StartupLabs
Reserve

Wed, Jul 15, 2026 · 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM ET

Idea in. Launch plan out.

Seven working hours, seven stages, one outcome. Every hour produces something the next hour builds on. By 4:30 PM you have a filing-ready business and a signed, dated 90-day launch plan.

7 hrs
working time
7 stages
idea → launch
9 deliverables
in hand by 4:30
Day at a glance
8:00 AMcheck-in
8:30 AMform9:30 AMcustomer10:30 AMoffer
11:30 AMcatered
12:00 PMbuild1:00 PMbrand
2:15 PMcoffee
2:30 PMmarketing3:30 PMlaunch
4:30 PMclose
  1. 8:00 AM30 min

    Check-in & kickoff

    Coffee, intros, set up your laptop, share your idea in one sentence.

  2. 8:30 AM60 min
    Stage 1

    Form the business

    The legal foundation. Leave with a filing-ready packet and the legal kit you need to sell.

    4 essential tasks
    • 1
      Choose structure & prepare the GA LLC filing
      • Pick LLC vs sole prop vs S-corp using a 5-question decision tree
      • Confirm name availability on the GA SOS business search
      • Decide registered agent (you, partner, or paid service)
      • Create your GA SOS account and pre-fill the Articles of Organization
      Take-home
      Your GA LLC filing packet — Articles pre-filled, registered agent set, ready to submit.
      After the workshop: Submit the Articles of Organization and pay the filing fee from home — typically a 10-minute step once you're ready.
    • 2
      Get your EIN & lock the business bank choice
      • Apply for your EIN on the IRS portal — issued in the session
      • Compare 3 business banks on fees, integrations, and ACH limits
      • Pick your bank and complete the application checklist (docs needed)
      • Pick a bookkeeping tool (Wave / QuickBooks) and bookmark the signup
      Take-home
      Your EIN + chosen business bank + bookkeeping tool — ready to apply.
      After the workshop: Submit the bank application with your documents — most banks open the account in 1–7 days.
    • 3
      Compliance & legal kit
      • Document Gwinnett city/county business license requirements
      • Note GA sales tax registration steps if you'll sell taxable items
      • Customize Terms of Service and Privacy Policy from vetted templates
      • Customize a 1-page service agreement / SOW for your first sale
      Take-home
      Your signed Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and 1-page Service Agreement — customized to your business.
      After the workshop: File the local business license and (if applicable) sales-tax registration once your entity is approved.
    • 4
      Funding model, business plan with pro formas, pitch deck & fundraising kit
      • Build the funding model: startup costs, monthly burn, break-even, and a 12-month cash picture
      • Build a 12-month P&L, cash flow, and break-even pro forma alongside a short narrative business plan
      • Pick the funding path: grants, microloans, SBA, revenue-based, line of credit, friends & family, or equity
      • Draft the 10-slide pitch deck in your brand: problem, solution, market, offer, traction, model, GTM, team, ask, use of funds
      • Write the 1-page raise summary and customize the funder outreach email template so it's ready to send
      Take-home
      Your funding model, business plan with pro formas, investor-ready pitch deck, and fundraising kit — ready to send.
      After the workshop: Build out the funder list and send the outreach in the first 2 weeks; book intro calls with anyone who replies.
    Also covered
    GA LLC packetEINT&Cs / privacyService agreement
  3. 9:30 AM60 min
    Stage 2

    Customer & market

    Who you serve, what they'll pay for, and how you beat the competition.

