Skills First
Beginner Workshops for Developing Your Enterprising Skills
Presented by:
Participants that complete this complete series are eligible for free business coaching.
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An Opportunity to Explore Self-Employment for Career Advancement
Whether you are currently looking for full-time, part-time, freelance, a side-hustle, self-employment, or to start your own business, this Skills First workshop series offers a number of engaging workshops to energize your entrepreneurial spirit.
Personally presented by Biz Coach Services™ founder Vern Vautour, CMC, who has 35+ years of experience coaching and training 1,000’s of entrepreneurs of all ages and diverse backgrounds, this workshop series promises to deliver a non-academic, hands-on approach to understanding what it takes to bring value to companies by developing the entrepreneurial mindset and taking control of your career to manage it as your business.
With hybrid working options trending, the opportunity to work flexible hours and minimize use of public transport is increasingly motivating people to pursue new ways to work, including self-employment. However, entrepreneurship is about more than having skills to do a job. It is about applying tried and true techniques to increase your chances for success in the workplace.
You are welcome to join us and explore your career options.
Develop Your Enterprising Skills With Theses 10 FREE, Online Sessions
Life & Career Plan Primer Sessions
Life Planning – Vision Boards
It’s never too late to plan your life and dream about what is possible. In this workshop, you will be guided through a process of visioning your dreams and potentials and start with simple ideas to work towards your goals. Many successful people and top athletes take these steps to tell their story and plan their future.
Discussion topics include:
- What is a Vision Board: Definition, How to Develop a Vision Board, Features and Benefits, and Examples.
- My Summary Milestone Life Goals: Life Plan Objectives and My Bucket List
- Getting Started (Layout your story): Methods, Images, Symbols, Milestone slogans, Sizes, Sources
- Grand Finale: Examples and Tips
Career Soft Skills Primer
This workshop introduces you to some basic life skills concepts that can give you insights that may help you to develop some good social and work habits.
Discussion topics include:
- Career Planning Process
- SWOT Analysis
- GAP Analysis
- Key to Searching Online (Google is your friend)
- Intro to Roger Love (vocal coach)
- Learning to speak confidently
- “Your Body Language may shape who your are” (Amy Cuddy)
- Intro about the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (by Stephen Covey)
- Your Personal Brand / The Success Triangle
- Intro about “Triggers” by Marshall Goldsmith
- Your Survival Choices in Life
- Critical Tips for Managing Money
- “If you live life right”
Skill Assessment & Market Research
“Do you have what it takes?” Discover your unique skills and talents through basic and free online surveys and explore potential career paths. Learn to research industries and dream jobs, and participate in a fun, experiential business simulation game using the Business Model Canvas™ to develop essential skills and characteristics for success. Digital handouts and instructions provided. Each session is approximately one hour.
Exploring Your Job/Career Potential
“Love what you do, and the money will follow.” People who know, seek, and make the right lifestyle decisions and live with purpose tend to get the best careers and jobs. Why is this? Maybe it has something to do with setting boundaries, understanding themselves and knowing what they want out of life and are willing to work on their careers. This workshop is YOU-directed, and is intended to confirm your personal life-style choices to assist you in possibly making better career and life decisions.
Discussion topics include:
- Talents and Abilities vs What I like to do
- Work Personality Preferences
- Personal Strengths and Weaknesses (SWOT ANALYSIS)
- Gap Analysis – A Basic Introduction
- Intro to the Skills and Competencies Taxonomy
- Work Preferences & Access
Assessment Surveys and Tools
There are countless online tools and quizzes that might help you to discover your unique skills, talents, and abilities. We focus on some BASIC and FREE surveys that you can complete to give you possible Talent Transformation ideas suited to your unique self, as well as an intro to personality styles.
Discussion topics include:
- Career Planning Tools/Resources
- Career Interests Quiz
- 16 Personalities
- Ontario Labour Market and Career Quiz
- Federal Job Bank and Career Quizzes on Skills and Competencies Taxonomy
- Exploring Skilled Trades
- Labour Market information through the Job Bank
- Intro to the National Occupational Classification (NOC)
- NOC codes.
Market Research for Career (or Self-Employment)
Most people find it difficult to research Career and/or Job Options and to understand the “big picture” of getting information about an industry and exploring their “dream jobs.” This workshop simplifies researching for a job or career through a step-by-step process.
Discussion topics include:
- Develop Keywords
- Explore NOC Codes
- Labour Market Information & Pay Scales
- Industry Statistics & Trends
- Industry Associations & Trade Shows
- Determine Educations, Training or Experience Needed
- Make an Action Plan
- Possible Companies to Approach.
Self-Employment & Small Business
Join us in an engaging business discovery journey to better understand business planning basics to strengthen your resolve for taking that next step towards writing a business plan. (New courses to be introduced in Fall 2023.)
