10 Step Program
Session Menu

1. Self-Assessment
2. Business Idea
3. Market Analysis
4. Management Skills
5. Business Planning
6. Forecasting
7. Financing
8. Support Help
9. Venture Launch
10. Monitor Progress
Graduation!

10 Step Venture eMentoring Program™

Read below to discover how this online, interactive mentoring program provides a thorough, step-by-step framework for developing business skills, knowledge and a support network for successfully launching your own business venture.

Thanking Your
Industry Expert and
Educational Champion

Welcome. . .

10 Steps to Venture Development with a Mentor

By participating in this program, you are already taking the first step of what is an exciting and rewarding adventure for many. For others, starting and running their own venture is a bad choice. The reality is that most businesses will be out of business in less than 5 years after they get started – and most of these because they failed. The sad truth of the matter is that most of these business failures can be avoided. That is the purpose of this program – to help you avoid the pitfalls that can limit a business's success or even make it fail, and reinforce the strengths and decisions that can lead to success.

The program is a methodical 10-step process that begins with a self-assessment of suitability for being in business, and concludes with a blueprint for implementing the venture initiative. Each component of the program introduces a critical aspect of the entrepreneurial process and provides instructional and background material followed by self-testing tools to allow you to assess your own skills relative to the key issues of that course component. This interactive feature will productively lead you through the venture planning and preparation process.

Each step of the program builds on the prior step. At every stage, we introduce the issues that need to be addressed, the questions that need to be answered, and the additional resources that are available to assist with supporting a successful venture initiative.

The program is self-paced – you proceed to the next session when you are ready. It is critical to spend time with the exercises. They are designed to provoke your thinking and the answers may not be immediately evident. We encourage you to read the materials presented thoughtfully. For once, there are no predetermined right or wrong answers – the right answers are the ones that work for you.

The worksheets are in an interactive format. This means that you can complete the worksheet at your computer and then e-mail it to yourself (and anyone else you feel might be interested – your friend, counselor/consultant, or spouse for example). We encourage you to set up a folder so that you can archive these forms once you have them completed and printed. In this manner, you will have a hard copy of your hard work throughout the program, and a valuable source of reference as you move forward.

It is valuable to have someone to discuss the various worksheet results with. There are really no right or wrong answers – instead, the right answer is the one that makes most sense for you. That is why using someone else as a sounding board can help determine whether it all really makes good sense.

If you are not already working with a business counselor or advisor, visit www.score.org to be matched with an experienced business mentor. SCORE provides access to 10,500 volunteer counselors who have more than 600 business skills. These individuals are either working or retired business owners, executives and corporate leaders who are willing to share their wisdom and lessons learned in business with others who are interested in learning about, starting or growing a business. This includes students, veterans, women and minorities.

By visiting the web site you will be connected to an eMentor, where you can receive counseling via email, or may request a local SCORE counselor to meet with face-to-face. The Web site also provides access to a range of additional free resources based on your own interests, including young entrepreneurs, veterans, women, minorities, and manufacturers.

In addition to connecting you to an experienced business mentor, this 10 Step Program will introduce you to a variety of other local business assistance agencies that offer free and low-cost help in practically all areas of business management including import/export, funding, marketing, site location, workforce development and government contracting. Contact these resource providers to not only gain more insight and skills based on your own particular entrepreneurial needs and interests, but to also begin building your support network for the longer term.

The 10 Step Venture Mentoring Program is comprised of 10 Sessions, each designed to support you in productively addressing the following entrepreneurial components:

Session 1: Self-Assessment
Am I suited for running my own business?

Session 2: Business Idea
Do I have a viable business idea?

Session 3: Market Analysis
Is there a market for my business idea?

Session 4: Management Skills
Session 4: Do I have the skills needed to make this work?

Session 5: Business Plan
Do I have a complete business plan?

Do I have a complete business plan?
Do I have a realistic forecast of revenues and costs?

Session 7: Financing
Am I aware of my business financing needs?

Session 8: Outside Resources
Do I understand what forms of venture assistance may be available to me from the public agency arena?

Session 9: Venture Launch
Do I have the licenses, approvals and other issues covered that are needed for actually starting the new business?

Session 10: Monitor Progress
Am I prepared to monitor and control operations once started?

By following the program systematically and completely, a great deal of confusion about what to do next will be eliminated, and the chances of your business success will be greatly increased.

Now – on to Session 1: Self-Assessment

Click here to start

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