Building Operational Capacity Course – Uptima Business Bootcamp

Overview

In our Building Operational Capacity course, we guide you through a hands-on process for building internal capacities to execute on your operational plans, monitor business performance and impact, and make informed decisions on how to grow your business. This course is 12-weeks long and is well suited for small business owners and startup founders looking to build businesses with positive community impact.

What members are saying…

What I Didn’t Know Before I Started

The biggest thing that I didn’t know before I started this course with Uptima is how much business information I had already developed. This provided a level of confidence that opened several other doors and protected me from being taken advantage of as well as guarded against several scarcity beliefs that entrepreneurs tend to have.

LeVar Eady, Top Harvest Club

What I Learned to Help Me Build a Business

I learned to create a roadmap for my business, pivot when necessary and most importantly identify and act on any barriers or obstacles. I'm happy to report that I've been able to follow the roadmap that I've laid out in in the program!

Bridge Ho, Little Spoon Creamery

What I Accomplished in My Business

This course provided us the space to focus on levers that would result in the greatest improvements to our operational capacities during a critical time of growth for our company. I deepened my understanding of cash flow management and refined our projections in ways that improved our allocation of resources, time, and talent to deliver the highest quality services for our clients. After completion of the course, we made immediate adjustments to our pricing structure that both increased our revenue and improved our bottomline.

Lena Carew, The Justice Collective

What You Will Learn

Unit	Topics Covered
Introduction	Review your business’ operational processes Reconnect with your business’ mission, vision and values in the context of growing the business’ operations Identify areas for improvement in your business’ operational processes
Collecting Data	Learn about the data that is generated in an operating business Learn about the different systems that collect, store and report various business data Develop a plan for collecting, storing and reporting data for the business
Analyzing Customer Lifetime Value	Learn why customer lifetime value is one of the most important metrics needed to make operational decisions Learn how to calculate customer lifetime value Calculate customer lifetime value for each product/service offered
Assessing the Business	Learn how to assess business strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats Learn how to engage key stakeholders in using a SWOT analysis Create a SWOT analysis for the business
Defining Key Metrics	Gain an understanding of how key performance indicators can be used to measure business performance and impact Learn how to develop a set of key performance indicators Identify key performance indicators for the business
Setting Goals	Gain insights for using qualitative and quantitative business performance and impact data to inform business strategy Learn how to use Objectives & Key Results to connect the business, team and personal objectives to measurable results Develop Objectives & Key Results for the next year
Creating a Project Plan	Learn practical methods for developing and deploying a project plan Gain insights on aligning project teams to deliver a project successfully Create project plans for your goals over the next year
Resource Planning	Learn how to assess key activities and resources needed to execute on a major project Learn how to optimize the use of resources in business operations Engage key stakeholders in identifying key activities and resources for your project plans
Budgeting a Project	Gain an understanding of the elements of a project budget Learn how to translate a project plan into a detailed project budget Develop a detailed project budget for your project plans
Forecasting	Learn how to forecast the effects of the major projects on ongoing business operations Update your financial forecast to reflect their budgets and the projects’ effects on ongoing business operations Learn how to summarize and present your financial forecast to key stakeholders
Understanding Cash Flow	Learn how to forecast and manage cash flow Gain an understanding of how to use the cash flow forecast to determine short and long-term funding needs Develop a cash flow projection and identify funding needs for the business
Final Presentations	Present your project plans and budget for the next year Receive constructive feedback from your peers and mentors to refine your business strategy

Prerequisites

Must have an up-to-date business plan and financial forecast.

Commit to Building Your Business

Average time commitment for our small business and startup courses is 10 hours / week dedicated to building your business, and includes the following weekly activities:

Title	Weekly  Activity	Weekly Commitment
Background Materials	Series of required background readings and videos on each unit to be completed online prior to the weekly in-person workshop Describes concepts and their applications in developing a business	1-2 hours / week
Workshops	Weekly in-person workshops led by an expert instructor Lecture and discussion on background materials, group activities, and reflection	3 hours / week
Business Development Activities	Weekly activities focused on your business development Apply concepts learned in background materials and workshops	2-10 hours / week
Peer Mentoring	Weekly phone meetings with small peer group of other business owners in your class Present weekly business development activities and receive constructive feedback from peers	1 hour / week
One-on-one Mentoring	Weekly one-on-one meetings with a mentor Discuss business progress, review weekly business development activity, and connect with resources to meet business needs	30 minutes / week

Meet Your Mentors

Mike Gabriel

Lead Instructor & Mentor

Oakland

Rani Langer-Croager

Co-Founder, CEO & Lead Instructor, Mentor

San Francisco

Join an Upcoming Course

Our Building Operational Capacity course is offered at the following locations.

How Much It Costs

The cost of our Building Operational Capacity Course consists of a course fee of $400 / month over the 3-month course.

We charge a $50 deposit to reserve your space in the class. This deposit is credited against the payment of your course fee, where applicable.

Financial Assistance

Because we believe in entrepreneurship as a means to close the racial wealth gap, we offer financial assistance programs for entrepreneurs of color.

For entrepreneurs of color, we offer financial assistance covering up to 100% of your course fee and payment plans, based on your household income and the number of people in your household.