FREE PROGRAM TURNS DISPLACED WORKERS INTO ENTREPRENEURS
Free Weekly Program Offers “America’s Bailout” to Motivated Arizonans
(TEMPE, AZ – April 23, 2009) People with the drive to start their own businesses are getting the chance, thanks to Start Up Now, a groundbreaking program dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship. In each workshop, Start Up Now takes a group of complete strangers, many of them recently unemployed, and leads them through a daylong, high-powered business development and brainstorming session that ends with an initial idea and structure for a new enterprise. Since the program’s inception last month, four separate enterprises have been established.
“There’s an incredible amount of entrepreneurial talent and business know-how walking the streets these days,” says Peter Burns, founder of Club Entrepreneur, the Institute for Entrepreneurship and the eFactory as well as the sponsor and host of Start Up Now. “What we do is provide these people with the tools and support they need to turn these assets into real, money-making enterprises.”
Start Up Now workshops are held weekly at the Tempe-based eFactory, a state of the art facility that houses 50 to 60 start up businesses and provides access to collaborators, advisors and back end office support. The Start Up Now program, which includes a complimentary lunch, covers the basics of launching a new business and provides a wealth of start up ideas and opportunities. Through the affiliated ClubE network, participants in the workshop are able to access additional resources including small business and early venture funding opportunities.
“In the morning we come to agreement about the business that we will create together. In the afternoon we put the specifics of the company together and by the end, participants decide if they are in or out,” says Sonia Graham, CEO of Maximum Business Advantage and a Start Up Now creator and facilitator. “On average 30%of participants become partners in the new business. Many of the rest choose to return again until they find the business idea that hits their passion.”
Examples of businesses currently in the early stages of development thanks to Start Up Now include:
- An online information portal for entrepreneurs and start ups
- A company that will transfer surplus equipment and supplies from large businesses to schools and foundations
- A company focused on providing entrepreneurial education and funding for high school students to enable them to earn a college degree
- A child care center at the eFactory.
To register or for more information see:
startupnowworkshops.com
clubeoffice.com
CONTACT: Katie Cobb/Actual Media
katiecobb@actual-media.com
602.478.1331
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Play To Your Own "Genius"
As a "pureblood" entrepreneur, I'm often asked how do I put complicated deals together so quickly(?) when others look at the same line-up of components and facts and don't recognize any discernible pattern...let alone see the opportunity to profit. The simple answer is that I play to my "genius," that is I do what comes naturally, which happens to be recognizing patterns, putting disparate pieces together and monetizing that effort.
We all have our God-given talents, be it in the creative zone of developing graphically beautiful web sites, figuring out how to organize members of an entrepreneurial team (equivalent to herding cats) or developing tech solutions and financial models for any kind of business. Entrepreneurs, being the "lone wolves" that they often are, sometimes forget the importance of collaborating with a team with complimentary skills sets, often making the effort of moving forward, stronger, quicker and better.
Doing business well is all about how one gets along with other people. If one can respect another's talents and work together to achieve a common goal, both win. When a team of like-minded entrepreneurs learns to successfully delegate responsibilities and creates a system of accountability and measurement towards reaching that common goal...magic happens.
The trick is to not only "play to your own genius," but allow others to do the same.
Recently, the creators of our successful StartUp Now workshops, Jim and Sonia Graham and I had a meeting to see how we might improve upon what we had started with the workshops. Out of the four sessions to date, there were four new businesses started, which is wonderful. However, only a handful of each of the four groups decided to participate in each new business launch, leaving most of each group on their own.
I offered to use my "genius" of recognizing opportunity in a free 45 minute session with any of the StartUp Now group members that wanted to explore the possibilities of starting their own new business, outside of their group, or perhaps move into one of our eFactory business opportunities. I reasoned that given a focused session one-on-one with the erstwhile entrepreneur, I could recognize that individual's passion and motivations, fashioning an opportunity for them on the spot. At least that's the plan and if members from the upcoming April 30th StartUp Now workshop take me up on it...we'll end up having more than one business started from each workshop from now on.
Here's another tip...not everything works the first time you try it. Practice does make perfect and we learn more from what doesn't work than what does and continue to improve with each lesson learned. Now, I don't know how many, if at all, members of our upcoming StartUp Now workshops will take me up on my offer to fast track them into self-employment but I'm a big believer in "nothing ventured, nothing gained," so if you happen to be in our April 30th or subsequent StartUp Now workshops and don't want to join the group business effort...take a shot and schedule a talk with me. You never know what can result from one simple conversation and maybe you'll find your own "genius" too.
Best regards,
Peter J. Burns, III
Founder
Club Entrepreneur (www.clubeoffice.com)
Institute for Entrepreneurship
peterjburns3@gmail.com
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Day Care for Single Mother Entrepreneurs...
