Steps for Starting Your Business Session 4 – Financial Matters:
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The fourth workshop uses exercises to help you better understand financial concepts. This session reviews sales and prices, financial risks and rewards, true start-up costs, ongoing operating expenses, setting benchmarks for tracking progress and the organization of all your financial information. Using a hands-on approach, you learn how to use our financial model to forecast sales revenue and build solidpro-forma financial forecasts.

Simple Steps for Starting Your Business Session 5 - Funding Options: 
The final workshop offers information on how to fund your small business. In this session, discussions include sources of funds, the six C's of credit, banking relations, the borrowing process, setting the right expectations and making financial preparations. You will get an inside view of how a banker assesses the merits of business plans and loan applications. At the end of the series, you will have all of the tools necessary to decide whether or not to launch your small business.

Marketing Resources

In this folder, you will find two versions of a flyer (both in the same file), social media artwork to market the program as a whole, as well as social media posts for each individual workshop. 

https://score.box.com/s/y96tx12do4z49vonziqnkf2hdfrk3m80 

Handout Contents (old)

Session 1

Start-up Basics (.pptx) 

• Business Concept Feasibility Assessment
• Ann's Nursery Background and Feasibility Plan
• Vision Statement Template
• Workshop Feedback

Session 2

Business Concept (.pptx) 

• Business Concept Outline
• Competitive Data Collection Plan
• Workshop Feedback

Session 3

Marketing Plan (.pptx) 

• Competitive Comparison Chart
• Marketing Expenses Strategy Chart
• Marketing Message Outline
• Pricing Strategy
• Product Ideas and Description
• Target Market Comparison
• Target Market Research
• Workshop Feedback

Session 4

4.1 Financial Projections (extended) (.pptx) 

4.2 Financial Projections (shortened) (.pptx) 

• Financial Projections Template
• Financial Projections Template Guide
• Financial Projections - Ann's Nursery
• Financial Projections Glossary
• Workshop Feedback

Session 5

Funding Sources and Next Steps (.pptx)

• Business Concept Feasibility Assessment
• Workshop Feedback

Client Facing Webpage

• Link: https://www.score.org/getstarted
• Page has downloadable links to all session handouts and homework forms.
• Page is not indexed on the SCORE site. The only way someone would find it is if they obtain the link from the student manual and/or if you tell them about it.

Spanish Materials

The Simple Steps for Starting Your Business materials in Spanish have not been updated. If you would like to host this series in Spanish, please read through the course materials and update as needed. 

https://score.box.com/s/zfildz6buxpfoywpjif6kyzn5cjpabam