Flourish In Growth: The Guided 8-Week Business Planning Lab

Week 2: Know Your Customers
Unlock What Really Drives Their Decisions

In this session, we dive into Chapter 2: Customers of The Guided Small Business Planner™ to help you truly understand who your customers are—and more importantly, why they buy. You’ll learn how to create detailed customer personas based on their likes, dislikes, and buying motivations. We’ll walk you step-by-step through customer discovery techniques that turn real feedback into powerful insights. Many business owners skip this crucial step because it can feel overwhelming or unclear—but mastering it is key to crafting a marketing plan that actually works. We’ll finish with an open Q&A where you can bring your unique business questions and get tailored support to help you connect with your customers on a deeper level.

Week 3: Know Your Competitors
Find Your Place and Claim Your Market Share

In this session, we’ll explore Chapter 3 of The Guided Small Business Planner™ to help you build a clear picture of your competitors and how your business fits into your community.

You’ll learn how to create detailed competitor profiles specific to your industry and you’ll name what makes you different. You might not consider yourself to be an analyst, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn how to uncover what’s driving industry trends and data. This will help you calculate your potential market share—the portion of sales you could earn. Sound overwhelming? That’s why we created an experience-based approach—so the process not only makes sense, but actually gets done.

We’ll wrap up with a 15-minute open Q&A to tackle your specific challenges and help you sharpen your competitive edge.

Week 4: Business Basics
Name, Structure, and Taxes Made Simple

In this session, we’ll cover Chapter 4 of The Guided Small Business Planner to help you choose or update your business name and decide on the right legal structure for your company.

With so much conflicting advice online, it can be confusing to know what’s best for your business. That’s why you’ll use Chapter 4 to confidently understand important legal requirements, tax implications and responsibilities, and key administrative tasks. We will also cover what your business tax responsibilities may look like and how to calculate and understand them.
Lastly, we will talk about how to know what permits or licenses your business needs.

Week 5: Vision, Mission, and Branding
Bring Your Business to Life

In this session, we’ll guide you through crafting a clear vision, mission, and company values that truly reflect who you are as a business owner—and connect with what your customers care about.

Next, you’ll begin designing a brand that’s eye-catching and memorable, one that speaks directly to your ideal customers. We’ll explore inspiring examples of brands that do this well, and share tips to make sure your brand isn’t just what you want, but also what your ideal customer personas will love.

Covering Chapters 5 and 6 of The Guided Small Business Planner, this session is a creative, energizing step that helps you see your business taking shape—building on all the work you’ve done so far.

Week 6: Marketing
Strategy That Makes Sense

Marketing doesn’t have to feel like a guessing game. In this session, you’ll turn your customer insights into action by mapping out a clear marketing plan tailored to your business. Using the work you’ve done in previous sessions, you’ll identify and name specific marketing touchpoints for each of your ideal customer personas—so you know exactly how and where to reach them.

By the end of this session, grounded in Chapter 7 of The Guided Small Business Planner™, you’ll walk away with a simple, effective marketing strategy you can actually use.

The last 15 minutes will be dedicated to an open Q&A, giving you a chance to get direct support for your unique business.

Week 7: Presence and Money
Designing the Customer Experience + Defining the Numbers

This session is all about intentional presence—how your customers experience your business—and making sure your numbers align with your goals. We’ll start by mapping out how customers will interact with your business from first impression to final sale. This goes beyond visuals—it’s about creating a consistent, thoughtful experience at every step. Then we’ll shift gears and dig into the financial side: using the digital Small Business Money Calculator we’ll connect your personal income goals to your pricing, calculate monthly sales targets, and build a realistic sales plan to support your vision.

This session covers Chapters 8 and 9 of The Guided Small Business Planner™ and we’ll wrap up with 15 minutes of open Q&A tailored to your business.

Week 8: Money and Operations
A Clear Way Forward

In our final session, we’ll complete your business financials by setting clear monthly and annual sales goals as we work through Chapters 9 and 10. Then, we’ll bring it all together by outlining the essential operations needed to successfully carry out the business plan you’ve built.

While this session wraps up our series, your support doesn’t end here. You’re invited to schedule a complimentary one-on-one counseling session with the Small Business Center to get personalized feedback on your plan and ask any remaining questions.