Beyond the Business Plan

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Beyond the Business Plan

• Brandy Bertram, Program Director
• MicroBusiness Development Corp.

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• Program of MicroBusiness Development Corporation,
  a Colorado non-profit dedicated to creating
  economic development opportunities and business
  growth through access to knowledge, resources and
  business capital for underserved populations.
• YouthWorks was created in 1999 to offer Denvers
  urban youth an opportunity to improve their
  lives, and their communities through
  entrepreneurial initiatives.

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YouthWorks cont.,

• Program Goals
• Redefine concepts of business, leadership,
  financial responsibility, and wealth by
  positioning entrepreneurship education and
  financial literacy in a culturally relevant
  manner.
• Give legitimacy and recognition to a group of
  kids that too frequently live their adolescent
  years uncelebrated and unrecognized.
• Encourage youth to act entrepreneurially,
  utilizing inherent talents and available
  resources to create productive, economically
  empowering initiatives.

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The YouthWorks Model

• YouthWorks offers three programs for youth, ages
  24
• and under, to explore their entrepreneurial
  potential
• Business Ownership - for youth interested in
  starting an entrepreneurial enterprise with
  income and profit generating potential.
• Business Management - for youth interested in
  business management and entrepreneurial
  employment.
• Community Leadership - for youth focused on
  starting a community-based, non-profit venture to
  aid their community.

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YouthWorks Methodology

• At YouthWorks we believe that entrepreneurship is
  finely tuned skill-set that is honed, over time,
  by practice.
• Furthermore, it requires continuous real unique
  action-learning experiences for each participant
  in order to maximize relevance and impact.
• Entrepreneurship cannot be taught, it is an
  experience to be facilitated.
• Experiential Cycle
• The Learning by Doing Model

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Experiential Learning Cycle The Making Cents
Model
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Why not?

• If we collectively believe in action learning,
  why are so many e-ed programs missing the crucial
  element of actual business ownership?
• Because its messy!
• Perceived cost
• Amount of administration
• Kids and money
• Inexperience
• Lack of control

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Okay, then why?

• Efficient Application of Learning One two-hour
  sales experience can solidify months of learning
  for a participant.
• Perfect Timing Kids are at a time where they can
  openly embrace the full learning process,
  including the risk of business ownership, and
  draw life-long learning and application from the
  experience.
• FUN!!!

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The Ultimate do in Entrepreneurship Ed.

• How do we move our kids beyond the business plan?
• Unconditional Realistic Support
• Fundamental Business Education
• Feasibility Testing
• Financial Capital
• Access to Markets
• Every step we create cycles of success

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Unconditional Realistic Support

• Key Components
• Believe in their dream
• Ask questions
• Assess the starting point
• Set timely goals
• Make a map
• Hollys story

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Fundamental Business Education

• Key Components
• Activity-based
• Self-paced
• Unique learning opportunities
• Core business concepts
• Ebonys story

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Feasibility Testing

• Key Components
• Document steps to sale
• Identify test market
• Create a plan
• Provide limited funding (if necessary) to test
• Evaluate in a peer-team environment
• Daniels story

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Financial Capital

• Key Components
• Loan Fund
• Sufficient amount
• Structured guidelines
• Revenue generating use
• Cant create an unwarranted burden
• Peer decision
• Processnot product driven
• James Story

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Access to Markets

• Key Components
• Timely
• Good opportunity for learning and sales
• Community friendly
• Kid cash generating
• Not necessarily kid oriented
• Stratus and Victorias stories.

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Mercado!

• Kid Requirements
• Must complete the core fundamentals curriculum
  and the Marketplace curriculum
• Must create and package their product or service
  in a manner conducive to sales and present to
  staff pre-market
• Must meet all YW imposed timelines
• Must invest in the opportunity
• Must run their business not mom or dad

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Mercado! Curriculum

• Finding the Opportunity
• Preparing for Market
• (Stage 2 Prep for Market)
• (Marketplace Loan Application)
• Premarket Debrief
• Event Day Sales Tracking
• Post Market Debrief
• Certificate of Completion

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Other Access to Market Opportunities

• Networking
• Events
• NBN
• Featured Client Opportunities
• Newsletter
• Events
• Website
• Referrals
• Cross-organizational
• Peer-to-peer
• Direct Advocate

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Wrap-Up

• The kids are ready are you? Not every business
  will be a success every experience will be.
• Questions?