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 Edison Guzman.
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
*How to use AI 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
* How to automate your Marketing with AI tools available today
* …and much more!
Edison Guzman
Edison has been teaching the ESP course over 23 years, and has helped hundreds of individuals start or grow their business. He is the lead instructor of 10 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 in Montgomery, NY.
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 Mondays and Wednesdays from 6pm to 9pm starting February 5, 2024.
The tuition is only $399. Save $100 and pay only $299 when you register by 2/1/24.
BONUS: Every student who resides or owns a business within the Town of Montgomery gets one year free membership at the Business Council of Greater Montgomery – BCGM (valued at $245). Existing members get an additional year added to their membership. You also get 1 Year Membership at The Business Learning Center ($499 value). Register by clicking button below.
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 Mondays and Wednesdays from 6pm to 9pm.
Day 1 – [Edison Guzman] February 5, 2024
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
Day 2 – [Edison Guzman] February 7, 2024
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] February 12, 2024
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] February 14, 2024
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] February 21, 2024
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
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
Day 7 – [Kirstin Cerone, CPA, MBA] February 28, 2024
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 – [Barry Connolly] March 4, 2024
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 9 – [Domenic Baiocco] March 6, 2024
6pm Session 1- Preparing a financing proposal
- 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?
Creating a System to Exponentially Grow Your Business
- How to create the fire 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
Day 10 – [Edison Guzman] March 11, 2024
119 Ways to attract customers Part 1
- 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
Day 11 – [Edison Guzman] March 13, 2024
- Anatomy of the perfect ad
- 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
- Creating the right budget for your marketing strategies and advertising campaigns
Day 12 – [Charlene Finerty] March 18, 2024
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 – [Charlene Finerty] March 20, 2024
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 – [Eric Egeland] March 25, 2024
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 15 – [Kelly M. Caldwell, SHRM-SCP] March 27, 2024
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 16 – [Gary Schuster] April 1, 2024
6:00 pm to 7:30 pm – Session 1
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
7:30 – 9pm – Session 2 – April 3, 2024
Creating a business empire
- How to fire up Social Media for maximum exposure
- What it takes to grow your business’s full potential
- The tools necessary to successfully grow your business
- How to network yourself to success
- How to get the right message out to your target audience
Day 17 – [Edison Guzman] April 8, 2024 – Business plan due
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
Day 18 – [Edison Guzman] April 10, 2024
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
Day 19 – [Edison Guzman] April 15, 2024 – Get back plans
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
Day 20 – [Edison Guzman] April 17, 2024 – Graduation!
Creating a winning mindset
- Final thoughts
- Final questions
- Graduation
- Certificate disbursements