Entrpreneurship Advantage

Evening Intensive Program | EA–2000

In today’s dynamic corporate environment, more and more people are choosing entrepreneurship as a means to achieve financial independence and security. While each of these people may be "experts" in their respective fields, many may not have immediate access to all the tools, training and resources required to successfully launch a profitable and sustainable business enterprise.

Methodology

The Business Plan Development Evening Intensive is conducted in two three hour sessions, (6:00 - 9:00) per week for eleven weeks. One on one consulting is available to all participants to guide plan development a third day each week. During the eleven week program, up to sixteen aspiring entrepreneurs will be selected and will be provided the knowledge, tools and resources to develop and write their own business plan, step by step. These sixteen clients with the instruction and facilitation of a highly skilled entrepreneur will form a "think tank", a focus group, if you will, to shape, challenge and validate business plan assumptions along the way. Entrepreneurship Advantage, Inc. (EA) Strategic Partners, i.e., experts representing key strategic business functions such as accounting, legal, insurance, marketing, small business lending, etc., will support classroom sessions to provide guidance and resources for key business start-up issues and challenges. Break out groups, informal discussions and presentations will be utilized to enable students to define and refine strategies and tactics. Clients will submit completed sections of the business plan at specific time during the course for review and refinement. One-one one consulting is provided twice during the twelve weeks to set direction and maintain focus. The result is a well conceived and tested business plan that is ready for implementation and/or presentation to lenders.

General Flow of the Course

Business Plan Development Evening Intensive is structured around the thought process required to launch a successful business and the specific components/sections of a viable business plan. The class builds, week by week in a logical and progressive manner. It should be understood that the program is structured, but no two classes are alike. EA customized each program in real time, based on the unique needs and business concepts of the class. Generally, the course will flow as follows:

Week One - Setting the Stage - What You Will Learn:

Understanding Entrepreneurship
- What is entrepreneurship?
- What are the challenges, opportunities, of business ownership?
- What does it take to be a successful entrepreneur?
- What is entrepreneurial spirit? Do you have it, where can you get it?
Overview of the Business Planning Process
- What are the key building blocks of a Business Plan?
- How do they build upon each other?
- What should you expect as you begin building your plan?

Week Two: - Building the Foundation - What You Will Learn:

The Business Concept Statement - What is your business? What is the industry?
Product/Service Description - What are you selling?
Target Audience - Who are you selling to?
Unique Selling Proposition - Why will they buy your product/service?

Week Three and Four: Industry Analysis - What You Will Learn:
Phase I - Research -

Step One: Economic Characteristics - What is the size of your industry? Is it growing?
Step Two: Industry Driving Forces - What are the trends impacting your industry?
Step Three: Competitor Analysis - Who are the competitors in your industry and how are they operating?

Phase II - Analysis

Step Three: Strategy Profile of Competitors
- Market Share Approaches
- Competitive Strategies
- Strategic Group Mapping
Step Four: The Five Competitive Forces What is the impact of forces on your industry, strong or weak?

Phase III: - Conclusion - How will you position your business for success in this industry?

Step Five: Key Success Factors to Achieve Competitive Advantage - On what basis will you achieve and sustain a competitive advantage in your industry?

Week Five and Six * - What You Will Learn:

Overall Marketing Strategy - What will be your communications and branding strategy to reach your target customers?
Pricing - How will you price your product/service?
Branding: What does your brand represent?
- How will you promote or advertise your brand?
- What type of website will you develop?
Sales Process: What are your channels of distribution, strategic alliances and methods for building a pipeline of qualified prospects?
Effective Networking - How do you work a room to get the greatest number of leads?
Sales Presentation - In your first meeting with a client, what do you say?

*EA Strategic Partner in: marketing, branding, web development and sales process will support sessions and provide one-on one consulting to guide the development of specific marketing programs.