In this series of workshops you will gain an understanding what it takes to start a successful business, followed by business plan basics, modelling and finally, business research basics so that you can better decide whether becoming self-employed is right for you.
Steps to Small Business Success
Are you thinking to start a business or become self-employed. This workshop will help participants to understand the main steps to starting and running a small business or to become self-employed.
Discussion topics include:
- Research the Idea
- Assessing the Environment and Personal Readiness
- Create a Business Model Concept
- Cost Out your Revenue Model
- Creating a Business Plan
- Start-up the Business
- Become Sustainable and Grow
The Business Model Canvas™ and Market Niche Model™
Got a great business idea but need to explore different ideas quickly. By using the original “The Business Model Canvas™”, by Alex Osterwalder of Strategizer®, as shared the world over. You will learn to express a complete business idea or concept on one page using the building blocks in a business concept and learn to lay them visually on a canvas template (or a narrative layout).
Discussion topics include:
The Business Model Canvas™ Intro:
- Introduction to the Strategizer website
- Books and Resources
- History
- What it is, and What it isn’t
- The Nine Building Blocks, Concept
- Visual vs. Narrative Expression
- Using the Business Model Canvas for Strategic Planning
Market Niche Model™ includes:
- How it Works
- Brain Dump
- The Four Scenarios
- Using the Market Niche for Planning
Business Research Basics
- Developing Keywords
- NOC Codes/NAICS Codes
- Industry Overview
- Industry Trends
- Demographic Data
- Industry Associations
- Industry Tradeshows
- Labour Market Information
- Potential Earnings/Position
- Industry Suppliers
Business Plan Basics
So, what goes into a Business Plan and how is a business plan used? This introductory workshop shows you the basics of what goes into a business plan and tips on completing a Basic Business Plan and Cash Flow.
Discussion topics include:
- The Main Parts of a Business Plan
- The Business Plan Outline/Review form
- Sample Business Plan
- Business Planning Tips and Features: Critical Success Factors, Importance of Features and Benefits, Importance of Product Mix, Importance of Target Market, Benefits and Uses for good SWOT Analysis, Benefits and uses for good Competition Analysis.
Basic Research Through Surveys
- The value of good surveys
- Basic types of surveys for matching audiences
- Samples and more
Small Business Planning
Coming 2024
These 10 steps to a business plan workshops offer a step-by-step guide to the basics of small business planning. Presentations will cover everything from researching your business idea to presenting your business plan. Participants will learn how to design their business model, identify their target market, establish startup costs and pricing, conduct marketing research, plan their operations and management, manage cash flow, and prepare a working business plan.
The workshop includes digital handouts, worksheets, and templates to guide participants through the process, and successful participants will receive a thorough understanding of the business plan as living, breathing document. The workshops concludes with a plan review and evaluation.
By completing this series, you will have earned a Verifiable Credential (VC) that you can share online and add to your LinkedIn profile. Eligibility for the VC is limited to participants that complete these 10 steps and deliver an oral business plan presentation.
You have a business idea, but you need to get your research started to determine whether or not it may be viable. In this workshop, you’ll get the worksheets and an overview of the processes to conducting business research. This workshop is laser focused on getting the right info for a basic Start-up Business and save you hours of research time by following our guided process.
THIS WORKSHOP IS MANDATORY including submission of a correctly completed assignment to earn a Digital Credential in “Small Business Plan Basics.”
Discussion TOPICS include: Keyword searches, NAICS Codes; Industry Statistics, Industry Trends, Industry Associations, Industry Tradeshows, and Labour Market Information.
Digital handout and Internet Links provided.
Got a great business idea but need to explore different ideas quickly. By using the original “The Business Model Canvas”, by Alex Osterwalder of Strategizer, as shared the world over. You will learn to express a complete business idea or concept on one page using the building blocks in a business concept and learn to lay them visually on a canvas template (or a narrative layout).
In addition, we will introduce you to our Market Niche Model Template™ to truly discover your potential to work with many business ideas and plan your startup and future scaling.
THIS WORKSHOP IS MANDATORY including submission of a correctly completed assignment to earn a Digital Credential in “Small Business Plan Basics.”
Discussion TOPICS include:
The Business Model Canvas™ Intro:
- Introduction to the Strategizer website
- Books and resources
- History
- What it is, and what it isn't
- The Nine Building Blocks
- Visual vs. Narrative expression
- Using the Business Model Canvas for Strategic Planning
The Market Niche Model™:
- How it works
- Brain Dump
- The four scenarios
- Using the market Niche for planning
Digital handouts provided. (Original, visual and narrative versions)
In creating a great business plan, the foundation is the Mission and Purpose of the plan. The mission is the blueprint that sets the tone for the theme, direction and intended goals for the marketing, operational and financial success of the company. It needs to be consistent and reflect S.M.A.R.T. objectives (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely).
