1. In conjunction with:
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Helping veterans start, buy, or optimize
their small businesses
2. A Collaboration::
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The Research Triangle Foundation
Local agencies serving veterans
Local agencies serving entrepreneurs
3. How We’re Different:
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Skin in the game
No government funding
Curriculum plus mentoring
Goal of assisting 100 NC vets in 2015
500 in 2016!
4. BASIC:
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Business Assistance through a step-by-
step curriculum
Start-up Guidance and introductions
to resources
access to Investment (debt/equity) to
fund your business
Coaching to help you optimize your
business for growth and profitability
5. Six Steps To Success
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• IdeaSlam
• Commercial Value
• Business Concept
• Market Value
• R&D
• Proof of Concept
• Business Plan
• Market Testing
• Launch Plan
• Start Up
• Sales
• Operations
Business Mentors
6. EntreDot:
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VISION: Help one million “Main Street”
businesses reach their five year anniversary
and achieve long-term sustainability
Why is this important? Because 56% of small businesses fail
before their 5th anniversary!
7. The EntreDot approach
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• Long term mentor “relationships”
• Six month Six Steps to Success Process
• Free ongoing expert consultation
• Strategic introductions and referrals
• Collaboration events, workshops and
seminars
• Focused entirely on Main Street businesses
• Support all levels of business maturity—
capacity building
8. Financing a Startup
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• Workshops
• Investor Forums
• Coaching on the “pitch”
• Crowdfunding meetup groups
• Highlights need for underlying
curriculum
9. Our Alliance:
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Alliance of 20 public/private
organizations
Partners like Startup Veterans cover
Steps 1 and 2
Six Steps Curriculum for “build out” of
good concepts
Mutual promotion of other resources
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New web site: www.vetstart.biz
Events calendar and registration site
Frequently asked Q&A: help desk
Resource directory
Options for starting a businesses
Resources to help start a businesses
Financing options
VetStart.Biz BASIC RTP Day: Sept 24, 2015 RTP
11. • Proclaim “promotion and support “of veteran owned
businesses as a stated goal
• Dedicated staff position to support/promote veteran
owned businesses
• Pass legislation with set asides for veteran and disabled
veteran owned businesses
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How the State of North Carolina can help:
Editor's Notes
All ideas that become reality seem to always fall into one or more of 8 buckets. Lets go through them…
First there is a problem that needs a solution. In the process of that problem solving….and finding a solution a new product or service is identified. An example is the 10/40 system which was developed to address the problem of solving a sales focus and time management problem. You can identify problem solutions mainly because they have immediate needs that must be addresses and the problems are very definable.
Another bucket is the Evolutionary process. A good example is the new field of social networking. Building on what works and making it better. Broadband networking is another great example. The consuming need for more transfer of information has forced the evolution of newer technologies. From the old days with 300 Bits per second to today’s evolution to multimegabits and generations 4 and 5 coming this evolution is a perfect example.
The Revolutionary Bucket is one that breaks away from traditional thought and creates a brand new perspective. Some of you might remember the birth of data communications when we found a way to transmit data over sound – the Modem. This device which we amazed was the future was eventually replaced with more sophisticated products as our networks converted to digital format.
Many new products are specifically developed with a goal in mind. I call that Targeted Innovation. This bucket includes some of the unique products found today. The Smart Phone, Smart ear buds, Transitional Lenses are all products that were developed to advance existing technology into new directions.
