CO.STARTERS FAQs

  • General Questions

    Participants enter into a facilitator-led, collaborative process with a small and supportive group of like-minded peers. Working together, participants identify their assumptions about why and how their businesses will work, and then talk to customers in order to validate their ideas. This approach enables entrepreneurs to rapidly uncover flaws in their concepts and find viable models more quickly. Participants leave the program with a deeper understanding of how to create a sustainable business, articulate their models, and repeat the process with the next great idea.

    CO.STARTERS is a platform to help communities grow local business. This nine-week program equips aspiring entrepreneurs with the insights, relationships, and tools needed to turn business ideas into action. Unlike traditional platforms, CO.STARTERS uses the lean business modeling methods popular among high-growth startups to businesses of all kinds.

  • Facilitator

    Although a CO.STARTERS facilitator needs to have experience starting and running a business or cause, he or she doesn't have to be an expert on everything. Rather, a facilitator's role is role is to guide participants through the program by asking the right questions, drawing on the knowledge in the room, and using available resources and connections in the community to point participants in the right direction. A strong facilitator must enjoy working with groups and have a passion for helping other entrepreneurs succeed.

    The training will consist of one half-day and one full-day session that introduces potential facilitators to the concepts, methods, and approach to CO.STARTERS. Facilitator training participants will learn the week-by-week program workshop topics and how to effectively deliver theCO.STARTERS model to aspiring entrepreneurs enrolled in the cohort.

    The next CO.STARTERS training is not scheduled. Please check back.

    CO.STARTERS is a nine-session program; the cohort meets one evening per week for three hours. Sessions are not held during holiday weeks. Attendance is fundamental to success.

  • Participants

    The CO.STARTERS program is a cohort of fellow aspiring entrepreneurs who will share their ideas with others in the program. Unlike programs where the focus is on the conventional considerations of starting businesses (financing, permitting/regulations, etc.), our program focuses on insights, relationship-building, and models. Participants will work with mentor/facilitators and fellow participants on how to make their ideas work in a sustainable way. If you want to explore your business idea with experienced entrepreneurs and fellow aspiring entrepreneurs and turn it into success, then this program is right for you.

    Aspiring entrepreneurs who have recently launched a business or simply have a business plan that they want to pursue are welcome in this program.

    Participants must attend all nine sessions.

    The next CO.STARTERS is not scheduled. Please check back.

    This is a nine-session program; the Cohort meets one evening per week for three hours. Sessions are not held during holiday weeks. Attendance is fundamental to success.

    The program is designed for small groups of up to twelve participants. Since space is limited, we are working to ensure that participants will be committed to attending all nine sessions and completing the program. Participants in the program will be chosen based on the application process, opens a new window.

    If you don't get a spot in the current Cohort you are still eligible for the next scheduled CO.STARTERS cohort.

    Yes! This program is free to enrolled participants.