Start and Grow Your Small Business
How to leverage your professional experience and passion to start and grow a small business.
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Course overview
Leverage your professional experience to start and grow a profitable business.
If you are a professional that has decided to start a small business we will work through a 6 step process to launch and grow your business. Whether you are retiring soon or mid-career and want to start a business that leverages your experiences, this course will provide you the framework to create a profitable business.
Who is this course for?
01
You are a mid-career professional working in the corporate world, but you are now ready to start and grow your own business.
02
Public Servants. If you are a teacher, nurse, fire fighter, police officer, government worker, etc I will help you build a small business.
03
You have retired, but you are not ready to stop working and want to start your own business. This cohort will help you.
What you’ll get out of this cohort based course:
Step 1: Leadership Development
You will develop a mission statement with critical actions to lead your business.
Step 2: Marketing Your Business
You will develop a marketing plan hyper-focused on your target audience.
Step 3: Sales Plan Creation
You will learn how to create a sales plan that actually solves a problem for your customers.
Step 4: Product Development
You will decide which products/services to offer and develop a plan to make sure they are profitable.
Step 5: Business Operations
You will learn how to streamline systems in your business to optimize profits.
Step 6: Manage Cash Flows
You will develop a system for making sure your business has the cash flow necessary for continuing operations.
What people are saying
Dr. Catherine Hill
Elizabeth Deterra
Meet your instructor
Carl McLendon
Carl McLendon
Who I Am
- I am an educator with over 20 years as a teacher and administrator.
- I am an entrepreneur with experience in multiple startups.
- I am a small business owner.
- I only work with small business.
- I am a graduate of the McCombs Business School at the University of Texas.
- I am a Business Made Simple Certified Business Coach who can help you.
Who You Are
- You are ready to start a new business, or grow a side-hustle into a profitable business.
- You may not know where to start, or what you need to do to grow your business.
- You don't need an expensive MBA, but you do need solid business frameworks to start and grow a profitable business. I can help you.
Growing a Profitable Business Doesn’t Have to be Complicated
I’ll guide you through each step to ensure you implement the disciplines needed for each key area of your business.
Course syllabus
Week 1
- Create a Mission Statement
- Create Key Characteristics and Critical Actions
- Review and Refine the Mission Statement and Guiding Principles Package
- Put It Into Practice
- Evaluate Progress and Agree on Next Steps
Jan
7
Module 1: Leadership Development "Business on a Mission"
Jan
12
Optional: Module 1 Office Hours
Week 1: Create a Mission Statement & Guiding Principles
To create a sense of alignment and purpose, organizations need a strong mission statement. You need to be a "Business on a Mission". When a company’s mission statement and guiding principles are simple and memorable they are more likely to be acted on and the mission is more likely to be completed. Whether you are starting a new business, or trying to improve an existing business, it is vital to have a mission that is clear and actionable.
In this module, you will become a "Business on a Mission" when you:
Week 2
- ✍️
Write Your BrandScript
Submit by Feb 12
Jan
14
Module 2: Marketing Your Business
Jan
19
Optional: Module 2: Office Hours
Module 2: Marketing Your Business
You’re here to clarify your message so customers will listen, and nothing causes people to stop and listen like a great story. Story is the foundation for the framework you’ll learn in this course, so it’s important to start here. See how the movies you love and the brands you trust use the power of story to capture our attention. You’ll also take the first step in filling out your BrandScript by answering this question: What story are you inviting customers into?
To prepare for our time together this week, please try to view as many of the videos from the "StoryBrand Messaging Framework". You can login to your account at Business Made Simple.
Week 3
Jan
21
Module 3: Sales Plan Creation
Cohort schedule
4-6 hours per week
Saturdays
10:00am - 12:00pm EST
Each week our small group cohort (maximum 12) will engage in active learning using the frameworks to introduce the concepts and then allow you to incorporate them into your business.
Weekly projects
Up to 2 hours per week
Each week you will need to complete any work not done during the small group sessions on your own time.
Office Hours
Wednesdays 7:00pm - 8:00pm EST
I will host weekly office hour to answer any questions or discuss anything related to your project for that week.
Ongoing Supports
I will provide additional supports for you after the cohort is completed:
- You can join our community for FREE to meet others like you with hosted monthly events.
- As your business grows you can engage in deeper work with small group and 1:1 coaching.
Learning is better with cohorts
Active hands-on learning
This course builds on live workshops and hands-on projects in a small-group cohort of no more than 12 participants.
Interactive and project-based
You’ll be interacting with other learners through breakout rooms and project teams
Learn with a cohort of peers
Join a community of like-minded people who want to learn and grow alongside you