YUP recently held a mini version of the X-Startup entrepreneurship training program over 3 days, 06,07,08/6/2017, for special groups. Every participant represented a business providing products and services to LGBT beneficiaries, communities engaging in same-sex sexual relations, female sex workers, people with drug addiction, and others. The class was organized by PATH, a global nonprofit, in cooperation with CSIP. YUP is delighted to help create more value for this special community.
The course’s effectiveness, as evaluated by Path and CSIP:
-Students grasp the most important thinking when starting to run a business: managing from the inside outward—self-leadership, startup-team leadership, then marketing and sales to the market.
Students begin by identifying their own core values through experience. These form the basis for positioning the core values of the businesses they build, how they act and build the teams they lead, and the values communicated to and perceived by customers externally (marketing, branding).
-Students gain essential, streamlined knowledge and skills for starting and running microenterprises, including:
+Thinking skills for designing, evaluating, and redesigning business ideas throughout the business lifecycle;
+Designing business models from ideas and creating models from principles; businesses reassess their ideas and develop their models.
+Continuous market research and low-cost lean market research;
+Understanding Leadership versus Management; identifying your strengths and weaknesses to build a suitable, sustainable startup team with shared core values and complementary skills; reassessing where you and your business stand.
+Motivation skills from team building to operational team management; practice with your own team and fellow participants.
+Understanding the most important principle in startup financial management and the key numbers.
+Marketing and sales knowledge and skills: focusing on developing outlet chains and sales systems; understanding marketing's essence through practical examples of using customer insights to approach customers and persuade them to use products and services.
+The essence of brand building.
-Students understand principles and can apply tools in business thinking and management. Key tools include:
+Six-pointed star framework for evaluating and redesigning business ideas
+Lean market research: modern, low-cost tools from Google and Facebook; the formula for identifying a niche.
+Business Model Canvas
+Leadership–Management skills framework
+Ideal team-building pyramid
+Motivation skills diagram
+Startup financial indicators framework
+Brand-building diagram
+Principles for developing chains of outlets.
Participants showed enthusiasm and engagement throughout the course and gave very positive feedback on their satisfaction with the training quality. Overall satisfaction was rated 4.7 on a scale of 5, with the highest score meaning most satisfied. Participants described the course overall as ‘very practical,’ ‘useful for work,’ and having ‘provided much useful business knowledge.’
In the coming period, YUP will continue supporting social enterprises, NGOs, and NPOs whenever possible to contribute to society's development!
