The summer Startup Program is built for University, college and high potential high school students. We are looking for motivated students who are open to learning new skills and overcoming challenges. We prioritize attitude and mindset over previous experience so if your child is eager to learn and ready to commit, they may be a great fit for the program. We want to work with students that will see the process through and launch their startup at the end of the 20 week program. After launch, we want to continue to work with our students to grow and build the network so our student’s success is our success.  

Application period: September 8th - November 30th 
Students will submit an application to be accepted directly through the Start Smart inc. Platform. To increase the chances of acceptance, it is encouraged that students reach out directly to matt@startsmartinc.com with a message stating why they would like to enrol in the program. Attitude and mindset are key indicators of success in this program and will increase the chances of acceptance. 

Acceptance: Upon application review*** 
Applications will be reviewed weekly and selected students will be informed if they have been accepted. We encourage your student to apply as early as possible in order to ensure the best chance of acceptance. Acceptances will be awarded weekly to top candidates. Once accepted, students will be encourage to make use of the network and prepare for the entrepreneurial journey ahead. 

Enrolment: December 6th, 2020 (final enrolment day) 
Once enrolled, students will begin by creating a profile on the network if they have not done so already. They will have access to all other student profiles and will be encouraged to make introductions and add each other as friends through the network. Once all students are enrolled and profiles have been created, students will be segmented into smaller groups (6-8) to work through the program together. In these groups, students will collaborate at all stages of building their startup. 

Weeks 1 & 2 - December 7th - December 20th - Welcome! 
The first 2 weeks of the program are designed to get students prepared for the journey ahead. Students will have a series of warmup activities and challenges to prepare for building their startup. They will also be acquainted with their peers will establish these relationships early on as they will collaborate and support each other through the 20 week period. 

**Holiday Break - December 21st - January 3rd** 

Weeks 3 & 4 - January 4th - January 17th - Starting up 
In this section, we determine the business structure, business idea and business name. We also register a company email and phone number and wrap up with registering your business. By the end of this section, the business will officially be up and running! 

Weeks 5 & 6 - January 18th - January 31st - Building & Develop the Idea 
With the business set-up and ready to go, we’ll start working on developing the idea and business model. This section is modeled after the lean startup methodology which we have tailored to summer service businesses. This section will help you get a good understanding of the value that is being offered to the student's customers and will serve as a roadmap for how you build the business. 

Weeks 7 & 8 - February 1st - February 14th - Planning the Startup
This section takes a unique spin on a traditional business plan. We will break down the most important components of the business plan and get down to the specific details that students will have to think about when running their business. Business planning will help give students an idea of what they need to do to effectively run the business. 

Weeks 9 & 10 - February 15th - February 28th - Building an Activity Schedule 
Weeks 11 & 12 - March 1st - March 14th - Setting up for Success  
Here we will work on the most important activities to get the student's business up and running including: getting a vehicle, creating your logo, getting a uniform, creating your business cards and more! 

Weeks 13 & 14 - March 15th - March 28th - Key Activities Execution (+exam prep)
Weeks 15 & 16 - March 29th - April 11th - Key Activities Execution (+exam prep) 
We will continue to work through key activities and help our students have success with their exams for university and college credits.  

Weeks 17 & 18 - April 12th - April 25th - 
Weeks 19 & 20 - April 26th - May 9th - "Launch Period"
After Launch: 
We will have check-ins through the early stages of starting up to make sure you are on track with your startup and I will provide additional support where necessary.

After completing this program, your student will officially be a "Start Smart inc. Certified Entrepreneur". Along with the skills learned through the experience, this will be of great value to the student's resume and linkedin profile! 

***Key Notes: This program outline has been built around the busy student schedule. Students will be expected to put no more than 15-20 hours per week towards their startup and adjustments will be made if necessary to ensure the best chance of success in both academics and the summer startup. 

Our mission is to help students gain real world skills to excel after graduation. At Start Smart inc., we strongly believe in the value entrepreneurial skills can provide for students in all fields of study. We also believe that students should be able to own their success and use this as a stepping stone for success later in life. What they build is theres to keep, sell or expand. Ultimately, we want to bridge the gap between post secondary education and the rapidly changing economic landscape by giving students the chance to develop in demand skills before graduating from school. 

The cost of the program is a one-time fee of $1,200 CAD (+HST). Included in this price is the full 20-week startup program (200+ tutorial videos and handcrafted documents), hands-on mentorship (50+ hours) and lifetime access to the growing network and resources. Payment can be made directly via the platform using credit, debit or PayPal.

To use the platform, you must first create a username and password. Once logged in, you will create a "parent account" by updating your profile to reflect this. 

Profile - Update the fields as you wish. All information listed will be only be accessible to all students and parents on the platform. Be sure to indicate that your account is a parent account. 

Course content - Each section is built out in the content section of the platform. Simply click, "I'm currently enrolled" or access directly through your profile. 

Daily News - This is a custom created newsfeed from all Start Smart inc. social media pages and other relevant sources. This is simply a newsfeed for entrepreneurship related content and should not be used as a general source of news. Access by selecting the "Daily News" icon on the top bar of the after login page. 

Community - The community is designed similar to a Facebook newsfeed with a list of general discussion posts, course specific discussions,  group specific discussions, polls and more! To access this, simply select the "community" button on the top bar. 

Best Resources - This is the resource hub for start smart inc. Here you will find additional content for review at any time. Included is a personal notebook where students can keep notes from course materials, case studies from successful student entrepreneurs and various sections divided by topic including personal development, ideas & stories and the entrepreneur zone for additional resources on startup topics. To access this, simply select the "best resources" button on the top bar. 

Inbox - What is a network without communication? At Start Smart inc., we've built out a direct messaging app for students to collaborate directly with one another or Matt. This chat feature can be used in a variety of ways to facilitate communication throughout the program. To access this, simply select the "inbox" button on the top bar. 

People - This is where you'll find all the profiles of students and parents in the network. Here you can select to add friends to your network (this is encouraged) and learn about others in the program. To access this, simply select the "People" button on the top bar.