THIS WORKSHOP IS MANDATORY including submission of a correctly completed assignment to earn a Digital Credential in “Small Business Plan Basics.”
Discussion TOPICS include:
- History or About (Telling your Story)
- Overall Products/Services
- Features & Benefits
- Mission/Purpose
- Critical Success Factors
Digital handouts and assignments provided.
The next step in the Business Planning Process is establishing your Target Markets and Product Mix.
THIS WORKSHOP IS MANDATORY including submission of a correctly completed assignment to earn a Digital Credential in “Small Business Plan Basics.”
Discussion TOPICS include:
- Overall Industry & Trends Summary
- Target Market (by GEOGRAPHIC, DEMOGRAPHIC, and PSYCHOGRAPHIC)
- Product Mix Service Mix (SUPPLY)
- Market Segments (DEMAND)
Digital handouts and assignments provided.
Establishing budgets begins with a good grasp of pricing and costing for the current market.
THIS WORKSHOP IS MANDATORY including submission of a correctly completed assignment to earn a Digital Credential in “Small Business Plan Basics.”
Discussion TOPICS include:
- Start-up Requirements
- Boot strapping strategies in the beginning
- Pricing & Costing by Product or Service Mix
- Sources & Uses of Funds
Digital handouts and assignments provided
Now that you’ve identified your potential markets, you need to conduct research about your competitors and to establish your potential market positioning including your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT).
THIS WORKSHOP IS MANDATORY including submission of a correctly completed assignment to earn a Digital Credential in “Small Business Plan Basics.”
Discussion TOPICS include:
- S.W.O.T. Analysis
- Competition Analysis
- Competitive Advantage
- Promotional Plan/Media Mix
- Sales Plan
Digital handouts and assignments provided.
What will your operations set-up, management and administration look like in your planned business. Basic instructions will be provided to better understand the operations processes needed to run a business.
THIS WORKSHOP IS MANDATORY including submission of a correctly completed assignment to earn a Digital Credential in “Small Business Plan Basics.”
Discussion TOPICS include:
- Legal Organization
- Start-Date of Business
- Hours of Operation
- Management and Personnel Roles (Include sub-contracting)
- HR: Staffing, Contractors, and Professional Supports
- Service or Production Processes and Specifications
- Pricing: Costs and Mark-ups
- Channels of Distribution
- Client Service Policies
- Insurance Required
- Licences and Registration
- Location and Set-up
- Web and Media
- Major Contracts/Agreements
- Intellectual Property
- Suppliers and Vendors
- Inventory Controls
Digital handouts and assignments provided.
Critical to every business, is the ability to manage financial resources. The Cash Flow rules the operations on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis. In this workshop, you will learn the basics and importance of good sales and cashflow planning.
THIS WORKSHOP IS MANDATORY including submission of a correctly completed assignment to earn a Digital Credential in “Small Business Plan Basics.”
Discussion TOPICS include:
- Sales Planning
- Cash Flow Planning
- Break-Even
- Assumptions
- (NOT COVERED: For a Basic Business Plan and new business, we don’t cover Income Statements and Balance Sheets, since the Cash Flow is the most important measure of running the business on a day-to-day basis).
Digital handouts and assignments provided.
A business plan must be clear, well-written and demonstrate that the business can be sustainable. Once all the research and narrative has be collected and written into the business plan, it is now imperative to complete, write and prepare the final draft of the business plan for submission. This workshop pulls together all the information into a comprehensive plan we provide valuable tips to ensure a good plan every time.
THIS WORKSHOP IS MANDATORY including submission of a correctly completed assignment to earn a Digital Credential in “Small Business Plan Basics.”
Discussion TOPICS include:
- Cover and Contents
- About the Company
- Marketing and Research
- Operations and Management
- Financial Summary
- Overall Summary (Risks and Rewards, Action Plan), Appendices and Executive Summary
Digital handouts and assignments provided.
With the culmination of the previous workshops, and with a completed plan, participants must submit a completed plan, as well, most will present their plan orally in a Summary Presentation. Oral and written plans will be evaluated and marked and successful participants will have demonstrated that they understand the Business Plan Document.
THIS WORKSHOP IS MANDATORY including submission of a correctly completed Business Plan and Oral Presentation to earn a Digital Credential in “Small Business Plan Basics.”
Digital handouts and assignments provided.
Vern Vautour, Biz Coach
Vern Vautour, CMC, is a seasoned business coach, trainer, and consultant that works with startups, self-employed and existing businesses, as well as economic and workforce development agencies to deliver small business and life & career planning services. He also advises on how to secure business loans.
Biz Coach Services offers career and business coaching.
Check out his Skill Squirrel group for more details: