Small Business Strategies for Success

In April 2023, we partnered with the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network to develop off-the-shelf training the organization’s advisors could deploy to Wyoming entrepreneurs. The Wyoming SBDC Network — a partnership between the University of Wyoming, the Wyoming Business Council, and the U.S. Small Business Administration — offers no-cost, one-on-one advising to entrepreneurs across the state of Wyoming.

Audience

We worked collaboratively with the project owner to design and develop training materials that were custom-tailored to the diverse learner population. This included entrepreneurs on the Wind River Indian Reservation, home to the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes. Where appropriate, we tailored the materials to address the specific requirements of registering and operating a business on the reservation.

Topics Covered

The project included five workshops, each focused on a different phase of business ownership:

• Getting Your Small Business Started

• Getting Your Small Business Funded

• Business Planning Simplified

• Effective Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses

• Successfully Scaling Your Business

Each module included:

• Slides and presenter notes for a 90-minute instructor-led training session

Two handouts

• Between 10 to 12 minutes of original video

• A participant guide

Our Approach

• Realistic scenarios in each workshop allow participants to apply new knowledge to real-life business problems.

• Reflection and application questions stimulate group discussion and help participants connect new concepts to their past experience.

• Where applicable, “Understanding the Lingo” sections pre-teach key terms. This puts all participants on a level playing field and reduces information overwhelm.

• Handouts help small business owners tackle critical tasks like estimating startup costs, describing their ideal customer, scheduling marketing content, and calculating the costs of hiring a new employee.

• Short videos succinctly yet effectively provide additional context on topics like:

  • Securing a business loan

  • Conducting market analysis

  • Measuring ROI for marketing efforts, and

  • Attracting, hiring, and retaining employees

• Multiple calls-to-action encourage participants to reach out to their regional advisor for additional support on crucial business management skills.

Tools Used

• Microsoft PowerPoint

• Microsoft Word

• Microsoft Excel

• OBS Studio

• ShotCut

• Audacity

• GIMP

• ChatGPT (for ideating scenarios and examples)

• ElevenLabs.io (AI-generated voiceover for videos)