CO.STARTERS Sample by CO.STARTERS

SAMPLE

FACILITATOR

CONTENTS: WEEK 1

Knowing Yourself Introduction, Assumptions, Working Styles, Team Building, Obstacles

WEEK 2

Knowing Your Customer Problem, Solution, Benefit, Competition, Advantage, Customer

WEEK 3

Getting the Relationship Right Marketing & Message; Getting, Keeping & Growing Customers

WEEK 4

Building the Model to Scale Starting Small, Distribution, Revenue, Typical Sale, Price

WEEK 5

Strengthening Your Structure Business Structures, Licenses, IP, Hiring

WEEK 6

Discovering the Bottom Line Startup & Ongoing Needs, Fixed & Variable Costs, Break-Even Point

WEEK 7

Accounting for Growth Break-Even Point, Sales Projections, Cash Flow, Accounting

WEEK 8

Planning for the Future Raising Capital, Growth Plans, Goal Setting, Pitch Prep

WEEK 9

Celebration Night

MESSAGE

CUSTOMER

PROBLEM

SOLUTION

WHO DO YOU SERVE?

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM YOUR CUSTOMER HAS?

WHAT DO YOU OFFER YOUR CUSTOMER? WHAT DOES YOUR CUSTOMER GET?

REVENUE

WHAT IS YOUR STORY? HOW DOES YOUR CUSTOMER HEAR IT?

HOW DO YOU MAKE MONEY FROM YOUR CUSTOMER?

BENEFIT WHY DOES YOUR CUSTOMER WANT YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE? HOW DO YOU SOLVE THE PROBLEM?

ALTERNATIVES

DISTRIBUTION

HOW IS YOUR CUSTOMER CURRENTLY SOLVING THE PROBLEM?

HOW DOES YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE GET TO YOUR CUSTOMER?

WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEM? WHAT’S THE COMPETITION?

ADVANTAGE WHAT GIVES YOU THE EDGE OVER THE ALTERNATIVES? WHY ARE YOU THE BEST PERSON TO DO THIS? NAME

CANVAS

COSTS

STARTUP NEEDS WHAT ARE YOUR ONE-TIME NEEDS TO GET STARTED (MONEY, PEOPLE, THINGS, TECHNOLOGY, ACTIVITIES) ?

WHAT ONGOING NEEDS ARE ESSENTIAL TO KEEP YOU GOING (MONEY, PEOPLE, THINGS, TECHNOLOGY, ACTIVITIES) ?

NOW OPEN The CO.STARTERS Canvas is adapted from the Business Model Canvas (BusinessModelGeneration.com) and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 Unported License.

WEEK 1:

Knowing Yourself This week, you will cover: £ £ £ £ £

What CO.STARTERS is and How It Works Identifying and Testing your Assumptions Knowing Yourself & Building a Team Addressing Personal Obstacles Time and Money Management

GOAL: By the end of this week, you should know the material, know the plan, know the group, and know yourself— your strengths, limitations, and the importance of bringing the right people on your team. With a good understanding of what the next nine weeks entails, you will commit to working through the business development process and leave surrounded by a supportive group of starters.

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WEEK 1: For the Facilitator This week, you will need the following items: £ £ £ £

Snacks and drinks Dry erase markers in a variety of colors Binders for each participant Timer

REMEMBER: ʋ Don’t read every word of copy out loud. ʋ Encourage group discussions and interaction. ʋ Use a timer to stay on track.

WEEK 1: Knowing Yourself Introduction, Assumptions, Working Styles, Team Building, Obstacles As you arrive... 1.

Write your name on both sides of the nameplate located in your binder.

Put your name in your binder.

Interview the person next to you and fill in the blanks below. Be ready to introduce him/her.

This is ______________________. He/She is passionate about __________ ____________________________________________________________and ____________________________________________________. Once he/ she _______________________________________________________and it was _____________________. His/Her business is _____________________

FACILITATOR NOTE: You may want to place binders at each seat and put the “As you arrive…” instructions up on the board. If you put the instructions on the board, make sure you remind everyone to do the activities! The first 10 minutes of the session may be used for the group to complete the exercises. Start off the session this week by having participants introduce one another.

_______________________________________________. By the end of this program, he/she hopes to __________________________________________ and convince __________________ that ______________________________.

