Frequently Asked Questions

About CO.STARTERS

How does CO.STARTERS work?

We partner with you and equip you to support local entrepreneurs. Using our train-the-trainer model, we'll train your organization and local business leaders to administer and facilitate each of our best-in-class programs. No one knows your local community like you do, and we can't overstate the importance of connecting entrepreneurs with the local resource providers and other entrepreneurs in the community.

Where do you work?

We started in Chattanooga, Tennessee but are now a national company with employees across the country. We also have local partners running CO.STARTERS cohorts and programs all over the United States.

Do you support entrepreneurs directly?

We offer all our programs through local organizations who serve their local entrepreneurs directly. If you’re an entrepreneur looking for support, check out our Join a Program page.

Is CO.STARTERS a program or a company?

Both! You may have heard about us for the first time going through a program in your local community. CO.STARTERS is a company that equips local leaders to empower their communities’ small businesses through programs, tools, and consulting.

Our flagship program is CO.STARTERS Core, a ten-week business-launching program, but sometimes the name of the program is shortened to “CO.STARTERS” when offered to entrepreneurs in a local community.

What’s your story? How’d you get started?

We started in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 2008 as part of a Main Street revitalization initiative.

After seeing the success of CO.STARTERS Core in Chattanooga, we worked to expand the program nationally, partnering with organizations across the country to help communities thrive through entrepreneurship.

Becoming a CO.STARTERS Member

What does it mean to become a CO.STARTERS Member?

Becoming a CO.STARTERS member means that your organization participates in our community training process and becomes licensed to run CO.STARTERS programs in your community. In addition to licensing, CO.STARTERS members receive a variety of support for their local programming such as marketing collateral, program impact reports, and access to our online member portal and resource center.

At the end of the day, CO.STARTERS membership means that you’ve joined a network of like-minded organizations who are passionate about helping individuals and communities thrive through entrepreneurship.

How do I become a CO.STARTERS Member?

The best way to become a CO.STARTERS member is to schedule a call with our team—we’ll talk you through what bringing CO.STARTERS to your community would look like.

What does it cost to become a CO.STARTERS Member?

The cost of CO.STARTERS membership varies based on your community’s needs. Schedule a call with us to get a quote for what bringing CO.STARTERS to your community would look like.

How will you prepare my organization to run CO.STARTERS programs?

Just like when you start out working at a new company, we have a full onboarding process for all new members that equips you to successfully promote, launch, and deliver our programs and tools.

During our onboarding process, we’ll introduce you to all the resources available to you, including: marketing collateral to help you promote our programs; guides and checklists as you prepare for program launch; email templates you can use to reach out to guest speakers and participants; cohort impact reports that you can send to stakeholders and funders; and additional training opportunities for your facilitators. All these resources are customizable for your organization, so you can make them your own.

We’ll also connect you with our customer success team, who will meet with you to ensure your community is set up for success. They’ll work to understand your goals and explain how to get your CO.STARTERS programs up and running.

Finally, we’ll get your organization scheduled for your CO.STARTERS Community Training.

Do I have to be trained to run CO.STARTERS programs in my community?

Yes, all CO.STARTERS members must participate in a CO.STARTERS Community Training before running any of our programs.

CO.STARTERS uses a train-the trainer model, which means we’ll train members of your local community to facilitate and administer our programs. We believe that the best people to run programs in your community are people who have already built local trust. You identify them, and we train them!

We also offer rolling monthly trainings, to which you can always send new facilitators you want to add to your roster as your community grows.

What does a Community Training consist of?

Our CO.STARTERS Community training is designed to accomplish three things: 1) Align relevant community leaders and stakeholders so that everyone understands the role CO.STARTERS will play in your community’s growth, 2) Recruit local business leaders to be certified as facilitators of the program, and 3) Teach you best practices for delivering our programs and tools in your local context.

The training is a three-part, two-day event, and participation in all three parts of the training is required to become a CO.STARTERS Certified Facilitator.

Do program facilitators have to be local? Will you provide them or do we?

We definitely recommend having local facilitators, because they know your community best (and they’re already there!). But we know that sometimes it’s difficult to find facilitators.

If you’re struggling to identify local facilitators, don’t be discouraged! We have a variety of ways to help communities find facilitators to run our programs.

Why are training and certification required to license programs?

Over the years, we’ve shaped our offerings into the tried-and-true programs that have helped thousands of entrepreneurs across the country. We’re confident in our programs, our experience, and our results.

That success is as much a result of our thorough training process as it is the actual content of our programs.

Training and certification ensures that everyone in your community involved in running CO.STARTERS programs is as well-equipped as possible, which means the entrepreneurs you serve will have the top-notch experience other CO.STARTERS alumni have received.

Products & Supports

Do you offer any products other than programs?

