PREMIUM COURSE:
STEPS TO STARTUP
Do you have an awesome idea to tackle a social or environmental issue but don’t know where to start? Whether you want to solve local or global problems, Steps to Startup will show you how to develop your idea for change, then get it out and into the world.
This complete e-learning package has been designed specifically for social innovators to guide you through each step of the startup process… and to take you from idea to entrepreneur!
TOPICS COVERED IN THIS COURSE:
1.) Defining The Problem
5.) Finding Your Customers
2.) Planning Your Social Impact
6.) Designing Your Business Model
3.) Building Support For Your Cause
7.) Securing The Funding
4.) Testing Ideas On A Small Scale
8.) Getting Ready For Take – Off
Premium Course: Steps to Startup
Take action, step by step, on the social and environmental issues that matter to you most.
FORMAT:
- Self-managed e-learning
INCLUDES:
- 8 courses, 33 learning modules
- 8 hours of on-demand video instruction
- Downloadable templates and worksheets
- A practical challenge for you in each lesson
- Lifetime access to the content
DURATION:
- Self-paced (estimated 8 weeks)
Steps to Start up Course Overview
EXPLORE COURSE CONTENT.
1.) Defining the Problem
Develop a full understanding of the social or environmental challenge you’re taking on, with clear evidence of the scale, seriousness and effects for your identified target group.
Course Content
Lesson 1 – Finding a problem to tackle
Lesson 2 – Starting with Evidence
Lesson 3 – Filling gaps in knowledge
Lesson 4 – Understanding the problem
2.) Planning Your Social Impact
This course will give you an introduction to social impact measurement – namely, what is social impact, and how you can measure it.
Course Content
Lesson 1 – Starting From Your Mission
Lesson 2 – Understanding Your Theory of Change
Lesson 3 – Building Your Logic Model
3.) Building Support For Your Cause
This course will help you identify who can help you succeed, form a supportive team and community around you, find a wise mentor and expand your professional network.
Course Content
Lesson 1 – Knowing Your Stakeholders
Lesson 2 – Forming Your Core Team
Lesson 3 – Developing Your Network
Lesson 4 – Building Support for your Cause
4.) Testing Ideas On A Small Scale
In this course, you’ll identify how you want to take your idea forward. You likely have a few different ideas, so you’ll evaluate which one is the highest impact and most feasible.
Course Content
Lesson 1 – Finding Ideas That Inspire
Lesson 2 – Assessing the Feasibility
Lesson 3 – Creating a Minimum Viable Product
Lesson 4 – Testing, Iterating, and Failing Fast
5.) Finding Your Customers
In this course, you’ll learn how to identify and segment your customers, as well as how to show them the value that your product or service provides.
Course Content
Lesson 1 – Understanding Value vs Price
Lesson 2 – Identifying and Segmenting Customers
Lesson 3 – Understanding Your Customers
Lesson 4 – Sizing Up The Competition
Lesson 5 – Developing Your Value Proposition
6.) Designing Your Business Model
In this course, you’ll learn how to choose a business model and establish a legal structure. You’ll learn about and evaluate existing social business models, as well as decide whether to design your own or replicate an existing business model.
Course Content
Lesson 1 – Social Enterprise Business Models
Lesson 2 – Typical Business Models
Lesson 3 – Designing Your Business Model
Lesson 4 – Replicating an Existing Business Model
7.) Securing The Funding
This course is all about defining the financial engine that will power your venture. We’ll talk about the funding you’ll need to get that engine running, and we’ll determine which funding sources may be right for you.
Course Content
Lesson 1 – Finding the Right Financial Model
Lesson 2 – Figuring Out How Much Funding You Need
Lesson 3 – Sourcing the Startup Funding
Lesson 4 – Making Your Pitch to Investors
8.) Getting Ready For Take – Off
In this final course, we’ll go over everything you need to know to get your idea off the ground. You’ll think about what your launch objectives are, who you want to reach, how to encourage your first customers to buy from you, and when the right time is to pre-launch and launch your idea.
Course Content
Lesson 1 – Finding the Right Structure
Lesson 2 – Taking On Employees
Lesson 3 – Getting Financial Systems in Place
Lesson 4 – Dealing With Red Tape
Lesson 5 – Launching into the Scene
What our learners are saying…
Sarah MacDonald, Founder, Grow Happy Foods
“Steps to Startup taught me how to judge new ideas and opportunities fast. It gave me a framework that helped me to find focus, the confidence to take on one thing at a time, and the tools to be more effective as a social entrepreneur!”
Angela Busheska (19), Founder of EnRoute, MACEDONIA
“The educational material assists me to innovate and constantly solve problems along the journey. The Shifters community is always there to spark my motivation, giving me the drive to make a dent in the universe.”
Aloysius Chiong (24), Founder of FarmBid, MALAYSIA
“The course content equipped us with lessons that guide us in building our project, team, identifying customers and much more. The Shifters global community is very active and, through it, we get to know more people and their projects, learning from their success stories and finding opportunities for collaboration in whatever fields we are in.”
Kennedy Akunda (27) Founder of Kawilab Energy, KENYA
“Social Shifters has been instrumental in providing learning and networking opportunities which has helped us pivot our business model, creating a business with a global face, but creating change from a local perspective. We continue learning, relearning and un-learning with peers in the global Shifters community.”
Course Preview:
1.Defining the Problem
In the very first module of our Premium Steps to Startup elearning course ‘Defining the Problem’ we explain the importance of early research and evidence gathering and give you practical help to ensure you fully understand the social or environmental issue you want to solve.