Is This a Thing? New Year’s Resolution Program
Did you make a New Year's Resolution to start a business? I want to help you get it done!
I’m launching a New Year’s Resolution Program to help anyone who has an idea for a new business use the Is This a Thing? Method to evaluate their idea and decide if and how to move forward.
After advising hundreds of entrepreneurs over the last 15 years, I realized that I kept getting the same question from most people considering taking the plunge… “Is this a Thing?” They have an idea that they are excited about, but there’s lingering doubt and uncertainty. I wish I could provide certainty (I can’t), but what I learned to do instead is guide these entrepreneurs through a set of questions and exercises to flesh out their goals, understand why they think their idea is a good one, build confidence in the things that they are uncertain about, and decide if and how they should move forward.
It worked! I kept honing the questions and exercises until I could actually start to see the stress and confusion start to melt away from these entrepreneurs and be replaced with clarity and determination. Total win. I decided to call the process Is This a Thing? in honor of the golden question.
I started teaching a class at NYU’s Stern Business School this year that incorporates that process, gave workshops at Stanford Graduate School of Business and big companies, and just finished writing a book about it (I’m starting to pitch it to agents now – advice welcome!). The next step is to launch an Accelerator that guides entrepreneurs through the process with the help of community, advisors, and funding opportunities. The best part? You won’t have to quit your day job to take part! As much as I love and am steeped in the bravado of Silicon Valley, being over 40 (omg) has taught me to appreciate a different pov on risk – not everyone can drop everything to subsist on ramen, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have what it takes to be a great entrepreneur️. The Accelerator helps you validate your idea enough to build confidence that it can meet your goals, so that you can make an informed decision about if and when you want to go all in on it.
Right now, I’m running my first pilot of the Accelerator idea, a New Year Resolution program – join me!
Here’s who it’s for:
An entrepreneur with an idea for a new business. You have an idea, but you are not 100% committed to it yet; you’re still trying to evaluate it and decide if and how you might move forward.
All types of ideas and idea people are welcome! If you want to start a coffee shop, this is for you! If you want to start the next greatest AI company, this is for you too! Small business, side hustle, tech business … bring it all.
Here’s what you’ll get:
A 8 week program to evaluate your idea
Each week I’ll send you content from the Is This a Thing? Method and exercises to complete that you can do at your own pace during the week.
I’ll have a 1:1 session with you each week to talk about your goals and progress for the week and am available for any questions over Slack in the meantime
You’ll also be part of a Slack group with the other entrepreneurs in the pilot so that you can lean on them for support as well.
At the end of 8 weeks, you can expect to have a clear and confident evaluation of your idea. You’ll create a decision document outlining what it would take for you to move forward and what your next step will be.
Here’s what will happen next:
I’ll pick a handful of people to participate. I might email you with some questions to make sure that you’re a fit for the pilot and can confirm that you’re in at the end of the month.
You can also read more about the Is This a Thing Method? here and see a case study of the method in action here. Shout with any questions.
Applications for this program are currently closed. If you’d like to learn about future program, please add your contact information here.
