How to launch an idea - Online startup school
Want to launch a new idea into the world? In this course we'll go through step by step the questions you need to ask yourself to get yourself on the right track and onto a successful business.
Self paced
Start anytime
Costs £100
What you'll learn
Our Online Startup School follows 10 crucial steps to help you avoid the common startup pitfalls and accelerates you to you being your own boss. This is a learning by doing experience that will teach you how to build a startup. This is your entrepreneurial apprenticeship. It’s not about building a rocket ship overnight, it’s about developing a powerful new toolkit, network and mindset to help you identify and execute exciting opportunities over the next few years as you transition into entrepreneurship. We've distilled our best Startup lessons into this easy to follow online course.
Curriculum
Welcome
-
Want to launch an idea – but unsure where to start?
4 mins -
Infographic to launching your idea
8 mins -
Extra Reading: Paul Graham on why to start a startup
10 mins
Step 1: FOUNDATIONS: Am I clear on my motivations, values, risks & resources?
-
VIDEO: Am I setting the right foundations
6 mins -
VIDEO: 4 questions to uncover your values
3 mins -
EXERCISE - How to unearth your values
15 mins -
EXERCISE - How to assess your startup idea against your values
10 mins -
VIDEO: Map your good idea criteria
5 mins
Step 2: IDEAS: Do I know how to generate & choose the right idea?
-
VIDEO: What if you don't have an idea?
5 mins -
VIDEO: What if you have 'too many ideas'?
8 mins
Step 3 : ASSUMPTIONS: Do I know what I'm assuming to be true & how to prioritise?
-
VIDEO: Get clear on all the assumptions you're making
6 mins -
VIDEO: Rank your assumptions in order of risk
5 mins -
VIDEO: Design simple tests for your riskiest assumptions
6 mins -
EXERCISE: Map Your Assumptions
25 mins
Step 4: CUSTOMERS: Do I know whose problem or need am I solving?
-
VIDEO: Who are you helping?
3 mins -
How to define the problem and a pick a test niche
15 mins -
VIDEO: How to define the problem and a pick a test niche
4 mins
STEP 5: NICHE: Do I know who my first customers/users will be?
-
VIDEO: What do your customers ACTUALLY want?
10 mins -
VIDEO: Golden Rules for Customer Development: Good & Bad Questions
5 mins -
BONUS WATCH - How to learn from your customers when everyone is lying to you
12 mins
STEP 6: BUSINESS MODELS: Have I considered other ways to solve this problem?
-
VIDEO: Have I considered other ways to solve this problem?
2 mins -
Considering other ways of making money
4 mins -
VIDEO: Generate solutions & different business models
4 mins
Step 7: SANITY CHECK: Do I have a business case?
-
Does my basic financial forecast make sense?
10 mins -
VIDEO: Basic financial sanity check
6 mins -
BONUS: Free Financial Model Templates
6 mins
Step 8: FIRST VERSION: Is my first version embarrassing?
-
How to create a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
6 mins -
VIDEO: Your embarrassing first version
4 mins -
READ: The Ultimate Guide to MVPs
10 mins
STEP 9: AWARENESS: Do I know how to reach my target audience?
-
Does my niche buy and recommend my product?
6 mins -
VIDEO: Does my niche buy and recommend my product?
3 mins -
TOOLS: Branding tools
6 mins
Step 10: TRACTION: Do I know how to get momentum?
-
VIDEO: 6 simple marketing hacks to help you get going
6 mins -
READ: Fast and cheap marketing tests you should consider running
10 mins -
EXERCISE: Test Your Traction Channels
15 mins
Conclusion
-
VIDEO: Recap of the 10 steps to startup
2 mins
Testimonial
"The escape start up course not only challenged me on business ideas, it gave me insight into myself that was invaluable."
Instructors
Ben Keene
Skye Robertson
Frequently Asked Questions
All your questions should be answered here
Once you've paid for the course you'll be able to access all the materials via the "courses" page when you're logged into your Escape account.
Once you've purchased this course, you'll continue to have access as long as you have an Escape account.
No! This course is designed to help you launch an idea into the world, regardless of what type of idea that is. Whether you want to launch a bakery or an app or a consultancy, we've designed it to help anyone with an idea to get started.
There is no one size fits all solution for businesses. We teach you the process but ultimately you have to do the work to make your idea happen, we'll give you the advice and the steps to get there but you have to do the work!
In this course we're discussing how to launch an idea, so we go through business models and getting revenue in. We don't go into detail about funding and fundraising as part of this course as we find it often distracts away from the crucial work that has to be done before you can ever get to that point. Any investor will want to see proof of concept, traction and an MVP before they'll even consider investing, and that's what this course is designed to help you do.