What is CO.STARTERS?

CO.STARTERS is a ten-week program that equips aspiring entrepreneurs with the insights, relationships, and tools needed to turn business ideas into action and turn a passion into a sustainable and thriving business.

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Apply for an Upcoming Cohort

The next session will be held in Spring 2025 and will be held from 5:30pm to 8:30pm on a weekday evening for ten weeks. The specific start date and day of the week will be announced shortly. Apply below to reserve your spot in the class. Space is limited.

CO.STARTERS costs a flat fee of $200. This includes all materials. Payment plans are potentially available. Please contact Valerie Piko at [email protected] if you have questions.

If your spot in a class has been confirmed, you will be contacted for payment information by our team.

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Who’s It For?

If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, or a seasoned entrepreneur looking to launch a new product or service, CO.STARTERS is for you. The only real prerequisites are (1) having an idea you’re ready, willing, and excited to share and pursue and (2) a willingness to study, shape and fine-tune that idea in a supportive, collaborative, and welcoming environment. If you’re creative and community-minded, and you’re serious about turning your passion into a sustainable business, we want you.

What To Expect

CO.STARTERS is an action-driven, collaborative process with a small and supportive group of like-minded people. Led by a facilitator who is an experienced entrepreneur, you’ll 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.

Curriculum

During CO.STARTERS, you’ll develop and fine-tune your idea, critically examining every part of it and tweaking your next steps through real-time feedback from people in the community. Over the ten weeks, we’ll cover the following topics.

Session 1: Knowing Yourself (Assumptions, Working Styles, Team Building, Obstacles)
Session 2: Knowing Your Customer (Problem, Solution, Benefit, Competition, Advantage, Customer)
Session 3: Finding The Right Solution: Solution, Benefit, Advantage, Starting Small, Brand Identity
Session 4: Getting the Relationship Right: Marketing & Message; Getting, Keeping & Growing Customers
Session 5: Building Blocks: Distribution, Revenue, Typical Offering, Price
Session 6: Structures & Systems: Business Structures, Licenses, IP, Hiring
Session 7: Discovering the Bottom Line: Startup & Ongoing Needs, Fixed & Variable Costs, Break-Even Point
Session 8: Financial Modeling: Break-Even Point, Sales Projections, Cash Flow, Raising Capita
Session 9: Planning For Growth: Raising Capital, Growth Plans, Goal Setting, Storytelling
Session 10: Sharing Your Story: Community Celebration