M43 Programs
Entrepreneur Course
Develop Your Business
We've partnered with the College of Western Idaho to offer the
Entrepreneur Course, where members can turn a business or concept into
actionable steps for growth and success.
At the conclusion of the twelve sessions, you’ll be invited to pitch your idea
to local leaders in the business and entrepreneur community. This presentation
can open doors you didn’t know existed.
To be eligible to apply, you need to meet these requirements.
If you aren't already a member, sign up!
"Being your own boss" often means working double time and taking full responsibility over your own success. We hope participants in this course actively engage in sessions and complete the assignments designed to advance your business.
Our most successful applicants are eager to collaborate with instructors, mentors, and peers to build a network that supports your goals.
Key Dates
We typically offer one session in the spring and another in the fall. Both sessions of cohort participants will be invited to participate in the Mission43 track of Boise Entrepreneur Week events.
Common Questions
Here are some answers to the most frequently asked questions.
The entrepreneur course is designed for members who have an existing business or nonprofit organization, as well as those members who have a solid idea for a business or nonprofit that they are ready to develop further.
Mission43 covers the full cost of the course, with our partners at CWI, valued at over $1,000. We are looking for those who are excited to challenge themselves, test their ideas, and actively contribute to the rest of the cohort.
Mission43 partners with Idaho’s Veteran Entrepreneur Alliance to provide ongoing support, resources, and business coaching.
There is a strong distinction between “Can you build this product?” and “Should you build this product?” We’ll kick off the course teaching you about the Lean Startup approach which focuses on the latter. It’s not a rigid business plan, it’s a fast paced process of building, measuring, and learning to help you accelerate your idea.
What problem needs to be solved? This question is the foundation of why you want to be an entrepreneur. This early phase of the course is always fun as it is the first time many of us have had to articulate our idea to a group of relative strangers. We love the interaction, feedback, and support as we learn about each other’s business and begin to grow as an M43 Entrepreneurs Cohort.
You don’t want to spend a ton of money or time bringing your product to market without ever talking to a potential customer. In this lesson we’ll discover why interviewing potential customers is crucial to your value proposition, best practices for customer discovery, and then you’ll begin to practice interviewing potential customers and asking the appropriate questions.
After you know what problem needs to be solved (your value proposition), we’ll jump into learning exactly what an MVP is and then you’ll develop your own MVP. You’ll learn and then create measurable goals using the Test Card as you get more comfortable with the Lean Startup Methodology.
The Lean Startup is all about building-measuring-learning and sometimes that requires a pivot. We’ll define what this is, learn about successful business pivots, and you’ll be prepared and comfortable if and when that is required!
The Business Model Canvas is comprised of nine sections and helps you understand your business in a straightforward and structured way. In this lesson, you’ll learn about all those sections and apply it to your business.
Based on the needs and interests of your cohort, the expert facilitators will conduct a special-topics lesson (often more advanced in nature) supported by a subject-matter-expert guest speaker. This can include things like marketing tactics or how to get investors.
This is an opportunity to get comfortable with presenting your business in public. Cohort members that are prepared to launch, or have launched their business and are looking for growth opportunity, will have the chance to participate in a Mission43 track in Boise Entrepreneur Week events.
See the Results