Introduction: What’s CO.STARTERS All About? (20 minutes) We are so glad you’ve decided to begin this exciting adventure of business ownership. Starting a business is a meaningful journey full of twists, turns, and surprises along the way. Sometimes it’s difficult to know how to get started, but the journey tends to go a lot smoother with a little preparation. The purpose of CO.STARTERS is to help you examine your assumptions and turn your business idea into action.

What is CO.STARTERS? Knowing what to expect can help you determine whether or not CO.STARTERS is right for you. While we believe this is a worthwhile program for most entrepreneurs, it might not be a good fit for everyone.

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Week 1: Knowing Yourself

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If you’ve got a new idea for a business – or you are an existing business looking to become more sustainable, launch a new product or service, or scale – CO.STARTERS is for you. The only real prerequisites are (1) having an idea, (2) being willing to question, shape, and fine-tune that idea, and (3) being excited to share that idea with others in a supportive, collaborative, and welcoming environment. 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. Our philosophy is: ʋ

Invest in individuals. We believe that people are what really matter, much more than the ideas they bring to the program. Regardless of what stage you’re at in launching your business, CO.STARTERS will help you find the best way to pursue your dream.

Community first. We believe that individuals thrive in the context of community. CO.STARTERS is about bringing people together to learn from one another and to create a strong network of support for starters.

Keep it simple. We believe that by making concepts and language easy to understand, we will help starters focus on the practical steps to launch, moving them quickly toward their goals.

The Evolution of a Business Before we get started, it’s helpful to understand the stages between a concept and a functioning business. Although people use these terms in many different ways, for the purposes of CO.STARTERS, the stages of a business are:

FACILITATOR NOTE: Ask a few people in the class to share where they are in the process.

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Concept = an idea about a solution to a problem that can be provided by a business

Startup = a temporary phase where a person or organization is committed to testing a concept and developing it into a sustainable business

Business = a person or organization offering a product or service (a solution to a problem) that has a way to make money and people are willing to pay for what is offered.

Now that we have defined these terms, which stage describes your situation? CO.STARTERS is intentionally focused on concepts and startups, although established businesses can still benefit from the CO.STARTERS process, particularly if looking to reassess direction. Knowing which stage you are in will help you navigate the remainder of the program.

Week 1: Knowing Yourself

How CO.STARTERS Works In order to get the most out of CO.STARTERS, you must be committed. You’ll need to be dedicated and give an adequate amount of time to it. CO.STARTERS is only nine weeks, so take this time to make it a priority and really put a concentrated focus on figuring out how your business needs to progress. The good news is that you are not alone. You are surrounded by a team of people who want to see you succeed. As you work together, CO.STARTERS will help you ask the right questions, find the answers in your community, and create camaraderie along the way. During CO.STARTERS, you will explore your concept or business through: ʋ

Weekly Sessions: Each week, you will investigate some aspect of your idea during a three-hour session using discussions, speakers, and collaborative activities to deepen learning. The CO.STARTERS Canvas will help you examine your ideas and put them to the test. We will introduce the tool in more detail soon so you can jump right in. Every time we use the Canvas in the material, you’ll see the Canvas Icon. All the information needed for each session is in your binder, so be sure to bring it with you every week.

Fieldwork: Doing fieldwork activities on your own each week will move you closer to launching your business. Most activities involve getting out and talking to people about your idea since that is the best way to find out whether or not it will work.

Customer Count: Talking with people is so important that we’ll award a prize to the person who talks with the most by the end of CO.STARTERS. Progress will be tracked weekly through gold stars and the Customer Count chart. You’ll get a star for every face-to-face conversation you have with a potential customer about your business. You will see the GoldStar icon each time there is an opportunity to speak with a customer. Prizes are listed at resources.costarters.co.

Weekly Reminders: Each week you will get an email reminding you of what you need to do to prepare for the next session, as well as links to relevant resources from the past week.

CO.STARTERS Site (resources.costarters.co): The CO.STARTERS Site is an online tool that provides additional resources for you. With links to helpful articles, extra copies of templates, and electronic spreadsheets, the CO.STARTERS Site provides opportunities for deeper learning. You will see the CO.STARTERS Site icon each time further information is available on the site.

CO.STARTERS Canvas Icon

FACILITATOR NOTE: Just mention the Canvas here. We’ll explain how it works in the next section.

Gold Star Icon

FACILITATOR NOTE: Introduce Customer Count Chart and share the prize with the group. Look for prizes from CO.STARTERS at resources.costarters.co.