    4 essential tasks
    • 1
      Research the idea from every angle
      • Write 5 research questions that would kill or confirm the idea
      • Pull market-size and trend data from public sources (IBISWorld snippets, BLS, Statista free)
      • Scan regulation, permits, and licensing for the business type in your county
      • Pull real customer quotes from Reddit, Facebook groups, or product reviews — log every URL
      Take-home
      Your idea-research brief — sourced, dated, and decision-ready.
    • 2
      Pick your first real customer
      • Name one specific buyer (role, industry, company size, location)
      • List their top-3 pains in their own words
      • Attach a dollar cost to each pain (time, lost revenue, risk)
      • Map where they already hang out — online and offline
      Take-home
      Your first customer profile — one specific buyer named, their top problems priced in dollars, and where to find them.
    • 3
      Estimate the market + write a short script you'll send
      • Estimate how many buyers exist, how many you can realistically reach, and how many you'll win in year one
      • Start your prospect list from LinkedIn, local groups, or referrals using the source template
      • Customize the problem-discovery script for your first customer
      • Pick a scoring rubric: pain confirmed, willingness to pay, intro to others
      Take-home
      Your market snapshot + starter prospect list + outreach script — customized to your business.
      After the workshop: Fill out the prospect list and run discovery calls in the next 2 weeks; score each one.
    • 4
      Competitive research pack + competitive advantage brief
      • Identify 3 real competitors (2 direct + 1 substitute)
      • Score each on offer, price, channel, proof, and weakness
      • Pull sourced customer quotes that show where each competitor falls short
      • Distill the research + competitor weaknesses into one defensible advantage and write it as a one-sentence positioning line
      • Write a one-line positioning statement: For X, who Y, we are Z because…
      Take-home
      Your competitive research pack plus a competitive advantage brief — your 'secret sauce' written in one sentence you can defend.
    Also covered
    Your first customerValidation script3-competitor lookWhat makes you different
  4. 10:30 AM60 min
    Stage 3

    Offer & product

    What you actually sell, how it's delivered, and the price tag.

    4 essential tasks
    • 1
      Write the offer in one sentence
      • Use the formula: We help [who] achieve [outcome] in [time] without [pain]
      • Test it against your first-customer profile
      • Strip jargon — read it aloud to a partner
      • Lock the final sentence; it feeds your website and pitch
      Take-home
      Your one-sentence offer — the line you'll use on your website, in pitches, and in DMs.
    • 2
      Decide what your first version actually includes
      • List what's IN scope for the first version — and what's explicitly OUT
      • Map the 5–8 steps from sale to delivery
      • Identify tools, suppliers, or contractors needed
      • Estimate time-to-fulfill so pricing covers your hours
      Take-home
      Your first-version scope — mapped step-by-step from sale to handoff.
    • 3
      Set price using competitor + value benchmarks
      • Scan 3 named competitors and capture their public prices and what's included
      • Set price using value, cost-plus, and competitor anchors
      • Compute what each sale actually costs you to make
      • Calculate units/month to break even and to hit a target income
      • Define deposit, milestones, refund policy, and accepted payment methods
      Take-home
      Your pricing sheet — anchored to competitors and customer value — plus exact break-even number and payment terms.
    • 4
      Score the idea — go / pivot / kill
      • Score each of the 6 dimensions 0–5 against the research, customer profile, and pricing
      • Write one sentence of evidence per score — no number stands alone
      • Total the score: ≥22 go, 15–21 pivot the weakest dimension, <15 kill
      • Write your one-sentence recommendation and sign it
      Take-home
      Your signed viability scorecard with a go / pivot / kill decision and the evidence behind it.
    Also covered
    Offer in one sentenceWhat's in V1Competitor + value-based pricing
  5. Catered lunch & discussion
    Lunch is provided. Eat together, swap notes, and talk through what you're building with the group and instructors.
    11:30 AM · 30 min
  6. 12:00 PM60 min
    Stage 4

    Build the first working version

    Set up how you'll actually deliver. Pick what kind of business you're building, set up your free apps, and draft what your first customer will get.

