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BOI Marketing Strategy

Branding ideas:

Business Ownership Initiative: Let Us Help You Start Your Business

Concept to Cash Flow

EMerging Business Action/Resource Center; EMBARC @ BOI

Alliance with Develop Indy

Pivot Points

Selection as the Central Indiana Women's Business Center

Funded by the SBA

1. We engage Business Owners, Entrepreneurs, Specialists (Attorneys, Bankers, Accountants, Consultants, etc.) and ask them to become BOI Faculty by helping us develop and present courseware and by 1:1 counseling with BOI Clients.  BOI Faculty are qualified by their business experience, recommended by their peers and comply with SBA/Federal guidelines annually.  We encourage Faculty to promote BOI among their social/business networks.  Faculty are evaluated and when necessary asked to leave.  Faculty participate in the creation of courseware and may share in income generated from works published by BOI: training manuals, web content, videos, etc.  Faculty are recruited at quarterly networking events and must attend training sessions on BOI Vision, Policies, Practices, Responsibilities, Courseware, etc.

2. We market our BOI Business Counseling resources as a principal differentiator; we offer faster time-to-deliver a certificate, very practical/information-based curriculum, taught by fellow entrepreneurs and business owners at low cost, convenient locations/times with no admission prerequisites; we are a broker of business development resources/additional training/referrals.  Counseling is arranged so that there are 5 hours of 1:1 Counseling for 30 hours of contact in classes.  (NOTE: John had suggested 1:3 - I don't know if that will work.  Math needed here :) Each Faculty member commits to a minimum of 2-3 hours per month.

3. BOI Clients receive customized courseware which are collected in a BOI Branded 3 ring binder.  (We supply tabs.) Each client is provided with their credit report, personality evaluation and encouraged to share their experiences at BOI with other clients through testimonials.  Every client is asked to create a Google Docs page where they can keep their courseware materials, develop their business plan (from a template provided by BOI.)  The documents are shared with Faculty so they may be evaluated.

4. There is an annual BOI 'Big Event' which gathers clients, Faculty and Sponsors presents awards to outstanding volunteers/Faculty.  Clients, Faculty and Sponsors exhibit at the Annual BOI Trade Fair.

5. Sponsors are solicited to provide scholarships to offset course fees.  The standard cost for 1 hour of counseling or course participation is $100.  The typical scholarship credit it $90.  We also arrange for discounts at FedEx, FastSigns, Insurance Brokers, etc. (probably in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce.)  We arrange tours of Sponsor companies or presentations to clients.  Chambers may offer discounts on memberships to encourage future membership by BOI Clients.

6. We principally delivery content in these areas:

• Introduction to Business Ownership, What is entrepreneurship? Is it for you?  (This is our 'Feeder' course, triage for people who want to start a business)
• Creating a business plan; elements
• Sales & Marketing
• Operations
• Various Compliance focused material: Formation, Certifications, Taxes, HR, Insurance, etc.

See my other curriculum ideas here.  The 'Big Picture' should dominate.  More work/thought needed here.

6. There is a basic 13 week cycle in BOI Content Delivery.  We move the presentations around the city

• Intro every 2 weeks
• Biz Plan every month
• Faculty invite every other month
• Faculty training every other month
• Sales & Marketing every month
• Kathryn/Julie fill in 

7. Why do we do this?

We believe that a community with more active, involved and aspiring stakeholders is a better community.  Business Owners create value and take risks to better themselves, families and customers.  They inspire success and achievement and present a role model for youth.  Business owners transform economies: education, employment, standard of living,

Competitive offerings:

Phoenix:  School of Business, Bachelor of Science in Business, with a Concentration in Small Business, Management & Entrepreneurship

"...accounting, critical thinking and decision making, finance, business law, management, marketing, organizational behavior, research and evaluation, and technology."  $33K-$75K, four years, full time, Bachelor of Science, see PDF here.

IVY Tech: From Concept to Commerce and Gayle and Bill Cook Center for Entrepreneurship in Bloomington 

"...understanding your personal approach to entrepreneurship. Class activities include developing a personal vision and a business concept statement. Self-assessments and class discussion lead participants to an understanding of their unique approach to entrepreneurship." 

"..practical, hands-on business development series designed to help entrepreneurs hone the skills needed to create, manage and grow a successful business. Course participants don't just learn about business, they live it. They work on their own business ideas or ventures throughout the course - moving their ventures to reality or new levels of growth."

University of Indianapolis: Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is a program utilizing nontraditional business training. The emphasis of this major will be business creation. Classes will address business concerns from the perspective of a small start-up business. Some topics will include:

• funding
• venture capital
• small business administration
• business incubators

Students will be pushed to network with local entrepreneurs and small business groups.  See syllabus here.

IUPUI Community Learning Network: Certificate in Entrepreneurship

Classes cover developing business plans, locating capital, understanding tax and legal liability, knowing new selling techniques, and more. From solo entrepreneurs to businesses with many employees, small business means jobs and stability.  $35 registration fee.  Requires four classes at about $160 ea.  See Course descriptions here.  All given at Park 100.

IN Small Business Development Center: Launching Your Own Business: A Sound And Proven Path Workshop

Prepare yourself to create a sound business plan, manage expectations, and increase your chances of accessing capital.  1 on 1 counseling at no charge.  Workbooks are $25, (25 page excerpt here,) free with the course (on-line and in person.)  See Services Overview here.  They have a pretty cool on-line intake form here.

The West Virginia Women's Business Center offers Ed2Go (a brand of Cengage) courses for $99:

These are 6 week, 12 session programs taught on-line.  The sample lesson was all reading material and includes on-line quizzes - which are neat.  It also includes a pre-test, resources including book recommendations.