CO.STARTERS Site Icon

Celebration Night: For our last session, we will have a party! Invite your family and friends to hear you “pitch” your idea and celebrate your accomplishments. The goal of Celebration Night might be different for each business, varying according to individual needs. You’ll need to choose the audience for your “pitch” to further your personal goals. The primary purpose of Celebration Night is to tie together all you’ve learned, help you prepare for the future, and promote your business.

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Week 1: Knowing Yourself

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Expectations Most of us come to the table with different ideas of how to work together in a group. By identifying our expectations, we can set the stage for our time together. As a group, answer the following questions:

FACILITATOR NOTE: Ask a few people in the group to share their ideas and answers to the questions. Put them up on the board.

What do you personally hope to get out of CO.STARTERS?

How do you see yourself supporting others in the group as they develop their businesses? How do you hope to be supported?

What behaviors or attitudes in a group make it hard to work together? What behaviors or attitudes make it easy? What are the “guidelines” the group should agree to keep?

Topics might include: ʋ Confidentiality ʋ Attendance ʋ Fieldwork ʋ How the group interacts with each other ʋ Guidance for listening and talking

Remember, respect each other’s privacy and don’t share confidential information. If in doubt, ask.

Suggested ground rules include: ʋ What is said in this room, stays in this room. ʋ We will all be here every week and on time. ʋ We will all do the CO.STARTERS fieldwork to make sure we get the most out of the program. ʋ We will be kind and respectful to one another. ʋ We will help one another.

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Week 1: Knowing Yourself

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MESSAGE

CUSTOMER

PROBLEM

SOLUTION

WHO DO YOU SERVE?

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM YOUR CUSTOMER HAS?

WHAT DO YOU OFFER YOUR CUSTOMER? WHAT DOES YOUR CUSTOMER GET?

REVENUE

WHAT IS YOUR STORY? HOW DOES YOUR CUSTOMER HEAR IT?

HOW DO YOU MAKE MONEY FROM YOUR CUSTOMER?

BENEFIT WHY DOES YOUR CUSTOMER WANT YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE? HOW DO YOU SOLVE THE PROBLEM?

ALTERNATIVES

DISTRIBUTION

HOW IS YOUR CUSTOMER CURRENTLY SOLVING THE PROBLEM?

HOW DOES YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE GET TO YOUR CUSTOMER?

WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEM? WHAT’S THE COMPETITION?

ADVANTAGE WHAT GIVES YOU THE EDGE OVER THE ALTERNATIVES? WHY ARE YOU THE BEST PERSON TO DO THIS? NAME

CANVAS

COSTS

STARTUP NEEDS WHAT ARE YOUR ONE-TIME NEEDS TO GET STARTED (MONEY, PEOPLE, THINGS, TECHNOLOGY, ACTIVITIES) ?

WHAT ONGOING NEEDS ARE ESSENTIAL TO KEEP YOU GOING (MONEY, PEOPLE, THINGS, TECHNOLOGY, ACTIVITIES) ?

NOW OPEN The CO.STARTERS Canvas is adapted from the Business Model Canvas (BusinessModelGeneration.com) and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 Unported License.

WEEK 2:

Knowing Your Customer This week, you will cover: £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £

Using the CO.STARTERS Canvas Creating a Customer Portrait The Problem The Alternatives The Solution The Benefit The Advantage Brand Identity Testing your Ideas by Talking with Customers

GOAL: By the end of this week, you should be able to describe your customer, the problem the customer has, the alternative solutions, the solution you offer, the benefit the customer receives, and the advantage you have over the alternatives. More importantly, you should be able to articulate how these elements work together in the context of your business and be ready to start testing them. version 0915 | costarters.co

WEEK 2: For the Facilitator This week, you will need the following items: £ £ £ £ £ £

Snacks and drinks Dry erase markers in a variety of colors CO.STARTERS Canvas Sticky notes Crayons, colored pencils, or markers for drawing customers Customer Count chart and gold stars

REMEMBER: ʋ Don’t read every word of copy out loud. ʋ Encourage group discussions. ʋ Use a timer to stay on track.

Speaker The speaker will be an entrepreneur who has successfully launched a small business. The speaker will share his story, with a focus on the importance of understanding the customer and how initial assumptions about his business changed over time through customer discovery.