Every session of the "StartUp Now" workshops (www.startupnowworkshops.com) brings new people and new innovations. Friday's event was no exception. In this mix of a dozen or more participants and observers was a public service employee exploring her options in the event of yet another budget cut that will end her employment, a 19 year old entering business for the first time and a single mother of three who yearns to become a self-reliant business owner. Other attendees included a longtime retailer who recently lost his home furnishings store and sought a new start, a strategy coach, an attorney/entrepreneur and a provider of human resources for small businesses, which was "on the cloud" - meaning available through the power of the Net on an open source platform.
Over this 6 hour session, this group of former strangers became a cohesive group that drilled down from a half a dozen business start-up possibilities to one very powerful and timely concept. The single mother championed a day care facility for entrepreneurially-minded mothers and our Tempe-based eFactory will become the beta test site for this terrific idea. Specifically, stay-at-home mothers of small children aren't able to go to regular jobs or start anything but a home-based business because of the extreme cost and unreliability of child care for their little ones. Start-up entrepreneurs from the single mother demographic is one of the fasting growing segments and until now, these women were compelled to remain at home.
With the advent of a "child friendly" environment that caters to the office needs and collaboration of like-minded entrepreneurs, these women can become productive and self-supporting entrepreneurs. The eFactory (www.clubeoffice.com) will spearhead this effort by developing a child care facility within its structure, which will allow single mother entrepreneurs to come and work on a 24 hour basis, knowing their children are safe in the same work environment in which they are operating their new businesses.
This one single business idea can have a remarkable ripple effect on our economy. Imagine the power of releasing the collective creativity of America's greatest multi-taskers - the single mother - by providing a safe environment for their children combined with a resource like the eFactory to foster their entrepreneurial efforts?
This is Just one more success story unfolding at the StartUp Now workshops at the eFactory. Learn more by visiting www.startupnowworkshops.com and send your friends that are out of work this invaluable and free resource. Lives are being changed for the better at StartUp Now. Please join us in our efforts.
Best regards,
Peter J. Burns, III
Founder
Club Entrepreneur (www.clubeoffice.com)
Institute for Entrepreneurship
peterjburns3@gmail.com
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Three's A Charm...
Well, I honestly didn't think our StartUp Now workshops could get any better than the first two...but I was happily mistaken. Yesterday's (March 31st) workshop was over the top. Expertly led by Sonia and Jim Graham once again, the event was attended by over a dozen diverse and engaged individuals. The attendants and observers ranged from a materials engineer with a Phd. to a former non-profit head, from an 18 year old Youth Advocate for Foster Care to a celebrated National Television Network Weather Anchor from Chicago.
In the span of only six hours, this group of complete strangers came together and formulated a plan to launch a brand new business. This new enterprise, which will include most of the group, fills the need for educating youth in the skills of entrepreneurial education and has a financial model that drives new students into my own university-level entrepreneurship programs at several schools on a shared revenue basis. All of us win on this model, especially the youth who are jump started in self-reliance through future business ownership.
Interestingly enough, this diverse collection of individuals came to the same conclusion that our group at "We Are America's Bailout" has been trumpeting for months...the only way America can back on her feet is through the collective efforts of her entrepreneurs. By introducing entrepreneurship skills to high school age students, we are grooming the next generation of America's "E-class."
Our participant and observer from Chicago was so moved by his visit to the eFactory and attendance at the StartUp Now workshop, that we are meeting this Thursday to discuss how he can bring what we are doing to his hometown of Chicago. Like a former attendee at our March 4th workshop from Atlanta, who has brought our program to his hometown, our new Chicago friend plans on replicating our model of Club Entrepreneur, the eFactory and StartUp Now workshops to Chicago in the very near future.
In attendance was the Business Development Officer of one of our local community banks, an aspiring film maker, an alternate energy entrepreneur from South America and assorted professional from many walks of life. Each was there because they were curious or were seeking a better way through collaboration and entrepreneurship. The process of watching Sonia and Jim skillfully wend their way through the ever-improving agenda to an actual start-up was nothing short of amazing.
Our next StartUp Now workshops are set for April 10th and April 17th and will continue be held our our newly launched Tempe eFactory. We expect to host several members of the City of Phoenix's Economic Development Department team, who we hope will bring our offering to some of the thousands of displaced workers processed through their out placement program each month. It is our firm belief that many of these displaced workers will welcome the opportunity of exploring business ownership rather than face the endless and humbling job search efforts facing the unemployed.
Times are tough for us all-there's no doubt about that. However, through perseverance and collaborating with like-minded Americans banding together in the search for the American Dream of business ownership...we will prevail.
Best regards,
Peter J. Burns, III
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By George, I think we're on to something...
Yesterday, March 19th, marked the second "StartUp" Now workshop at the eFactory (Tempe). Following on the heels of the very successful March 4th debut, with live coverage by the local ABC affiliate, Channel 3, this second workshop was equally successful and entirely different from the first event.
Sonia and Jim Graham flawlessly led a dozen and a half participants and observers through a day long agenda, which resulted in a brand new business launch. Those not joining forces in this new venture were left to ponder which business that they now wanted to start, now having the beginning skill sets to consider this action, often for the first time in their careers.
