Introducing Vision2Venture: Success Starts Here
By: Aries Payne
Are you an entrepreneur dreaming of turning your idea into a thriving business? Or are you a small business owner looking to scale up? If so, you may be able to take advantage of our new Vision2Venture (V2V) cohort, a program powered by the University of Houston Texas Gulf Coast SBDC Network designed to equip aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners with the necessary tools and knowledge they need to succeed.
We sat down with Robert Johnson, the Director of and mastermind behind Vision2Venture, to learn more about the program and its offerings.
About Vision2Venture Cohorts
Q: What inspired you to launch these cohorts for small businesses and entrepreneurs?
A: I launched these cohorts to offer alternatives to traditional entrepreneurship education. Through my experience in adult education, language teaching, and entrepreneurship accelerators, I have observed that student-centered methods enhance knowledge gains, retention, engagement, and persistence. These cohorts aim to complement traditional lectures and training by focusing modules on the typical needs of founders in their current business phase, providing a tailored and effective learning experience.
Q: What are the key challenges you identified that this program addresses for participants?
A: Each cohort addresses different challenges:
- Entrepreneurship 101 assists service-based startups in determining feasibility, bankability, legality, and operational fitness. It tackles the key challenge of not knowing how to start a business properly.
- StartSmart helps existing businesses create well-organized business plans for proper operation and growth.
- GrowSmart addresses the challenges of growth-stage businesses, such as profitability, delegation, organizational structure, and cash flow, which stem from being too owner-centered, unorganized, or having insufficient cash flow.
Q: How does the cohort model benefit participants compared to a traditional individual advising or training class approach?
A: The cohort model is a supplementary approach that builds relationships and skills and accelerates entrepreneurs’ growth. While lectures have their place, I know from learning science that they aren’t the most efficient educational model for entrepreneurs. That said, entrepreneurs typically flourish in active, engaging environments with application activities, and the flipped classroom concept ignites them.
Additionally, advisors are often asked to assist with feasibility, startup costs, legalities, operations, financials, cash flow analysis, business planning, and leadership questions. We spend a lot of time one-on-one with our clients, but cohorts enable clients to learn together on these same topics. This frees up time for business advisors to focus on problems that can’t be covered in a general cohort format.
Q: How does the program accommodate the diverse needs and goals of businesses within a single cohort?
A: For service-based businesses like restaurants, landscaping, schools, and doctor’s offices, we offer three programs: Entrepreneurship 101 for new businesses to learn fundamentals, StartSmart for writing business plans, and GrowSmart for addressing challenges faced by businesses earning $300,000+ in revenue.
These programs cover the entire business lifecycle, from pre-venture to growth, ensuring tailored support for various stages and types of businesses.
Q: Beyond curriculum delivery, are there opportunities for participants to work on real-world business challenges within the cohort?
A: Yes, participants work on real-world business challenges centered on their own businesses. The curriculum includes short, five-minute lectures followed by application activities, discussions, and presentations about their businesses.
For those without a business idea seeking education, we provide case studies and hypothetical scenarios to develop their skills. This approach ensures practical, hands-on learning tailored to each participant’s needs.
Q: How is mentorship incorporated into the program? Do participants have access to mentors outside of the cohort as well?
A: Mentorship is integrated into the cohort sessions through industry experts and relevant professionals. For example, in Entrepreneurship 101, a banker is present when developing startup costs and understanding the basics of securing a bank loan or funding. This approach ensures that participants receive guidance from experienced individuals in specific areas.
Q: Does the program offer opportunities for continued networking, resources, and support after completion?
A: Absolutely. A key part of the program is understanding entrepreneurs’ needs and connecting them to existing resources, such as SBDCs, network mentors, or SCORE advisors.
We also refer them to specialized resources for growth and integrate them into the Houston ecosystem, leveraging strategic partnerships for continued development. Participants may position themselves for programs like SBA Thrive, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, or other accelerators.
Instead of viewing other opportunities as competitors, we encourage cohort participants to engage with all available opportunities to foster growth.
Q: Does the program offer opportunities for participants to connect with industry experts or potential investors through the cohort?
A: A major focus is connecting participants to industry experts and potential investors. We help them create pitches, business plans, and commercialization plans for SBIR grants.
Our goal is to prepare them to attract the right funding for their stage in the business lifecycle. We guide them toward qualifying for various opportunities, including investors, banks, and grants, ensuring they have the necessary tools and knowledge to secure the funding they need.
Vision2Venture’s Program Format
Q: How long is the program overall, and what is the typical time commitment per week for participants?
A: Entrepreneurship 101 is a five-week program, while StartSmart and GrowSmart are designed as 10-week programs but can be reduced to five weeks. The time commitment per week is three hours of in-class work and one hour of pre-work, following a flipped classroom concept that requires entrepreneurs to prepare before class.
Q: What is the format of the program? Are there in-person meetings, virtual sessions, or a mix?
A: The pilot programs for Entrepreneurship 101, StartSmart, and GrowSmart will be in-person. However, Vision2Venture is a network-wide initiative, so based on client feedback requesting virtual or hybrid options, we plan to offer these variants after the initial pilot programs.
Q: Is there flexibility built into the program for participants with busy schedules?
A: If an entrepreneur can’t commit to 3 hours of class time and 1 hour of pre-work per week, these programs might not suit them. However, I emphasize that being too busy or overly involved in your business can indicate a problem—working too much in your business and not dedicating enough time to work on your business.
I strongly encourage entrepreneurs who use the “too busy” excuse to prepare for or attend entrepreneurial cohorts to reflect and ask themselves if they want to fix the problem of being too busy. These cohorts likely can help them strategize to “free-up” more time in their schedules and lives.
Q: Are there opportunities for participants to adjust their learning path within the program based on their specific needs?
A: While we have fine-tuned modules for the cohorts’ general benefit, we remain flexible enough to adjust the direction if unanimously desired. However, every entrepreneur has specific needs that can be addressed through one-on-one business advisory sessions, SBDC training classes, and connections with specialists in our growing network.
Based on research and client feedback, we’ve identified the main elements entrepreneurs need to address. Participants apply concepts like marketing, finance, operations, hiring, customer analysis, and competitive analysis to their businesses. Although most needs are covered within the course scope, special cases are handled individually using resources from SBDCs, SCORE, and the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Q: What are the expected outcomes participants should achieve by the end of the program?
A: Entrepreneurship 101 deliverables are a feasibility analysis, startup cost analysis, legal and lending strategy, operations plan, marketing plan, and growth plan. StartSmart participants create a best-practice-oriented business plan, while GrowSmart participants develop a strategic plan addressing elements that typically hinder business growth and profitability.
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To learn more about Vision2Venture and how to apply for the program, contact Robert Johnson at (713) 743-3160 or rajohnson8@uh.edu.