Customer Count Starting after this week, we’ll use the Customer Count chart. Each week, display the chart in a prominent place to remind participants to go out and talk to customers. Prizes can be given out every week or at the end of the program. Talk to your CO.STARTERS Administrator about the best strategy for your group. Find out the prizes prior to this session and share them with the group to help motivate them. CO.STARTERS offers prizes, so you may way to check out the CO.STARTERS Site for details.

WEEK 2: Knowing Your Customer Customer, Problem, Alternatives, Solution, Benefit, Advantage As you arrive... 1.

Find a seat in a different spot than last week, next to a different person.

In 30 words or less, describe the product or service your business will offer:

Ask your neighbor about his conversation with potential teammates. How did it go?

Highs & Lows (15 minutes) Each week we’ll ask you to update us on your progress, sharing both successes and challenges. What did you learn from talking with potential customers this week? What is your greatest challenge right now? Were you able to recruit anyone to your team? Each person has 90 seconds to share.

GUEST SPEAKER

FACILITATOR NOTE: Use a timer to keep everyone on track. If the group has trouble getting started, it might be helpful to prompt them with questions like “What did you learn in talking with people?” or “Were you able to recruit people to your team?” or “What did you learn about yourself?”

FACILITATOR NOTE: The speaker will be an entrepreneur who has successfully launched a small business.

(20 minutes) “My Startup Journey” INTERVIEW QUESTIONS: ʋ

What is your business? How did you get started? What do you love most about what you do?

How is your actual customer different from who you originally thought you’d serve?

What are the most important things you’ve learned from customers?

How have your assumptions about your business changed? Is your business today the way you envisioned it when you started?

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FACILITATOR NOTE: Put “As you arrive…” instructions up on the board each week, even though they are copied in the binder. Verbally remind people to do the exercises as they arrive. The first 10 minutes of the session may be used to complete the exercises.

Week 2: Knowing Your Customer

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BREAK (5 minutes)

Introduction: Models and Canvases (15 minutes) FACILITATOR NOTE: Ask them to get out their Canvases. What was the experience of filling it out like for them? Where do they still have questions?

As we talked about last week, you have assumptions (or hunches) about your business and why it will work. This week, we’ll start using the Canvas to dive into the details of your business. Remember, the Canvas should constantly change as you talk with customers and refine your ideas.

1. Painting Portraits Identifying Your Customer (40 minutes) Last week was all about you —your ideas, your vision, your strengths and weaknesses, and your team. This week, it’s not about you. It’s all about your customers —their problems, their needs, their passions, and their desires. Your customer is the person your business will serve. While it’s natural to think that your customer exists to buy your product or service, it is actually the other way around: you exist for your customer. Hopefully, you have someone in mind. Got the picture in your head? You need to know everything about this person.

A Portrait Traditionally customers are described in terms of age, gender, geographic location, and income level. Yet, some of the characteristics that are more difficult to see—interests, passions, skills, beliefs, and values—do a much better job of revealing a customer’s heart. For example, if your business serves dog lovers, your customers may be a variety of ages and backgrounds, but the important shared trait is a love of dogs. Take a minute and write down your initial thoughts about your customer. Who is this person?

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Week 2: Knowing Your Customer

Demographic Characteristics

Emotional Characteristics What are your customer’s interests, passions, and desires?

Age:

Facilitator Note: Have a few people share their responses with the group.

Gender: Location: Income: Other:

You may have more than one customer type, each with its own characteristics and needs. Your customer may be another business or an organization. The people who contribute to buying decisions at the business or organization are your customers as well. Customers might even purchase the product or service for someone else to use (for example, a parent buying a toy for a child). Make sure to consider everyone who will be involved in the process of buying and using what you offer when defining your customers.

ACTIVITY

FACILITATOR NOTE: Make sure colored pencils, crayons, or markers are available for the activity below. After you’ve given the group a few minutes to draw and name their customers, have each person introduce his or her customer to the group. Encourage people to share details about who this person is and what is valued. Figure 2.A

2.3

Figure 2.A

CUSTOMER PORTRAIT

HELLO my name is

Flip to the back of this week’s content and take out the Customer Portrait template. Using the template, draw your customer.

When you are done with the portrait, give your customer a name and be ready to introduce your customer to the group.

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2.A

Do you know someone like your customer? Two people? Three? If so, write their names in the space below. If you cannot think of someone, ask others in your group for help. TIP:

____________________________________ fits my customer description.

____________________________________ fits my customer description .

If you have more than one customer, draw up to three. Which one is the most typical? If you had to choose, on which would you focus?