In addition to our entrepreneurship programs and standard member licensing model, we offer a suite of consulting services, each with the goal of delivering insight and impact for your organization and helping you achieve your ecosystem building goals. To inquire about these enterprise partnerships, schedule a call with our team.

Which of your programs would best fit my community?

We provide a wide range of programs and tools for each stage of starting a business—from the first step to growing and scaling a venture. We also offer solutions for your organization as you strategize, align, and build your local entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The products that would best fit your community will depend on the entrepreneurs you want to serve and how developed your local ecosystem is. To learn more about each of our entrepreneurship programs, visit our Programs page. To learn about how we can help you in your ecosystem building efforts, schedule a call with our team.

Are your materials delivered digitally or will we receive physical materials?

Our more intensive programs come with physical workbooks for participants. We find that physical materials are the most helpful way to allow participants to follow along, take notes, and engage with the content.

However, we also offer guides and frameworks that are easier to implement at earlier stages and are available via digital download, such as the CO.STARTERS Business Model Canvas and our Best Practice Guides.

Are CO.STARTERS programs self-guided?

We believe that live-facilitated cohorts are the most effective way to deliver our programs.

84 percent of CO.STARTERS participants complete the program, a benchmark nearly unheard of for self-guided programs. Moreover, cohorts allow entrepreneurs to share with each other, support each other, and bounce ideas off of each other. We’ve found that cohorts often build strong community bonds during the program that extend well beyond graduation.

Can I offer CO.STARTERS programs virtually?

There is distinct value to in-person cohorts and programs, because it’s easier for the entrepreneurs to interact with and learn from each other in a physical space. However, we recognize that many communities face limitations on how they can meet. For a variety of reasons, we recognize not every community (or entrepreneur) is able to do in-person cohorts.

While most of our local partners offer in-person CO.STARTERS cohorts, some of them do offer virtual programs, particularly since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you’re wondering about your options, please reach out to our team about how best to offer CO.STARTERS in your community.

Are there any products I can use without becoming a member?

Absolutely! While non-members are currently unable to use our programmatic products, such as CO.STARTERS Core or CO.STARTERS Bootcamp, we have several available (and free!) products you can use without becoming a member.

These include our business model canvas and our Best Practice guides, like the Wayfinding Guide and the Advising Hours Guide. We also offer free online webinars for community leaders, as well as an extensive webinar library.

Who are your programs for?

Our programs are designed to be accessible to someone with zero business background. So while they're beginner-friendly, seasoned entrepreneurs can greatly benefit from our programs. This is because our programs don't so much teach business concepts as they lead entrepreneurs through an active process of testing and refining their business models. We like to say that our programs are for any entrepreneur who is stuck!

Building an Ecosystem

What is an entrepreneurial ecosystem?

Concisely, an entrepreneurial ecosystem is the network of human and institutional actors that start, support, fund, and promote new businesses in a community. That network consists of lots of different kinds of people, businesses, support, and resources–including you!

This important (but often overcomplicated) topic warrants more explanation, which is why we wrote an entire blog post about it!

Why should I be concerned with building my local ecosystem?

As the internet has progressed, the economy has changed, and our understanding has evolved, we’ve come to realize how important connection is for entrepreneurs.

In this “connected age” of our economy, entrepreneurs have access to nearly unlimited knowledge through the internet. But what they’re often missing is connection to the people and resources in the physical places they live and work. That need for connection has become dangerously overlooked as our digital landscape continues to grow.

This need is an opportunity for you, your organization, and other leaders to step in and build the bridges your local entrepreneurs need to be successful. Because when entrepreneurs can thrive, so does the rest of the community.

How can CO.STARTERS help me build my local entrepreneurial ecosystem?

CO.STARTERS offers a full suite of programs, tools, and resources that will help you build your community's entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Not sure where to start? Consider signing up for our Ecosystem Accelerator to create a strategic action plan for your community.

Miscellaneous

I would like CO.STARTERS to come speak at my event.

Thanks for thinking of us! We love speaking at events. Feel free to fill out our contact form, and we’ll get back to you shortly.

I’d like to provide my product or service to CO.STARTERS alumni.

It’s great that you want to support entrepreneurs! Please fill out our contact form to let us know what you have to offer, and we’ll get back to you about your product or service.

Business Help for Entrepreneurs

I’m an entrepreneur. Can you help me with my business?

Although we don’t provide direct support to entrepreneurs at this time, we recommend you check our local partner map to see if there are any organizations near you that are running CO.STARTERS programs.

You can also download the CO.STARTERS business model canvas for free! Use it to visualize how your business works.

There isn’t a program available in my community. How can I join a national cohort?

If there isn’t a cohort available in your community, make sure to join our National Cohort waitlist form!