At-a-Glance
Startup 101 is a free, self-guided experience that helps you evaluate your idea before investing significant time or money. Through a structured playbook, you'll think like an entrepreneur, challenge your assumptions, and organize your thinking around what matters most — a hands-on experience that helps you think through your venture, not just read about it.
STAGE:
Idea / Concept / Early Exploration
FORMAT:
Self-guided Playbook
DURATION:
Self-paced — work through it in a few sittings or spread it out over a few weeks
COST:
Free
ENROLLMENT
Open — register anytime
What You'll Learn
Startup 101 helps you explore and evaluate your business idea through structured, hands-on tools you can work through at your own pace.
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Key Outcomes:
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Learn the Lean Startup framework and how to apply it to your idea
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Create your first Lean Canvas business model
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Answer the 5 Key Questions every entrepreneur should ask:
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1. Are you solving a real problem for a real customer?
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2. Who is your ideal customer?
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3. What makes you different or competitive in your market?
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4. How are you going to make money?
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5. How do you know this will all work?
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Identify a clear next step — whether that's BUILD, GROW, or continuing to explore
What You'll Walk Away With
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A clearer understanding of the venture you're exploring.
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Greater confidence in what you know—and what you still need to learn.
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A first draft of your Lean Canvas — a snapshot of your thinking today that will continue evolving.
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One practical next step for moving your venture forward.
You'll also create a working playbook you can return to and update as your venture evolves.
How It Works
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Register for Startup 101.
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Receive your own copy of the Startup 101 Playbook
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Work through the Playbook at your own pace
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Leave with a first draft of your Lean Canvas and one clear next step
Is Startup 101 Right for You?
Startup 101 is a great fit if you:
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Have a business idea you'd like to explore.
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Are considering entrepreneurship for the first time.
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Want a practical framework before investing significant time or money into an idea.
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Are looking for guidance on what to do next.
You don't need a business plan, a registered business, or all the answers. You just need an idea you're ready to explore.
What Happens Next?
Startup 101 helps you decide what's worth exploring. Once you've chosen a venture and you're ready to move from exploration into implementation, BUILD is designed to help you take that next step.
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If you're already operating a business and looking for deeper support through peer learning, mentorship, and strategic accountability, you may be a fit for GROW, Startup Tucson's invitation-based membership for founders actively building growth-oriented, innovative ventures.
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Ready to find out what your idea is made of?