CO.STARTERS Core Business Training: Special STEM and R&D Focus (5 Weeks)

Register for this cohort here.

Thanks to our sponsor, Beckley Area Foundation, the price has been drastically reduced to $52. Regular price is $500!

Over the course of ten sessions, you will identify your assumptions about why and how your businesses will work and then talk to customers in order to validate your ideas. This approach enables you to rapidly uncover flaws in your concept and find viable models more quickly. You’ll leave the program with a deeper understanding of how to create a sustainable business, articulate your model, and repeat the process with your next great idea.

This 5 week course will have special content geared towards people in the STEM and R&D fields who are at the beginning stages of launching a business. We will go over how to get funding, federal contracts, and certifications that will propel you forward. Including but not limited to: HubZone, Exporting, SBIR/STTR, and Patent 101. It will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. You will be part of a cohort where you can learn from and lean on each other. It is an interactive course, so attendance at each session is required.

• September 6th – Kickoff Session 1: Knowing Yourself – Introduction, Assumptions, Working Styles, Team Building, Obstacles (This session will be held in person at the WV Hive Office at 205 S. Kanawha Street, Beckley, WV) If participant cannot attend in person, accommodations can be made for virtual attendance.

• September 8th – Session 2: Knowing Your Customer – Customer, Problem, Alternatives, Idea Testing

• September 13th – Session 3: Finding the Right Solution – Solution, Benefit, Advantage, Starting Small, Brand Identity

• September 15th – Session 4: Getting the Relationship Right – Marketing & Message; Getting, Keeping & Growing Customers

• September 20th – Session 5: Building Blocks – Distribution, Revenue, Typical Offering, Price

• September 22nd – Session 6: Structures & Systems – Legal & Accounting Considerations

• September 27th – Session 7: Discovering the Bottom Line – Startup & Ongoing Needs, Fixed & Variable Costs, Break-Even Point

• September 29th – Session 8: Financial Modeling – Break-Even Point, Sales Projections, Cash Flow, Raising Capital

• October 4th – Session 9: Planning for Growth – Growth Plans, Goal Setting, Celebration Prep

• October 6th – Session 10: Celebration – You have come a long way! It is time to be recognized and to celebrate with your peers. Your group gets to decide how this happens.