Longo Family Be Your Own Boss (BYOB)-In person, North and Lakeshore campus

Join the Longo Family Be Your Own Boss (BYOB) series for a comprehensive 7-week workshop designed to help you refine and develop a business idea into a viable opportunity. The Longo Family BYOB series will guide you through identifying problems to solve, understanding who benefits from your idea, evaluating its feasibility as a business, and much more.

This program is perfect for anyone eager to learn and apply tools for assessing which ideas have the potential to address problems and transform them into successful business ventures. Plus, participants will have the chance to compete for a share of $40,000 in funding to bring their ideas to life!

The Longo Family BYOB workshop series will take place in person at the North Campus from January 16, 2024, to March 6, 2024, and at the Lakeshore Campus from January 14, 2024, to March 4, 2024. Each session will be held from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Further details about each workshop are provided below.

Participants must attend at least five of the seven workshops to be eligible for the final competition. This requirement ensures a solid foundation of knowledge and skills, preparing you for the opportunity to compete for a share of $40,000.

If you have any questions about the Longo Family BYOB workshop series please reach out to our team at [email protected].

Workshop Dates & Details:

Week 1: The Ideation Process: Finding Your Idea -

(LAKESHORE: G BUILDING ROOM #105) Jan 14, 2025, 3PM to 5PM

(NORTH: E BUILDING ROOM #201) Jan 16, 2025, 3PM to 5PM

• Explore ideation techniques to generate ideas and examine challenges, problems, and opportunities

• Develop a clear and succinct value proposition and impact statement that relates to the identified target market

Week 2: Research: Types of Data and its Use in Entrepreneurship -

(LAKESHORE: G BUILDING ROOM #105) Jan 21, 2025, 3PM to 5PM

(NORTH: E BUILDING ROOM #201) Jan 23, 2025, 3PM to 5PM

• Articulate the “why” behind an idea and understand its importance

• Assess the potential viability of an opportunity

• Understand the difference between primary and secondary research and how they’re used

• Define ways of conducting primary and secondary research

Week 3: Identifying Your Customer and Target Markets -

(LAKESHORE: G BUILDING ROOM #105) Jan 28, 2025, 3PM to 5PM

(NORTH: E BUILDING ROOM #201) Jan 30, 2025, 3PM to 5PM

• Understand the importance determining a target market for a product or service

• Identify the characteristics of different target markets

• Define the potential target market for your selected/potential idea

Week 4: Assessing Feasibility for a Business Idea -

(LAKESHORE: G BUILDING ROOM #105) Feb 4, 2025, 3PM to 5PM

(NORTH: E BUILDING ROOM #201) Feb 6, 2025, 3PM to 5PM

• Articulate what business idea feasibility is

• Demonstrate the importance of conducting a feasibility study

• Understand the various types of feasibility analysis and what is needed to complete the feasibility analysis

Week 5: Business Model Canvas (BMC) -

(LAKESHORE: G BUILDING ROOM #105) Feb 11, 2025, 3PM to 5PM

(NORTH: E BUILDING ROOM #201) Feb 13, 2025, 3PM to 5PM

• Understand the importance of business models

• Identify how the Business Model Canvas can be used for an entrepreneurial idea of interest

• Distinguish the 9 elements of a BMC

• Recognize how a BMC can be used to create a business plan

Week 6: Business Pitching -

(LAKESHORE: G BUILDING ROOM #105) Feb 18, 2025, 3PM to 5PM

(NORTH: E BUILDING ROOM #201) Feb 20, 2025, 3PM to 5PM

• Link the components of a business model into a single pitch

• Describe your business idea

• Learn how to use software solutions to practice pitching skills

Week 7:Entrepreneurial Resources -

(LAKESHORE: G BUILDING ROOM #105) Feb 25, 2025, 3PM to 5PM

(NORTH: E BUILDING ROOM #201) Feb 27, 2025, 3PM to 5PM

• Learn of the resources available on campus and outside of campus

• Identify resources suitable for your needs and explore how to connect with them

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Humber Polytechnic-Longo Centre for Entrepreneurship Lakeshore Campus G building (G101B), 17 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive, Toronto, Canada