    4 essential tasks
    • 1
      Pick what kind of business you're building and map the steps
      • Service: intake → kickoff → delivery template → recap loop
      • Online: pick a no-code stack (Lovable, Notion, Framer, Webflow, Shopify, GHL) and name the first screen
      • Physical product: supplier/manufacturer shortlist + sample-order checklist + packaging decision
      • Mark every step that depends on a vendor, contractor, or sample order
      Take-home
      Your business mapped sale-to-happy-customer, with the app you'll use at each step.
      After the workshop: Run the steps end-to-end with one test buyer (or sample order) in the first 2 weeks and revise the map.
    • 2
      Set up your free apps
      • Project hub: seed a Notion / ClickUp / Trello workspace from a starter template
      • Files & assets: create your Drive / Dropbox folder structure
      • Comms: set up scheduling (Cal.com / Calendly free) + business email alias
      • Build-type tool: Loom (service) / Figma (online) / supplier portal accounts (physical)
      Take-home
      Your free-app accounts — set up, connected, and mapped to how your business runs.
      After the workshop: Upgrade to paid tiers as revenue justifies and connect any integrations that require billing.
    • 3
      Draft what your first customer will actually receive
      • Service: kickoff doc + delivery template + recap email — all three drafted
      • Online: landing/demo screen sketched in your builder + onboarding flow outlined + first email drafted
      • Physical: product spec sheet + unboxing/insert-card draft + first-customer thank-you note
      • Write a 5-point quality checklist (quality, accuracy, timing, tone, follow-up)
      Take-home
      Your first customer's deliverable — drafted and rehearsed end-to-end with a 5-point quality checklist.
      After the workshop: Run the drafts past your first paying customer and iterate after their feedback.
    • 4
      Operations & workflow + sourcing & staffing plan
      • Pick the 3 highest-leverage workflows: sales intake, fulfillment, customer onboarding
      • Write each as a numbered SOP: trigger → inputs → steps → owner → tools → definition of done
      • Add a 'what breaks this' section listing the top 3 failure modes and the recovery step
      • Draft a one-page weekly operating rhythm: standing blocks, review cadence, and the 3 numbers you check every Friday
      • Load all 3 SOPs into Notion / ClickUp / Trello as runnable templates anyone on the team can follow
      • Identify named sources for raw goods, services, and talent — suppliers, contractors, and any first hires — and capture them as a first-call list
      Take-home
      Your operations & workflow plus a sourcing & staffing plan — SOPs, weekly rhythm, and a first-call list for goods, services, and talent.
      After the workshop: Run each SOP once with a real or rehearsed customer in the first 2 weeks; revise the steps that broke.
    Also covered
    Service / online / productYour free app setupWhat the customer receives
  7. 1:00 PM75 min
    Stage 5

    Brand & website

    Your logo, palette, fonts, and a complete website tailored to your business — built and ready to host.

    3 essential tasks
    • 1
      Name, domain & brand kit
      • Confirm name availability (.com, USPTO TESS, social handles)
      • Pick a registrar and load the domain into your cart
      • Generate logo + 4-color palette + 2 fonts in your brand kit
      • Save brand assets to a shared folder (Drive / Notion)
      Take-home
      Your brand identity — logo, color palette, font pairing, and a one-line vision and mission anchoring it.
      After the workshop: Complete the domain purchase and point DNS to your site builder — usually 15 minutes plus propagation.
    • 2
      Build your website
      • Pick a starter template and apply your brand kit
      • Build Home and Offer pages with your locked messaging
      • Build About and Contact pages (headline + sections + form)
      • Fill on-page SEO per page: title, meta, single H1, image alts
      Take-home
      Your bespoke website — 4 pages built, branded, written, and SEO-configured in your site builder. Hosting-ready.
      After the workshop: Connect your domain, do a final mobile pass, and click Publish — usually under an hour once DNS resolves.
    • 3
      Payments, business email & analytics
      • Pick Stripe or Square; complete the application info checklist
      • Create your GA4 property and copy the tracking snippet
      • Pick an email provider (Google Workspace / Zoho) and document MX steps
      • Decide your welcome-email copy for new leads
      Take-home
      Your payments, business email, and analytics — accounts created and configured to your business, queued for final activation.
      After the workshop: Finish payments KYC, install the GA4 snippet on your published site, and verify business email — typically 1–3 days.
    Also covered
    Brand kitBespoke websiteSEO per pagePayments / email / analytics
  8. Coffee reset
    Quick stretch, refill, regroup.
    2:15 PM · 15 min
  9. 2:30 PM60 min
    Stage 6

    Marketing & creatives

    Your printable business card and flyer, your social channels branded, and a 30-day plan to put it all in motion.

