Entrepreneurs: Ideas to Sustainable Businesses
Having a great idea and building that idea out into a business are two very different activities. This series of workshops helps an entrepreneur identify an opportunity and a feasible idea and then systematically build a sustainable business to implement the idea. Quantification and qualification techniques are established to ensure the validity of the initiative, as well as initiatives that are sure to build solid business results and return on investments. Workshops are contiguous and build on each other in planning the alignment of an entrepreneurial and business initiative.
Workshop 1: Ideas, Programs, and Projects
This workshop provides a systems approach to identifying, qualifying, quantifying, and acting on new ideas. Innovation is presented as a systematic process for creating new value through new markets and/or new customers. External and internal factors are considered to identify breakthrough ideas. Company programs are enabled to ensure adequate resourcing and attention to an innovative concept, and projects are defined as they must consider the evolving nature of the business context of the new idea. Finally, the creation of an innovation guild is explored to build the practice of innovation into the fiber of an organization, virtual or otherwise. Workshop topics include identifying innovative ideas, creating new markets and new customers, implementing the innovative program, idealizing project design for future needs, and building innovation into the fiber of your company.
Workshop 2: Strategic Thinking
This workshop helps participants define effective strategies to serve 21st century markets, including learning how to identify global opportunities, then craft strategic plans including execution programs that use advanced leadership techniques to succeed in these markets. Use insightful frameworks to examine your goals, your markets, your unique requirements, and opportunities. Learn how to conduct critical research and apply that research to your business strategies. Draft your day to day operations plan with useful metrics of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) tailored to your firm’s objectives.
Workshop 3: Marketing and Sales
This workshop helps participants analyze and define a market and the various industries that it might touch. Next, participants define their message to differentiate their unique characteristics and value propositions. Strategic alliances and partnerships are sought to build sales and distribution channels. Marketing communications through social media and other vehicles are planned. Finally, sales techniques and tactics are developed to ensure a systematic pipeline and sales management operation. Learn how to make each sale a relational equation. Focus on helping all sales professionals effectively implement your chosen selling methodology for superior results.
Workshop 4: Financial Planning
This workshop helps participants craft a financial plan and action plan for their businesses using key performance indicators (KPI), scorecards, and dashboards, using insightful frameworks to examine your goals, your audience, and your unique requirements. Learn how to create useful information to run a business and draft a day-to-day plan with a useful metrics dashboard of KPI tailored to your firm’s objectives. Participants will use the metrics to understand impact, create financial statements, and manage cash flow. Sources and resources for finding funding are also discussed.
Workshop 5: Customer Relationships
This workshop recognizes three customers in every business; external customers, employees, and owners. Participants learn to identify and balance the needs of all three for best business results and return on investment. Prioritizing all needs is discussed along with benchmarking techniques to gain additional information on business processes and performance. The notion of a virtual organization and requirements for business communication and collaboration is covered as they lead to continuous innovation.
Workshop 6: Business Operations
This workshop helps participants build quality considerations into all work, products, and services. Business drivers are identified and balanced through a comprehensive scorecarding technique that ensures quality, efficient local and global sourcing, and the need to engage in and align personal and professional development and capabilities for best business results.