Start Up

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Classes & Workshops

Start Up


Start Up is our signature business program. This supportive, inclusive semester-long course is a deep dive into business planning.

This program is for you if you:

  • Have a solid business idea that you'd like to pursue
  • Are serious about learning and taking action
  • Can make the time commitment to fit this into your busy life
  • Welcome active participation in a small-group environment
  • Are ready to make positive change and take control of your future
  • Identify as a woman, female, non-binary, transgender or gender-nonconforming

This course helps women+ gain knowledge and build skills critical to having a successful business. Using the framework of writing a business plan, students learn the language of business and graduate armed with the knowledge they need to launch or expand their businesses.

The curriculum covers the fundamentals of three content areas in depth: Marketing, Finance, and Business Operations, and is taught by a team of instructors who are also business owners. You’ll graduate knowing how to start and operate a successful business, and you will have completed a comprehensive, realistic business plan that you can use as a guide and to talk to a lender for funding. This course is also designed for women+ who are already in business and want to reinvent their business or take it to the next level.

Class size is intentionally small, so you’ll get lots of personal attention and form lasting bonds with your classmates. This small-group experience has been referred to as “life-changing” by many of our previous graduates.

Dates: August 30 - December 14

Deadline to Apply: August 18

Tuition Details: The total cost of the class is $2,590. The tuition for the course is $2,500, and mandatory fees include the $25 application fee and a $65 license fee for a dedicated LivePlan account for 6 months. We are grateful to partner with the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) to offer Advancement Grants to cover the cost of tuition for income-eligible students, and we offer internal scholarships and flexible interest-free payment plans to make the cost of the class accessible to everyone.

Start Up

Monday, Aug 22, 2022

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WSBP's Start Up

Wednesday, Aug 24, 2022
5:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Location Online

Instructor(s) Claire Wheeler, Ashley Sandy

WSBP's Start Up

Wednesday, Aug 31, 2022
5:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Location Online

Instructor(s) Claire Wheeler, Ashley Sandy

WSBP's Start Up

Wednesday, Sep 7, 2022
5:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Location Online

Instructor(s) Claire Wheeler, Ashley Sandy

WSBP's Start Up

Wednesday, Sep 14, 2022
5:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Location Online

Instructor(s) Claire Wheeler, Ashley Sandy

WSBP's Start Up

Wednesday, Sep 21, 2022
5:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Location Online

Instructor(s) Claire Wheeler, Ashley Sandy

WSBP's Start Up

Wednesday, Sep 28, 2022
5:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Location Online

Instructor(s) Claire Wheeler, Ashley Sandy

WSBP's Start Up

Wednesday, Oct 5, 2022
5:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Location Online

Instructor(s) Claire Wheeler, Ashley Sandy

WSBP's Start Up

Wednesday, Oct 12, 2022
5:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Location Online

Instructor(s) Claire Wheeler, Ashley Sandy

WSBP's Start Up

Wednesday, Oct 19, 2022
5:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Location Online

Instructor(s) Claire Wheeler, Ashley Sandy

WSBP's Start Up

Wednesday, Oct 26, 2022
5:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Location Online

Instructor(s) Claire Wheeler, Ashley Sandy

WSBP's Start Up

Wednesday, Nov 2, 2022
5:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Location Online

Instructor(s) Claire Wheeler, Ashley Sandy

WSBP's Start Up

Wednesday, Nov 9, 2022
5:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Location Online

Instructor(s) Claire Wheeler, Ashley Sandy

WSBP's Start Up

Wednesday, Nov 16, 2022
5:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Location Online

Instructor(s) Claire Wheeler, Ashley Sandy

WSBP's Start Up

Wednesday, Nov 30, 2022
5:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Location Online

Instructor(s) Claire Wheeler, Ashley Sandy

WSBP's Start Up

Wednesday, Dec 7, 2022
5:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Location Online

Instructor(s) Claire Wheeler, Ashley Sandy