The first class was Do you have what it takes? We had a panel of entrepeneurs who told us about how they started their businesses (or ran small businesses that they stepped into). Our takeaways from the class were:
- Network: Make sure everyone knows what you do.
- Put your ego aside: Get help in areas where you aren't strong or need outside perspective
- Process is critical to growth
- Always be recruiting: be constantly on the watch for talent
- Keep your long term plan in mind even when you are struggling monthly
- Know everything you can about your clients
- Stick to core and close adjacencies
- At a certain point just jump in
The second class we learned about segmentation sizing and selection. There is some real math in the process and a lot of guesswork. Since I chose to work on a non-profit scenario that changed up some of the valuation. For this class our takeaways were:
- Not all customers are created equal
- Talk to potential customers and competitors' customers
- Segmentation is not a marketing/advertising method, it is the foundation of your entire business.
- Be open to all segmentation data. You may find surprises.
- Know your competition well.
- Ask questions, you might be surprised at what your potential customers will tell you.
The third class revisited, clarified and advanced segmentation. The takeaways will be listed for us at the fourth class which we haven't had yet.
There is a lot of homework associated with the class. That is next on my agenda. I think the class is great! I paid $180 for 12 weeks of 2 hour classes. There are networking opportunities as well as learning opportunities. Who knows, I may even start a business at the end of it.
In the future I'm thinking about taking a computer networking class, but that is another story.
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