    3 essential tasks
    • 1
      Core messaging kit
      • Write a headline that names the buyer + outcome
      • Draft 3 value props mapped to the top-3 customer pains
      • Rehearse a 30-second verbal pitch
      • Write a 100-word founder bio for site, social, and outreach
      Take-home
      Your headline, 3 value props, 30-second pitch, and founder bio.
    • 2
      Your print and social kit
      • Design a business card (front/back) in your brand kit — print-ready
      • Design a 1-page flyer / one-pager for events, walk-ins, and partner shelves
      • Claim handles on Instagram, LinkedIn, and one of TikTok / YouTube / X — fill profile copy, link-in-bio, banner
      • Draft 6 posts (hooks, proof, offer) + 1 sixty-second video script you can record this week
      Take-home
      Your launch creative kit — business card and flyer ready to print, social channels branded and ready to configure, 6 posts and a video script ready to publish.
      After the workshop: Send the print files to your printer and schedule the 6 posts in Buffer / Later / Meta Business Suite; record the video.
    • 3
      Marketing & communications
      • Lock the audience and the 3 messaging pillars you'll repeat across every channel
      • Pick your top-2 acquisition channels (1 organic, 1 outbound or paid)
      • Set a weekly time + dollar budget per channel
      • Build a 30-day content + outreach calendar (publish dates locked)
      • Define 3 KPIs: leads/week, reply rate, conversion to sale
      Take-home
      Your marketing & communications — audience, channels, messaging pillars, 30-day calendar, weekly budget, 3 weekly KPIs.
    Also covered
    Messaging kitPrint creativesSocial channels branded30-day plan
  10. 3:30 PM45 min
    Stage 7

    Launch plan

    Your dated 90-day plan, your launch-day checklist, and the weekly check-in that keeps you moving.

    3 essential tasks
    • 1
      Sign your 90-day plan (30 / 60 / 90)
      • Lock the go-to-market: target segment, offer, pricing, channel mix, and week-by-week tactics feeding the 30/60/90
      • Day 1–30: ship offer, close first 3 paying customers
      • Day 31–60: refine fulfillment, reach 10 customers, collect testimonials
      • Day 61–90: double down on the channel that worked, kill what didn't
      • Sign and date it — print copy goes on the wall
      Take-home
      Your signed 90-day plan — first 3 paying customers → 10 → repeatable channel.
    • 2
      Launch-day checklist & outreach drafts
      • Start your personal announcement list (friends, peers, past clients) using the source template
      • Customize personal outreach drafts (DM, email, voice note) from the templates
      • Identify 3 partner / press / community asks for a co-launch boost
      • Lock a day-of timeline: 8 AM post → 10 AM email → 2 PM follow-ups
      Take-home
      Your launch-day checklist + personal outreach drafts — ready to send.
      After the workshop: Fill out the list, pick your launch date, send the drafts that morning, and work the day-of timeline.
    • 3
      Sales pipeline + accountability
      • Seed a free CRM (HubSpot / Notion) with the announcement list
      • Define 3 weekly metrics: pipeline added, calls booked, sales closed
      • Pair with a cohort accountability partner
      • Agree on a weekly 20-min check-in cadence and channel
      Take-home
      Your starter CRM populated, weekly metrics defined, and an accountability partner booked on the calendar.
      After the workshop: Both partners put the 4 weekly check-ins on each other's calendars after the workshop.
    Also covered
    90-day planLaunch-day checklistOutreach draftsAccountability
  11. Close — signed launch plan in hand
    You walk out with a formed business and a signed 90-day plan.
    4:30 PM · —

One day. One door. Twenty seats.

Idea in at 8 AM. Filing-ready business and a signed 90-day plan out at 4:30 PM.

Reserve your seat