____________________________________ fits my customer description.

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Week 2: Knowing Your Customer

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Figure 2.A

CUSTOMER PORTRAIT

HELLO my name is

2.A

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A Day In the Life Now that you know who your customers are, you need to dig deeper. Remember, you need to know everything about them. One great way to get to know your customer is by thinking through a typical day in which your customer would use your product or service. ASK YOURSELF: ʋ

What does my customer do on a typical day? In what order?

Where does my customer work? What is her family situation?

Where and when does my business fit in my customer’s day?

When and how does the problem occur?

How does my business provide a solution?

Why does my customer need or want what I am offering?

Why does my product or service make sense for this customer and her context?

What motivates my customer to buy and who influences the decision?

ACTIVITY

Figure 2.B

2.4

Figure 2.B

A DAY IN THE LIFE

Using the Day in the Life illustration at the back of this week’s content, create a typical day in which your customer would use your product or service. Use the space here to plan:

2.B

When you’re finished with your picture, share your conclusions with the person next to you. Explain where your product or service fits and why. Does he agree? Does he have suggestions of things you missed?

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Week 2: Knowing Your Customer

Features vs. Benefits Facilitator Note: Put two columns on the board: “Features” and “Benefits.” As people share, write some of the phrases on the board under each heading to help them see if they focused on features or benefits.

ACTIVITY

2.6

Earlier we asked you to describe your product or service. Go around the room and read what you wrote. Are you focusing on features or on benefits?

Did you describe what your business looks like or what it does? These descriptive words are the features of your business. While features are important, your product or service depends on a customer to use it, a customer who wants to know what he’ll get out of it. He needs to know what the benefit is, i.e. how your product or service makes your customer feel or enhances his wellbeing. It is the answer to the customer’s problem. Because this is an important distinction, the next two boxes of the Canvas will help us explore it more deeply.

The Solution Your solution to the problem is the features of your product or service. For example, CO.STARTERS is a nine-week, facilitator-led business development program for 10-16 people. ASK YOURSELF: ʋ

What am I offering my customer?

Which features are required? Which are optional?

The Benefit The benefit is why your solution matters to your customer. Typically, the benefit is not a physical attribute; it’s emotional or intangible. For example, CO.STARTERS may be a nine week program (the solution), but it offers the benefits of connections, confidence, and accountability. The benefit you provide your customers will usually stem from: FACILITATOR NOTE: This is not an exhaustive list. Ask the group for additional ideas.

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giving them MORE of something

Week 2: Knowing Your Customer

+ + + +

Love Money Acceptance Free-time

OR giving them LESS of something – – – –

Stress Conflict Hassle Uncertainty

SOME PAGES OMITTED

FACILITATOR NOTE: Avoid calling this homework. Use “fieldwork” instead.

THIS WEEK... (10 minutes) o Look back through the activities we did this week. Make your best guesses to fill out the Customer, Problem, Alternatives, Solution, Benefit, and Advantage sections of the Canvas in the back of your binder. Use sticky notes so it’s easy to change. Update the Canvas as you talk to customers throughout the week.

Figure 2.C

CUSTOMER CONVERSATION

Name of person: ___________________________________________________ Think about what we talked about this week and the fieldwork you’ve been asked to do. What sections of the Canvas did you cover? Use this sheet to come up with three questions to ask the customer.

Figure 2.C

Customer Conversation

2.C

o Look back at your Customer Portrait. Try to think of at least 3 people who fit the description you provided. If you can’t think of anyone, ask your friends, family, or your CO.STARTERS group to help you. Then, talk with these people who fit your customer portrait in the coming week. To get honest answers, don’t mention your business until you’ve tested your assumptions about what you believe about the customer and the problem. Is it really a problem? How is the problem currently being solved? Is the customer happy with existing solutions? Why/ why not? What is a typical day like? How did this information match up with the picture you drew? Once you have honest answers, then share your solution. What is the reaction to your business idea? Remember to update your Canvas with the information you learn. The Customer Conversation worksheet can help you plan and capture your thoughts for each interaction. o Remember, because talking to customers is the most important thing you can do for your business, we will keep track of how many customers you talk with over the coming weeks using the Customer Count chart. Rewards will be given! o If you didn’t get a chance to finish the “Brand Identity” Activity, make sure you finish it for next week. o 7 more weeks to shadow a business owner. Have you identified someone yet?

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Week 2: Knowing Your Customer

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