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Learning Outcomes Student Profiles Program Schedule Instructor Bio Success Stories Register Now
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Program Overview |
Startup and high growth companies face any number of pitfalls – there’s a reason 90% of all new ventures fail. Successful entrepreneurs approach their businesses in a professional, systematic way, develop a strong mix of cross-disciplinary skills, and follow a proven playbook of strategic principles proven to create competitive advantage and profitability.
In this program, participants create a strategic business plan specific to their venture to assist them in recruiting partners and advisors, raising capital, ramping sales, scaling operations, and accelerating growth, including developing a comprehensive financial management and projection model.
Interested participants who complete their plans as required will have the opportunity to present to potential investors, incubators, partners, and other stakeholders with the potential to receive seed or growth funding.
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Learning Outcomes |
• Learn from industry veterans and serial entrepreneurs with extensive experience in venture initiation, customer acquisition, capital raising and valuation, strategic partnerships, new market development, and international expansion.
• Explore opportunities for innovation, disruption, market differentiation, market expansion, and capital raising for your venture.
• Develop and leverage a network of experts, mentors, and peers willing to provide assistance in building and effectively growing your new venture.
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Student Profiles |
This program is designed for entrepreneurs, founders, and start-ups looking to gain hands-on experience in taking their idea from concept to reality.
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Program Schedule |
All sessions are available in person at UVU's Lehi Campus or live online via Zoom. Sessions are presented in a highly interactive format that enables participants to easily engage with the instructor and other participants, including joining in small group work and networking opportunities. All sessions are recorded and made available to participants unable to attend.
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Session 1 :: The Idea |
This session focuses on the idea of your business and on telling the story that articulates the problem, the solution, and the benefits to customers, investors, and/or other stakeholders. It also explores the pros and cons of various business models and helps participants identify the best initial model to support early idea testing, validation, business formation, and growth. |
Session 2 :: The Customer |
This session identifies target customer characteristics, demographics, psychographics, preferences, and behaviour, as well as reviews various ways to test assumptions about the alignment between proposed product and/or service offerings. |
Session 3 :: The Product |
This session explores designing minimal viable products to quickly testing customer acceptance and identifying and communicating the unique benefits of new offerings in order to best position them against competition in the market. |
Session 4 :: The Strategy
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This session looks at creating an integrated brand, sales, marketing, and distribution strategy for early traction and sustainable growth. |
Session 5 :: The Team |
This session discusses how to select and present team members, strategic partners, and advisors with the right mix of knowledge, skills, and experience, as well as how to motivate them and work together to maximize long-term opportunity. |
Session 6 :: The Model I |
This session includes a detailed analysis of creating realistic projections of product sales and costs, operating expenses, and profits, including benchmarking margins, growth rates, and break-even assumptions against relevant industry comparables to ensure credibility. |
Session 7 :: The Model II |
This session includes a detailed analysis of creating realistic projections of assets, liabilities, cash flow, and capital needs, including benchmarking performance and return ratios against relevant industry comparables to ensure credibility. |
Session 8 :: The Opportunity
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This session brings all aspects of the new venture together in an integrated, cohesive plan ready to be presented to potential investors, incubators, partners, or other stakeholders.
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Instructor Bio |
Shawn R Neider MBA Director | Utah Valley University
Shawn R Neider MBA serves as Director of Executive Education at Utah Valley University. He previously served as Managing Director, Vice President, and Senior Consultant for multiple global consulting and investment banking firms working with the C-level leadership of Fortune 500 clients. He has extensive experience in capital and fundraising, strategic partnerships, and international business development, having previously served as CEO, CFO, Controller, and Vice President for multiple successful startup, venture funded, and high-growth companies. He has also been an advisor, presenter, instructor, trainer, and adjunct faculty member at various universities and non-profit organizations. Shawn earned his MBA degree in Finance & Entrepreneurship from the University of California at Los Angeles and his BA degree in Japanese and Business Management from Brigham Young University.
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Success Stories |
"Shawn is a very talented and insightful businessman. His financial analysis and coordination allowed us to execute a very rapid expansion in the marketplace. Shawn's direction created a fine balance between the demands for capital and our ability to blend equity funding with the right amount of credit." – Terry Jennings | COO |
"Shawn is a very focused leader with considerable vision. He was a key member of our executive team. He was responsible for writing several business plans, assisting with raising debt and equity for new ventures, and helped to improve operations of those ventures." – Mike Hansen | CFO
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"Shawn provided consulting services that helped to develop our organization into a national and international nonprofit promoting internet health and safety for youth. His leadership guided our business model, marketing plan, and award-winning website. His experience was invaluable in launching successfully in Washington DC at the National Press Club." - Marsali Hancock | President & CEO |
"Shawn has a great ability to provide strategic direction for a company. He has shown leadership and expert skills in analyzing the economic strength of business opportunities and provide executive teams with valuable insight. I have valued Shawn's overall objective to ensure the success of a company and his genuine interest in the success of others." – Shawn Harley | Founder, CFO |
"Shawn is very experienced and has many skills when it comes to modeling, acquisitions, contracts and more. His attention to details is unmatched. I have learned a lot from Shawn and suspect I will continue to learn much more." – Darin Petty | Founder, COO |
"Shawn is one of the best operational minds that I have ever met. He brought our company to a completely different level in terms of all the financial aspects and general operations." – Austin Miller, Founder / Board Member
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