Curriculum

The Cranium Incubator will teach and give examples of knowledge and behaviors critical to success in starting and running a business. There will be additional interactive question/answer sessions after educational sessions to discuss specific situations. We will have these meeting types:

Educational sessions
Deep-dive Q&A sessions after the educational sessions
Individual mentoring
Mingle meetings where attendees can get to know each other and network

1. Introduction	Meet and greet Overview of classes
2. Motivation and Challenges/Rewards of Being an Entrepreneur	The importance of motivation and feeding your mind Level of effort required Importance of a team Qualities of a good entrepreneur Monetary and non-monetary rewards
3. Mission, Vision and Strategy	Mission statement Vision statement Definition of business strategy Value proposition development
4. Market, Customer Discovery and Competition	Market/Customer discovery Competition Marketing/Sales approaches
5. Business Setup Steps Required	Select company name, slogan, logo design, etc. Advantages/disadvantages of different business entity types Intellectual property protection Is a business plan worth the time?
6. Unit Economics and KPI's	Unit economics Pricing models Gross margin per product sold, service provided or user What are KPI's and which ones should you track?
7. Accounting I	Why is accounting important? How to read income statements, balance sheets and cash flow statements
8. Accounting II	Payroll Income taxes Financial projections Software/Outside services
9. How to Present to Investors and What to Do if You Catch a Tiger	Elevator pitch development Presentation do's and don'ts Common mistakes to avoid Due diligence
10. Finance/Funding	Sources of funding Valuation determination Amount to raise Different types of investment vehicles Closing the investment and post-closing
11. Running Your Business I	What does the hiring process look like? Management of employees Company values and culture Business operating systems Customer service basics
12. Running Your Business II	The importance of negotiation Contracts and agreements Expense control/ROI
13. Marketing and Sales	Marketing development Tools to set up your website Sales basics
14. Self-Care	Importance of nutrition to success The good, the bad, and the ugly