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Blackerby Associates
Kauffman FastTrac®
Take Charge of Your Business™
FastTrac

Presented in
partnership with:

Stealthmode Partners

Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

Entrepreneurship.orgEntrepreneurship.org
Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship Foundation

Town of Gilbert

City of Tempe

West Mesa Community Development Corporation
West Mesa Community Development Corporation

City of Maricopa

"In three years,
FastTrac helped us
take the business
from a struggling
start-up to a mature
industry. We went
from a 300 sq.ft.
abandoned building
and 3 employees to
an 11,000 sq.ft.
facility and 40 em-
ployees. I attribute
it to the fact that we
applied everything
we learned in
FastTrac."

Michael Richards
Founder, Candleworks
National Small Business
Owner of the Year Award
Welfare-to-Work, 1997

NEW!
Spring 2011
NewVenture™
Schedule!

 Kauffman FastTrac 

Join the FastTrac® business planning training program. In the FastTrac environment you can step back and look at your whole business:

  • Shore up your financials.
  • Improve operational efficiency.
  • Explore emerging markets.

FastTrac provides the expertise and structure to help you achieve your business goals.

What is FastTrac?
FastTrac is a practical, hands-on business development program designed to help entrepreneurs hone the skills needed to create, manage and grow a successful business. As a FastTrac participant, you will work on your own business ideas or ventures throughout the course – moving your ventures to new levels of performance.

What You Get

 
  • Entrepreneur's Manual
  • Ten training sessions
  • Ten guest speakers
  • One-on-one counseling
  • Review of your business plan,
    or feasibility study
  • Access to FastTrac on-line
    business toolkits
  • Action Steps templates for
    each module
  • Activities and worksheets tied
    to each module
  • Streaming video & audio tips
    by successful entrepreneurs
  • Links to web sites, books &
    information to develop
    entrepreneurial skills

    In a series of ten weekly three-hour sessions, and in one-on-one coaching meetings, you'll work on your business, instead of in your business. You'll identify your competition, how to penetrate your market, and the legal aspects of operating a business. You'll look at all aspects of your company and be able to write a business plan to address present and future needs.

    Through FastTrac, you'll study with a group of peers – entrepreneurs like yourself – who are working to improve their businesses. You'll work with certified instructors with real business experience who understand the challenges of operating and growing small businesses. In this supportive environment, you'll incubate new business ideas, uncover areas that need reinforcing, and establish a foundation from which to make decisions.

    FastTrac is offered in three versions:

    • FastTrac GrowthVenture™ for established businesses that want higher-level performance;
    • FastTrac TechVenture™ for companies with protectable intellectual property seeking funding;
    • FastTrac NewVenture™ for entrepreneurs who want to analyze the feasibility of their business idea before investing in it.

    What does FastTrac cost?
    FastTrac participation is FREE! Some classes charge participants for the book ($150); in other classes, books are also free! And when two people from the same company can share a book, they get to share what they learn with each other, doubling the benefits. Everyone is welcome to try it first! Attend your first session free, without obligation. Sign up today!


    FastTrac GrowthVenture:
    Grow The Bottom Line

    Register Online for GrowthVenture in Gilbert
    Register
    GrowthVenture
    in Gilbert
    Register Online for GrowthVenture in Maricopa
    FastTrac
    NewVenture
    in Maricopa
    What do you get out of FastTrac? Control of your business and your life. Graduates say FastTrac helps entrepreneurs streamline business processes, analyze strengths and shortcomings, and achieve balance in their work and personal lives.

    Working closely with other entrepreneurs in the intensive FastTrac environment, you'll share ideas, strategies and successes. You'll hone business skills that will shape your business for years to come. Through FastTrac, you will:

  • Learn a successful business planning process.
  • Write a business plan focused on growth strategies and effective management.
  • Understand your market opportunities.
  • Gain insight on how to use resources to your best advantage.
  • Network with entrepreneurial peers.
  • Create valuable mentor relationships.
  • Understand key business concepts: marketing, market position, financial statements, customer relations and operations.
  • Access a library of tools, including financial projection templates, to help you build a better business plan.

    * All sessions are at Town of Gilbert, Municipal Office Building II, Room 100, 90 E. Civic Center Dr., Gilbert, AZ 85296 (Map) on Tuesdays, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
    FastTrac GrowthVenture
    Gilbert, Arizona*
    Winter
    2011

    Setting Direction 
       1. Sizing Up Your Business01/25 
           Module 1 Text (3.0 MB) 
       2. Exploring Growth
           Opportunities
    02/01 
           Module 2 Text (3.4 MB) 
       3. Making Strategic
           Decisions
    02/08 
    Taking Action
       4. Using Financial Tools02/15 
       5. Strengthening the
           Product/Service
    02/22 
       6. Seizing the Market03/01 
       7. Leading the Organization03/08 
       8. Managing Operations
           for Growth
    03/15 
       9. Charting Financial
           Performance
    03/22 
     10. Making it Happen03/29 



    * All sessions are at City of Maricopa, 45145 W. Madison Ave., Maricopa, AZ (Map) on Thursdays, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
    FastTrac GrowthVenture
    Maricopa, Arizona*
    Winter
    2011

    Setting Direction 
       1. Sizing Up Your Business01/27 
           Module 1 Text (3.0 MB) 
       2. Exploring Growth
           Opportunities
    02/03 
           Module 2 Text (3.4 MB) 
       3. Making Strategic
           Decisions
    02/10 
    Taking Action
       4. Using Financial Tools02/17 
       5. Strengthening the
           Product/Service
    02/24 
       6. Seizing the Market03/03 
       7. Leading the Organization03/10 
       8. Managing Operations
           for Growth
    03/17 
       9. Charting Financial
           Performance
    03/24 
     10. Making it Happen03/31 
     

    FastTrac TechVenture:
    Communicate Your Investment Potential

    Register Online for TechVenture in Tempe
    FastTrac
    TechVenture
    in Tempe
    The goal of FastTrac TechVenture is to enable you to develop your business plan, "elevator pitch" and investor presentation. You will learn to communicate effectively your market opportunities, business concept, financial plan, management team and investment potential.