Options for funding their new ventures were offered through the SBA-sponsored "Patriot Express" and "Community Express" loans, available to start-ups with little fuss and quick turnaround (less than a week from application to funding) in amounts between $5k and $25k. These no-collateral loans, offered at around 6% and amortized over 10 years, are the quickest, cheapest and most efficient small business start-up financing ever offered. The Angels In Action (www.angelsataction.tv) microlending opportunity was also offered the workshop participants as a continuing source of low cost funding for their burgeoning businesses, once established.
The range of participants and observers was amazing...from a Phd in Engineering to a former Wall Street Journal reporter and former producer from the TODAY Show and MSNBC. There was a combat veteran jumpmaster from the 82nd Airborne to a former auto dealer finance manager. In an amazing 6 hours span, with breaks every hour and a half and a catered lunch from Subway, this group of complete strangers, learned, bonded and joined forces in the effort to become self-reliant and self-sufficient through the process of business ownership. The "StartUp Now" workshop makes this possible, through the combined efforts of the Phoenix-based Club Entrepreneur.
In a phone conference later that same afternoon with several members of the City of Phoenix's Economic Development Department, I learned that nearly 18,000 displaced workers were being processed through that Department's offices each month(!) and that there was certainly a way for our "StartUp Now" workshop to help mitigate some of the pain and suffering wrought on these unfortunate workers by channeling those interested in the alternative of business start-up and ownership through our new and hopeful program. With only 1% of this flow of displaced workers opting for business ownership instead of waiting for a job that might never materialize, we could fill our mandated 20 person maximum session twice a week, every week...just from this one source. At least three members of the City of Phoenix's Economic Development Department have opted to attend our upcoming March 31st "StartUp Now" workshop to experience the "magic" themselves and I am slated to speak in April to 40 of the frontline City of Phoenix counselors, who process and meet with these thousands of newly displaced workers each month. We hope to effect a strong and helpful alliance from these upcoming interactions.
Noting that our Tempe eFactory and its programs is garnering so much positive attention from the media, the City of Tempe Economic Development Department also weighed in yesterday to see how we might effect a powerful working relationship to help mitigate the unemployment issues of that city through entrepreneurship. Finally, a friend and business acquaintance from the West Valley SBDC (Small Business Development Center) has successfully carried Club E's mission to the "powers that be" in the City of Surprise (AZ) and I am meeting there in the next couple of weeks to discuss establishing a new eFactory, Club E and "StartUp Now" workshop at donated City of Surprise commercial property, with their full financial muscle behind our efforts.
Last week I learned that one of our March 4th workshop participants, who had flown in from Atlanta to attend, has decided to joint venture a new eFactory, Club E and "StartUp Now" workshop in his city. Inquiries from across the country have come in to Jim and Sonia Graham, the workshop's presenters, to see how "StartUp Now" can be established in those cities.
In yet another timely conversation with the local Veterans Advocate of the Arizona SBA, Jim Pipper, we agreed that the thousands of veterans returning home to an economy with little or no job prospects would benefit mightily from our "StartUp Now" program and the eFactory offered to create a returning "Veterans Only" workshop series to help our war heroes start their own businesses and access the "Patriot Express" loan program.
As I said..."By George, I think we're on to something" and we have and will achieve all of this with NO GOVERNMENT HELP (read muddling), NO B.S. "STIMULUS" PACKAGES (read handouts)and nothing more than a group effort from a handful of dedicated local entrepreneurs making things happen and not endlessly whining about what should be done.
Please join us in turning around America ourselves by contacting me, Peter J. Burns, III at info@weareamericasbailout.com and pjb@clubefactory.com.
Best regards,
Peter J. Burns, III
Founder
Club Entrepreneur (www.clubeoffice.com)
Institute For Entrepreneurship
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StartUP NOW Workshops!
The first Start Up Now workshop on March 4 was a resounding success.
Formed jointly between We Are America’s Bailout (part of Club E and Club eFactory) and Maximum Business Advantage, Start Up Now brought 10 recently laid off business professionals to the new Club eFactory location in Tempe.
They began the day tossing around ideas for, and characteristics desired in, a brand new business. By noon, the group had developed the basic business concept and defined a Purpose, Vision and Mission that all could rally behind. After a catered lunch, complements of We Are America’s Bailout, the team regrouped and designed the business offerings including delivery method and the basic steps and structure of the business operations. Towards the end of the day the newly formed company split into three working teams and each group developed goals and target dates to achieve necessary steps to prepare for launch.
One of the most amazing aspects was that each of the three teams, working separately all came up with the same target launch date of May 1, 2009.Now these recently laid off professionals have a solid basis for a brand new company.
Join us on March 19 for the second Start Up Now Workshop. If you were turned down for the first workshop, please try again. This first workshop was limited only to very recently laid off professionals, future workshops will include individuals who have been out of work for longer periods as well as those who are just contemplating entering the entrepreneurial world. Click here to register.
Sonia Graham
Chief Experience Officer at Maximum Business Advantage AND
Facilitator of Start Up Now Workshops
Call 602-621-0558 for more information
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