CO.STARTERS for Creatives (Wednesdays)

CO.STARTERS: Creative Chamber
Day/Time:  Wednesdays, 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Dates: October 2 - December 4
Location: Build Institute - 1620 Michigan Ave., Suite 120, Detroit, MI 48216 (We are on the Trumbull Ave. side of the building!)

CO.STARTERS for Creatives is for anyone planning to launch a design related business, like architecture, landscape or interior design, fashion, creative technology, literary arts, photography or videography, website development or UX/UIX, storytelling, product design, etc.

**This course is underwritten by Downtown Detroit Partnership and the Michigan Film and Digital Media Office. Applicants must fall within the creative industries listed on registration form, and adhere to reporting requirements. 

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 1) having a business idea, 2) being willing to question, shape and fine-tune that idea, and 3) being excited to share that idea with others in a supportive, collaborative and welcoming environment. If you’re creative, community-minded, and serious about turning your passion into a sustainable small business, this course is 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 start-ups
• 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 start-up, 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