From Jim Flowers, director of business acceleration center VT KnowledgeWorks, and author of the blog So you want to launch a business...
Four or five times each year we take a handful of prospective business founders to the Blueberry Ridge cabins at Mountain Lake Resort for a two-day total immersion and general shake-down for their nascent start-ups. In a relaxed and mutually-supportive group context, they help each other test the strategic essence of their business concepts, tighten up managerial focus, and address the unique personal opportunities and challenges of entrepreneurship. We also make sure they have a solid grounding in the mechanical framework of start-ups, including Accounting De-Mystified and what early-stage investors expect in return for their money.
The curriculum centers on the Four Fundamental Factors in start-up success: Market, Magic, Mentors, and Moxie; but we also throw in lots of the other M-words, such as Money, Management, and Modesty.
Moxie, by the way, is absolutely the most important factor.
If our particular magic works and the stars align, the campers each leave for home with improved clarity of purpose, tighter focus of scarce resources, a better understanding of the challenges ahead, and a more powerful commitment to a personally delightful outcome.
The next session of risk reduction for small businesses Concept Camp is December 17-19, 2008.
Please contact VT KnowledgeWorks Member Services Director Lindsey Eversole, lindsey.eversole@vtknowledgeworks.com, for more information.
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