Week Six: - REALITY CHECK (One-on one reviews of business plan)

Week Seven - Business Operations Planning: What You Will Learn:

Legal Entity What type of company should you form, sole proprietorship, LLC, corporation? What are the tax implications of each?
Commercial Insurance: What type of insurance do you need, error and emissions, workman's comp., etc.?
Intellectual Property - What is a service mark? Can you trademark your company name?
Employment Agreements - What type of agreements do you need to have for your employees, part time contractors or full time employees?
Introduction to Business Basic: What type of bookkeeping system do you need? What type of accounting function do you need, what are the accounting and taxes issues relative to your business? What should you look for in a good bookkeeper and accountant?
Technology - How can you leverage technology to support your operations?

*EA Strategic Partners in legal, accounting, insurance and technology will support sessions and provide one-on one consulting on these issues.

Weeks Eight, - The Financial Plan - What You Will Learn:

Overview of Financial Statements
What is an Income Statement? What is a Cash flow Statement? What is Balance Sheet?
How do they relate to each other?
Review Proforma Financial Statement Case Study
Review Financial Statement Excel Template
Preparation of Proforma Cash flow Statement Year 1 Workshop
How much money do you need to start your business?
When will you earn and collect revenue?
Can this business support you and or your family and when?

Week Nine - Financial Plan Continued - What You Will Learn:

Preparation of Proforma Cash flow Statement Year 2 and 3
- What are your sources and uses of cash in years 2 and 3?
- Do you have enough cash to support your overhead in years 2 and 3?
Preparation of Proforma Income Statement
- Is your business profitable?
- What year will it become profitable?
Preparation of Day One Balance Sheet
- What are the assets of your company?
- What is your equity or debt position?
EA Strategic Partners in finance and accounting will support all financial plan sessions and provide one-on one consulting to help develop financial statements

Week Ten - Financial Analysis - What You Will Learn?

Break Even Analysis - When will you breakeven, what month and how many sales or customers do you need to breakeven?
Gross Margin - What is your gross margin? Is it enough to support you SG&A expenses?
Net Income Margin - What is your net income margin and how does it compare with others in your industry, and, so what?
Business Capital - How do you capitalize your business?
Lenders Roundtable:
- What does it take to get a loan?
- How will a bank evaluate your business? Are you bank-able?
- What are the credit, collateral, character, and capacity requirements to get a loan?
Venture Funding:
- How will venture capitalists view my business
- What type of businesses do VC's invest in?
- Where can you find angel investors?
- How much equity do you have to give up?

*EA Strategic Partners: local lenders and investors will support business capitalization session

Week 11 - Final Business Roundtable Review

Business Plans Completed and Submitted
Experts in key ( relevant) industries will serve as panelists to review business plans
Experts will provide contacts and leads and resources
GRADUATION!

EA is not just interested in EA-2000 participants developing sound, "bankable" business plans. We are committed to helping EA Graduates launch sustainable businesses. To that end, Each EA-2000 graduates will four hours of consulting with EA Strategic Partners and Consultants over the next 3 months after graduation to support the start-up implementation plan at no additional fee. After the initial three month period EA-2000 graduates will have access to all EA Strategic Partners and Consultants at a 40% discounted rate for the next 3 months.

Schedule
Because of the intensity of the program, EA-2000 courses are only offered 3 times per year.

Limited Class Size

To maximize the benefit of our “think tank” training methodology, only sixteen new entrepreneurs are selected to participate in each class.

The Ideal Candidate for the Program

Candidate has a sound business concept
Candidate has done some preliminary research and has talked to people within the industry about the viability of the business concept
Candidate has the requisite technical skills and experience that is required
Candidate may have already started a business with 3-12 months and needs a sound business plan to compete effectively
Candidate has financial resources to sustain personal overhead throughout the program
A strong support system is in place so that the candidate can fully devote time and energy to an intensive program, 6 hours per day, 3 days per week plus homework for 11 weeks
Candidate is a team player, values the exchange of ideas and is willing to support others
Candidate must be proficient in Microsoft office: Word, Excel and PowerPoint