CO.STARTERS 7 Design

CO.STARTERS 7 Design
Day/Time:  Wednesdays, 6:00p - 9:00p
Dates:  April 4 - May 30
Location: DC3 - 485 W Milwaukee St #100c, Detroit, MI 48202

CO.STARTERS DESIGN is for anyone planning to launch a design related business, like architecture, landscape or interior design, illustration or graphic art, photography or videography, website development or UX/UIX, storytelling, product design, etc.

CURRICULUM

During CO.STARTERS, you’ll develop and fine-tune your business idea, building models based on your assumptions, tweaking your next steps through real-time customer feedback, learning valuable management and marketing skills and receiving constructive feedback from advisers, peers and local businesses. By honing your business and updating your approach based on real feedback and customer demand, you’ll gain the skills you need to develop a viable business model.

• Week 1: Knowing Yourself (Assumptions, Working Styles, Team Building, Obstacles)
• Week 2: Knowing Your Customer (Problem, Solution, Benefit, Competition, Advantage, Customer)
• Week 3: Getting the Relationship Right (Marketing & Message; Getting, Keeping & Growing Customers)
• Week 4: Building the Model to Scale (Starting Small, Distribution, Revenue, Typical Sale, Price)
• Week 5: Strengthening Your Structure (Business Structures, Licenses, IP, Hiring)
• Week 6: Discovering the Bottom Line (Startup & Ongoing Needs, Fixed & Variable Costs, Break-Event Point)
• Week 7: Accounting for Growth (Break-Even Point, Sales Projections, Cash Flow, Accounting)
• Week 8: Planning for the Future (Raising Capital, Growth Plans, Goal Setting, Pitch Prep)
• Week 9: Sharing your Story

WHY CO.STARTERS?

If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, or a seasoned entrepreneur looking to launch a new product or service, CO.STARTERS is for you. The only real prerequisites are: having a business idea you’re ready, willing and excited to share and work on; and a willingness to study, shape and fine-tune that idea in a supportive, collaborative and welcoming environment. If you’re creative and community-minded, and you’re serious about turning your passion into a sustainable small business, we’re looking for you.

• Approachable – Uses simple, easy to understand language and addresses the full spectrum of adult learning styles
• Collaborative – Brings people together to learn from one another, creating a strong network of support for startups
• Community Centered – Helps you and your business benefit from our welcoming community of creative entrepreneurs
• Practical – Offers a tangible process for identifying, testing, and adapting business assumptions to create a viable startup, and provides practical steps to launch, rather than theoretical concepts
• Customer Focused – Assumes customers should be the primary concern in every aspect of creating a business
• Inclusive – Helps shape passions into viable and sustainable business models, whether you’re a graphic designer, a jewelry maker, or the next big software success story

Registration Portal Instructions:

1. Click on the registration link for your class of choice and fill in your personal information. Please register as an INDIVIDUAL. Business partners will need to register and pay separately. You will be asked to create an account with Build Institute. You can log into your account at any time and update your personal information.

2. Once your information is submitted you will be taken to the class payment page. Build uses a Pay What You Can model so please choose a payment level that works for you (aka Admission level). Payments can be made via credit card (MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover). If you would like to pay via check/money order or need to discuss a payment plan please contact us at class@buildinstitute.org or (313) 265-3590.

3. Once your application has been processed you will receive an email confirming your class details within 7-10 business days.  Add hello@buildinstitute.org to your contact list to avoid emails being marked as spam.