BizLab: Essentials of Entrepreneurship + Building Your Small Business
with Will Carlson
Small business adviser / owner, Carlson consulting llc
“The more deeply our work stirs imagination and corresponds to images that lie there at the bedrock of identity and fate, the more it will have soul. Work is an attempt to find an adequate alchemy that both wakens and satisfies the very root of being. Most of us put a great deal of time into work, not only because we have to work so many hours to make a living, but because work is central to the soul’s opus. We are crafting ourselves, individuating, to use the Jungian term. Work is fundamental to the opus because the whole point of life is the fabrication of the soul.. Therefore, finding the right work is like discovering your own soul in the world.”
Overview:
All businesses start from the same place: an idea. We all have a creative spark that we want turn into something tangible. Making that leap is not without its challenges; however, I challenge you to sit down with your idea, and ask not how, but when.
My name is Will Carlson and I recently started my own bookkeeping/small business consulting firm. I had worked with a variety of businesses and became engaged and inspired by the systems business owners use to make strategic financial decisions. I come to BizLab ready to share my insights in the field, as well as nurture the excitement of small business owners, as well as the fears and anxiety that comes with starting your own business.
First and foremost, this course is about each entrepreneur and the ideas that they incubate. There is not a one-size-fits-all approach; however, there are certain vital resources as well as best practices for managing your business as well as your health. Stress comes with running a business; it does not have to be your baseline! At the conclusion of this course, you will have an arsenal of resources to ensure a smooth transition from idea to reality and a foundation for managing the nuts and bolts of small business finance.
Structure:
BizLab will consist of several in-person, individualized meetings with course instructor, allowing students extensive feedback and face time as they begin to sculpt their idea into an operable business model. There will also be collaboration via an online group forum where students can exchange ideas as they continue on their separate trajectories toward their goals.
At the conclusion of the course, students will have the following:
A robust list of local, state and national resources to tap into for their business
A basic ability to produce meaningful financial data for their business
An understanding of which methods of financial recordkeeping are most practical for their line of work
An understanding of how to streamline billing customers and paying vendors
An idea of what the overhead costs of your business will look like, and how much income you need to bring in to pay yourself a reasonable, living wage
Throughout the course, and moving at your pace, you will receive:
- Six 2-hour individual immersion workshops with instructor
- Two 2-hour Group Sessions with instructor + Guest Speakers from the Burlington business community
- One 1-hour mid-course meetup with instructor
- Access to an exclusive online group forum
THEMES FREQUENTLY COVERED:
How to springboard your idea to a tangible product or service
Gathering and sharing resources within the network of small businesses
Capacity as an owner: determining which aspects of the business you want to have full control over and which you will “farm out” to other professionals
Essential training for managing your own QuickBooks account and extracting meaningful financial data
Course Dates: Individualized one-on-one courses, open enrollment begins July 1, 2017. Group Sessions dates will be decided upon as a group, with teacher once course begins.
Time: The pace and cadence of the program is to be determined by you and the instructor, and will take into consideration the needs of the student and their small business start-up.
Location: Burlington, VT
Pre-Requisites: None
Instructor Bio:
Will Carlson is the owner of Carlson Consulting LLC, a bookkeeping/small business consulting firm based in Burlington, VT, working with a variety of business owners across different industries, including real estate, insurance brokerage, restaurants and more. Will’s greatest enjoyment comes from streamlining systems to improve efficiencies in work flow for business owners. He is a certified QuickBooks Pro Advisor, proficient in QuickBooks for Desktop, Mac and Online.
You can learn more about Will’s services and the scope of his business here: http://www.willcarlsonconsulting.com
Certification: Students will receive a certification of completion from Temenos VermontT .
Tuition:
Sliding Scale Fees: Sustaining: $2,600 Mid: $2,415 Base: $1,832.50
Please note that 'sustaining' fees reflect the "actual" at-cost fee for running this program. Students are invited to pay within their means, at the sliding scale 'tier' that feels most manageable. Payment Plans are available for students for this course.
Scholarship: VSAC Non-Degree Grants Available to Cover Partial Tuition.
For further inquiries + questions regarding the COURSE (interest in course, specifics of course material, personal concerns), email the instructor:
Will Carlson willcarlsonconsulting@gmail.com
Celebrating Success
Some of our past clients include but are not limited to:
Adena Rose Ayurveda
Where Designs
Healing Soulstice
Standing Land Herbalism
Emily Erwin, Clinical Herbalist