STAGE 3 Get to know entrepreneurs and their Business Ideas

Once you have recruited your coaches and entrepreneurs and matched them with each other. The first stage of their work together is to get to know the entrepreneur (module 2), map and assess the entrepreneurs’ qualities, experiences abilities and skills, as well as learning about hat their business ideas are and their motivation for doing it. This is an integral part of the methodology as it gives Trainers and Coaches the necessary information as to where entrepreneurs are at within their development and how to support them through the various steps of business development.

It is important that both the entrepreneur and the coach identify and understand their qualities, experiences, abilities and skills as well as any internal and external barriers  in order to:

  •  Identify an individualised programme of support and action plan that the coach will work through 
  •  Areas of personal development that the entrepreneur needs to focus on;
  • Support around motivation and confidence which need to be developed.

This is done in a variety of ways however one of the key ways in which it is done is through the entrepreneur profile (see module 2).

IDEAS Development

Alongside the mapping of the entrepreneur’s personal experiences, skills, and abilities, the Coach will also work with the entrepreneurs and discuss and assess the validity of their business idea and whether they have the motivation to start and run their business or social enterprise. Coaches can do this using module 3 (Making the business idea work in the real world) combined with module 2. It is important to do this in an empowering and enabling way to do this, coaches need to ensure that they:

  • Don’t dismiss and idea on it being silly, incomplete, or unoriginal!
  • Don’t put ideas into entrepreneurs’ heads.
  • Don’t change the idea and tell the entrepreneur “this is what you should do!”
  • Do actively listen to the business idea.
  • Do ask open questions which enable the entrepreneurs to reflect on the business idea.
  • Do suggest how the entrepreneur can further test out the business idea and suggest options that might improve the business idea.

A useful tool that support the Coach in these discussion is the Ideas Profile 

The Access Enterprise Idea Profile

1. What is your business idea or ideas? State this idea in less than 10 words

2. Why have you thought of this idea? State in less than 15 words

3. Why do you think it is a good business idea? State in less than 15 words

4.a) Is anyone else providing this business?

b) If so, who is providing it?

c) What do they do?

d) Is your idea going to offer something different? If so, what is the difference to existing suppliers?

5.a) Who will buy your service and goods?

b) What types of people?

c) Where do they live?

d) How do you know they will buy from you?

6. How much will they pay for the service or good? How do you know they will pay this?

7. What are the costs of developing the business idea?

8. What are the costs of operating your business to offer these services or goods?

9. How do you know the business idea will work in the real world? State in less than 20 words

It should be noted that the documents used in Module 2 and 3 of the Access Enterprise method should be treated as “living documents” and should be re-visited and revised as appropriate and on at regular intervals during the Access Enterprise process.