ESP Curriculum
Course Curriculum
The following curriculum is subject to change based on instructor availability. All classes meet on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6pm to 9pm.
Day 1 – [Edison Guzman]
Creating your business Goals and Purpose
- How to create attainable goals for starting and growing your business
- How to set yourself up for success
- How to create goals that outlast your competition
- How to ensure you have chosen the right business that will help you reach your goals and life’s purpose
Day 2 – [Edison Guzman]
Is your business idea worthy?
- How to know if you’re in the right business, or starting the right business
- How to create a profitable business plan
- Key components a business plan should contain
- What lenders are looking for in a business plan
- Traditional and creative strategies to fund your business
Day 3 – [Edison Guzman]
Running your business smoothly
- How to establish procedures and systems that run your business
- Creating the perfect organizational hierarchy for your business
- Identifying your personal business strengths and weaknesses
- How to properly use a S.W.O.T. analysis to grow your business
Day 4 – [Edison Guzman]
Marketing and advertising strategies to grow your business
- 7 questions all business owners must answer
- 4 steps to exponential growth
- How to create a customer avatar
- How to identify and find your target market
- Researching your target market and demographics
- What is LTV and how can it exponentially grow your business
- How to calculate your ad budget
Day 5 – [Edison Guzman]
How to build an effective and powerful online presence – Part 1
- How to choose and register the best domain name for your business
- How to properly optimize your website so that people find you on search engines
- How to choose the most effective social media platforms for your business
- How to set up a Facebook business page, YouTube Channel, Google Business Profile, LinkedIn page and other social media profiles
- How to choose the best eCommerce tools to automate some of your business
Day 6 – [Edison Guzman]
How to build an effective and powerful online presence – Part 2
- How to use social media responsibly
- Social Media shortcuts for business
- Ensuring your brand and presence are communicated properly online
- The seven online strategies all business owners must implement for maximum exposure
- Best strategies for using video to build authority online
- What is AI and how to use it for exponential growth
- Using the best Email Marketing strategies for short and long term growth
Day 7 – [Kirstin Cerone, CPA, MBA]
Federal and NYS tax requirements
- Choosing the best legal entity for your new business
- Financial Overview: Books, Records and Controls
- Financial statements and their uses
- How accounting systems guide growth
- Tax filing schedule for your business
- How to legally reduce your tax liability
- How to avoid tax penalties from both the IRS and NYS
Day 8 – [Edison Guzman]
How to Advertise on Google and YouTube
- A step-by-step process for setting up all your ads
- What is PPC and how to budget properly
- Choosing the best ad strategy for promoting your business
- How to grow your YouTube channel with minimum ad budget
- How to decipher Google Analytics to make the best ad decisions for your business
- The best program to use for paying only for results
Day 9 – [Walden Savings Bank]
6pm Session 1- What Banks Look for in an Application
- Communicating your financial needs to lenders and investors
- What do lenders look for in a loan application?
- The 5 C’s of credit
- How the loan process works for your business
- Are there grants available for your business?
7:30pm Session 2 – Email Marketing for Your Business
- How to create an effective short term and long term email marketing campaign
- Email Marketing Systems to use for your business
- How to create follow up campaigns for revenue automation
Day 10 – [Eric Egeland]
6pm Session 1 – Alternative Funding for Your Business
- Four alternatives to traditional lending
- Two types of investments that pay off for your business
- The three types of investors that may fund your business
- What’s a winning investment
- Negotiating with your investors
7:30 pm Session 2 – Using Financials to Manage Your Business
- How to set up income and expense categories that will help you manage your business
- Profit & Loss vs. Balance sheet
- How to setup a budget and use it to measure success
- Intro to QuickBooks Online
Day 11 – [Edison Guzman]
Advertising on Facebook/Instagram
- A step-by-step process for advertising on these platforms
- Creating the right strategy behind your ads
- How to Boost an ad effectively and for maximum results
- How to create ads that get your intended results
- How to research your competition
- How to use power words, images and videos to enhance your communication and increase sales
Day 12 – [Edison Guzman]
Writing the business plan
- Introduction to business plan format
- Review outlines/forms to use in class
- Table of Contents, Narrative, Appendix, Spreadsheets
- Be ready to write 1/2 to 2/3 of Narrative
- Funds Needed/Start-Up or Expansion Expenses, Owner Investment, Assets Owned
Day 13 – [Edison Guzman]
Finish Writing Narrative
- Appendix List = review suggestions to include
- Step-by-Step review of Cash Flow Forecast and Notes
- Includes Sales, Cash Receipts, Advertising, Personnel Schedules Forecasts
- Overview methods to Create 2nd & 3rd Years Cash Flows/Schedules Forecasts
Day 14 – [Edison Guzman]
Creating a Winning Financial Forecast for Your Business
- What goes into a good financial forecast
- How do you determine future earnings
- How do you determine future expenses
- How to determine the right pricing for your product or service
- What does a bank look for in your financial forecast
- How does the financial forecast fit into your business plan
- What is the Appendix, and how/when do you use it
Day 15 – [Dickie Baxter]
Creating a business empire
- How to create the fire that drives your business
- What it takes to grow your business’s full potential
- The tools necessary to successfully grow your business
- How to set up the right process for your business
- Creating and implementing business success habits
April 1, 2024 is Easter Weekend – No Class
Day 16 – [Kelly M. Caldwell, SHRM-SCP] – Business plan due
Human Resources
- Employee payroll and compliance
- Employee management tactics
- Labor laws & regulations
- Employment best practices
- What goes into an employee manual
- Keeping up with employee state laws
- What constitutes an employee vs. an independent contractor
Day 17 – [Greg Hogan, CRM]
How to choose the right business insurance
- Protecting your business from all types of liabilities
- Why choosing the wrong insurance can mean the end of your business
- How to ensure you are personally protected from a litigious society
- How to get the best value out of your business insurance without sacrificing security
Day 18 – [Edison Guzman] – Get plans back
Psychology of sales
- How to create an effective sales system
- How different people decide if they should buy from you
- Words that work like magic and increase sales
- How to create instant rapport
- How to get people to instantly Know, Like and Trust you
- Understanding yourself, what motivates you and how to reduce stress
Day 19 – [Gary Schuster]
Session 1 – 6pm: Trademarks, Copyrights and Patents
- How to properly research your ideas
- How to protect your idea
- How to protect your intellectual property
- Tips for non-profit organizations
- DFY vs DIY
Session 2 – 7:30pm [Edison Guzman]
Creating an Operating System That Helps Run a Smooth Business
- How to create a system that drives your business
- How to set up the right process for your business
- Creating and implementing business success habits
- Scaling your business with the right SOPs
- Creating IGA’s for insuring business success
Day 20 – [Edison Guzman] – Graduation!
Creating a winning mindset
- Final thoughts
- Final questions
- Graduation
- Certificate disbursements