Entrepreneurial Success Program
Why Enroll in the ESP Program?
The ESP program was designed to help you create a better plan for the success of your business. The education will accelerate your success, minimize your failure rate, refine every aspect of your business idea and on occasion, dissuade you from making the mistake of starting the wrong business. It is a collaboration of the Town of Montgomery, the Business Council of Greater Montgomery and the Orange County Chamber of Commerce.
Edison Guzman
Edison has been teaching the ESP course for years, and has helped hundreds of individuals start or grow their business. He is the lead instructor of 9 professionals, who are experts in their fields. By taking part of this 10 week course, you’ll get the most powerful and complete education on business building, you’ll ever get. No other school teaches what you’ll learn in this course over the 10 week period.
Edison is currently owner of Prosperity Marketing, LLC. A marketing firm specializing in Digital and Traditional Marketing. He is also the author of How to Attract Customers, Everything You Need to Know About SEO, and other books.
Classes will meet at 110 Bracken Rd. Montgomery, NY 12549
What You'll Learn:
* How to create realistic, profitable business goals
* Is your business idea worthy?
* How to win as an entrepreneur (Most businesses fail within 5 years)
* Using Social Media to grow your business
* Digital Marketing and advertising strategies proven to grow your business
* How to build an effective and powerful online presence
* Federal and NYS tax requirements
* Preparing a financing proposal
* How to choose the right business insurance
* 119 Ways to attract customers
* How to write a powerful business plan
* How to properly create sales projections
* How to write an effective marketing plan
* The truth about trademarks, copyrights and patents
* Human Resources and handling employees
* How to increase your business net worth with a powerful network
* How to create a business empire
* Simple strategies for scaling up your business
* Psychology of sales and why people buy
* How to create a winning mindset
* How to create and optimize standard operations procedures
* How to create winning joint ventures for exponential growth
* …and much more!
By the end of the course, you’ll have a business plan you can use for starting, funding, or growing a retail, service, professional or online business.
The Entrepreneurial Success Program (ESP) is 20 (in-person) sessions, held over a 10 week period on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6pm to 9pm starting September 8th, 2022.
The tuition is only $399. Save $100 and pay only $299 when you register by 9/1/22.
Thanks to a COVID-Relief grant specifically for the Town of Montgomery, if you are a resident of the Town of Montgomery, you are eligible for full tuition reimbursement upon meeting the course requirements.
BONUS: Every student who resides or owns a business within the Town of Montgomery gets one year free membership at the Orange County Chamber of Commerce (valued at $457) and the Business Council of Greater Montgomery – BCGM (valued at $245). Existing members get an additional year added to their membership. Register by clicking button below. You will be transferred to the Orange County Chamber website for payment information and immediate registration.
Download this Free Report Now!
Whether you’re just starting out, or have been in business for decades, the ten pages in this report may change your life.
Course Curriculum
The following curriculum is subject to change based on instructor availability. All classes meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6pm to 9pm.
Session 1 – [Edison Guzman] September 8, 2022
Creating your business goals
- 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
Session 2 – [Edison Guzman] September 13, 2022
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
Session 3 – [Edison Guzman] September 15, 2022
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
Session 4 – [Edison Guzman] September, 20, 2022
Marketing and advertising strategies to grow your business
- 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
Session 5 – [Edison Guzman] September 22, 2022
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 build a website from scratch using WordPress
- How to choose the most effective social media platforms for your business
- How to set up a Facebook business page, YouTube Channel, Google My Business, LinkedIn page and other social media profiles
- How to choose the best eCommerce tools to automate some of your business
- How to properly optimize your website so that people find you on search engines
Session 6 – [Edison Guzman] September 27, 2022
How to build an effective and powerful online presence – Part 2
- How to use social media responsibly
- Social Media shortcuts for business
- Ensuring your online brand and presence are communicated properly online
- The seven online strategies all business owners must implement for maximum exposure
Session 7 – [Domenic Baiocco] September 29, 2022
6pm Session – Preparing a financing proposal
- Communicating your financial needs to lenders and investors
- What do lenders look for in a loan application?
- The 3 C’s of credit
- How the loan process works for your business
- Are there grants available for your business?
7:30pm Session – [Peter Artusa]
Zero to a Million
- The tools necessary to successfully scale up your business
- What it takes to grow from 5 figures to 7 figures in revenue
- How to set up the right process for your business
- Knowing when to sell or keep the business growing
Session 8 – [Keith Hunter] October 4, 2022
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
Session 9 – [Eric Egeland] October 6, 2022
6pm Session – 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 – 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
Session 10 – [Kirstin Cerone, CPA, MBA] October 11, 2022
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
Session 11 – [Edison Guzman] October 13, 2022
119 Ways to attract customers
- Choosing the best traditional media to promote your business (Radio, TV, Cable, Print)
- Choosing the best digital marketing strategies to grow your business
- How to choose the best strategies specifically for your business
- The concept behind sales funnels
- Traditional vs Digital Marketing
- Content marketing creation and syndication
- How to use colors in your branding
- How to use power words to enhance your communication and increase sales
- Anatomy of the perfect ad
Session 12 – [Charlene Finerty] October 18, 2022
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
Session 13 – [Charlene Finerty] October 20, 2022
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
Session 14 – [Edison Guzman] October 25, 2022
Writing your marketing plan – Session Moved to November 15th
- Work on your business plans
Session 15 – [Gary Schuster] October 27, 2022
6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
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
Creating Your Business Operation Blueprints
- What’s a BOP?
- 10 different BOPs every business needs for success
- How to create your own BOP
- Scaling your business with the right BOPs
Session 16 – [Kelly M. Caldwell, SHRM-SCP] November 1, 2022
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
Session 17 – [Dickie Baxter] November 3, 2022
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
Session 18 – [Edison Guzman] November 8, 2022 – Get back corrected business plans
How to scale up your business
- Automating your sales conversion strategy for maximum growth
- How to keep more of your customers happy for long term growth
- How to increase the dollar amount per transaction without increasing prices
- How to track sales
Session 19 – [Edison Guzman] November 10, 2022
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
Session 14 – [Edison Guzman] November 15, 2022 (Makeup Session)
Writing your marketing plan
- How to ensure you meet your financial goals
- How to create a realistic ad budget
- Prioritizing Marketing strategies
- How to ensure your branding and message are consistent
- How to ensure maximum ROI for each strategy
- How to create a productive marketing calendar for your business
- When to implement the scale-up formula for your business
Session 20 – [Edison Guzman] November 16, 2022 – Graduation!
Creating a winning mindset
- Final thoughts
- Final questions
- Graduation
- Certificate disbursements