    FastTrac TechVenture is designed for entrepreneurs in technology or life sciences. It focuses on the specific needs of entrepreneurs with protectable intellectual property, helping you to:

  • Develop your technology to meet market needs.
  • Protect your intellectual property assets.
  • Understand the markets for your technology.
  • Project the market and business potential of your technology.
  • Develop and practices your pitch to potential investors.
  • Create a business to make money from your technology through any combination of licensing, sale, manufacturing or marketing.

    ** All sessions are at Terralever, 425 S. Mill Ave. (@ E. 5th St.), 2nd floor, Tempe, AZ 85281 (Map), on Mondays, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
    FastTrac TechVenture
    Tempe, Arizona**
    Winter
    2011

    Concept Analysis
      1. Exploring Entrepreneurship02/07 
          Module 1 Text (2.5 MB) 
      2. Defining the Target
          Market
    02/14 
          Module 2 Text (2.0 MB) 
      3. Conducting Market
          Research and Analysis
    02/21 
          Module 3 Text (1.4 MB) 
      4. Testing Your Business
          Concept
    02/28 
    Business Planning
      5. Entering & Capturing
          the Market
    03/07 
      6. Planning for Finanical
          Success
    03/14 
      7. Building & Compensating
          Your Organizational Team
    03/21 
      8. Protecting the Business &
          Your Intellectual Property
    03/28 
      9. Identifying Funding and
          Working with Investors
    04/04 
    10. Managing Cash and
          Operating Your Business
    04/11 
     

    FastTrac NewVenture:
    Test the Water

    Register Online for NewVenture in Mesa
    FastTrac
    NewVenture
    in Mesa
    Before you quit your job or invest your life savings, wouldn't it be nice to know if your idea has merit? In FastTrac NewVenture, you'll study your venture's feasibility, strengths and weaknesses, examining your idea from every angle.

    You'll also work closely with other aspiring entrepreneurs sharing ideas and strategies, laying the groundwork for future business relationships. Through FastTrac NewVenture, you'll discover whether the life of an entrepreneur is right for you! You will:

  • Practice a feasibility planning process.
  • Write a feasibility plan to refine your idea and assess your venture's viability.
  • Learn research skills you can apply to any venture.
  • Understand the plusses and minuses of common business entry strategies.
  • Network with entrepreneurial peers.
  • Develop valuable mentor relationships.
  • Gain a sense of yourself as an entrepreneur.
  • Access a library of business reference materials, including an electronic feasibility planning template you can apply to other ideas.

    * All sessions are at West Mesa Community Development Corporation, 567 W. 10th St., Mesa, AZ (Map), on Wednesdays, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon..
    West Mesa Business Incubator
    FastTrac NewVenture
    Mesa, Arizona*
    Spring
    2011

    Concept Analysis
       1. Exploring Entrepreneurship04/06 
       2. Identifying & Meeting
           Market Needs
    04/13 
       3. Setting Finanical Goals04/20 
    Business Planning
       4. Planning the
           Product/Service
    04/27 
       5. Researching & Analyzing
           the Market
    05/04 
       6. Reaching the Market05/11 
       7. Building the Organization
           and Team
    05/18 
       8. Planning for a Profitable
           Business
    05/25 
       9. Monitoring Cash Flow
           and Seeking Funds
    06/01 
     10. Implementing Next Steps06/08 

    Take Charge, Now!
    Consumed with day-to-day operations, many entrepreneurs push planning to the back burner. But that may not be what your competitor is doing. Make an investment in your business and your life, and start accruing the benefits of FastTrac today.

    "FastTrac forced my partner and me to have some heads-down meetings on our business, looking at all aspects of it from finances and marketing to operations. It forced us to step back from our business and plan. Three years ago, we were taking shortcuts and not giving certain areas their due. today, we are much more conscious about focusing on all aspects that are key to running our business. FastTrac is certainly part of what is making us successful."
    Adrienne Lumpkin, President, Alternate Access, Inc.

    Program
    Leaders


    Phillip Blackerby
    Phillip
    Blackerby

    Program
    Facilitator

    Francine Hardaway, Ph.D.
    Dr. Francine
    Hardaway

    Business
    Counselor

    Ed Nusbaum
    Ed Nusbaum

    Business
    Counselor

    See how students
    rate the program.

    Participant
    evaluations


    "There's a
    wonderful
    sharing of
    information
    and ideas from
    the other people
    in the class. In
    FastTrac, you
    realize you
    aren't alone in
    dreaming. You
    realize there
    are others
    out there who
    have wonderful
    ideas."
    Anne-Merelie Murrell
    Pres., Giroux Glass
    Inc. Top 100 Inner
    City Co's.

    FastTrac Co. of the Year, 1998

    "The tuition for the
    FastTrac class was
    the best money our
    company has ever
    spent. We emerged
    more focused, more
    confident, and with
    a great business
    plan. We would
    enthusiastically
    recommend this
    course for any
    serious
    entrepreneur."
    Dan Dye, Co-founder
    Three Dog Bakery