This spring, we saw tremendous growth happen for each of the four founders who went through our first 12-week bootcamp.

We’re definitely excited to continue this experience during the summer with our second round of founders, but our goal is to get 10 tech startups to $1MM in revenue by 10/2010, and that requires strengthening not only our core group of founders, but the local startup scene overall.

We’re excited to announce 2 new programs we’re piloting over the next 5 weeks, designed to strengthen local founders’ skills and projects in the following ways– Startup Checkups and Startup Workouts.

First, we’re looking to help entrepreneurs get an accurate and honest view of the current status of their business and its current challenges and opportunities, by coming in for a monthly Startup Checkup.

Second, we are providing "muscle-building" Startup Workouts that help founders understand how to manage and deal with hot issues  and problems common to most entrepreneurs, such as founder burnout, identifying a clear revenue model, keeping yourself and the team on track and accountable in moving the project forward, and many other topics.

Here’s a more detailed look at each program:

Startup Checkups

Startup Checkups help entrepreneurs identify opportunities and problems they may be overlooking, talk through current difficulties, master the skill of receiving honest feedback, and connect into Portland Ten’s network of contacts and resources.
 
The format is a 1-on-1 meeting conducted by a trained Portland Ten venture analyst, as an opportunity for founders to gain perspective from an unbiased 3rd party, and receive pertinent suggestions and feedback on the current condition of the business.
 
The outcome for a Startup Checkup is for local entrepreneurs to develop a better awareness of where their business stands, so that they can be proactive in addressing and problem-solving critical areas before they reach the point of no return.
 
A founder’s first Startup Checkup is $25, then $60 for 1, $45 each for a 3 month-pack ($135), or $35 each for a 3-month pack of twice per month ($210). 
 
For more information about Startup Checkups, visit http://www.portlandten.com/startup-checkups or contact Nick Cottle at ncottle@portlandten.com.
 
Startup Workouts
 
Startup Workouts is a new open-enrollment series of 75-minute “workouts” where founders develop and strengthen founder “muscles”— the fundamental business skills and problem-solving abilities they need in order to manage their ventures well and keep their projects above water.
 
Workouts are led by Portland Ten staff, who actively work with a team of tech founders working toward the $1MM in revenue goal and deal with these types of startup situations on a regular basis.
 
The outcome of Startup Workouts is to assist founders in better juggling multiple high-priorities in a high-stress, low resource, high-intensity environment. 
 
Startup Workouts are held in downtown Portland at NedSpace on Tuesday mornings from 10-11:15 am and Thursday afternoons from 4-5:15 pm.
 
Startup Workouts are $18 for 1 workout, $75 for 5 ($15 each), or $130 for 10 ($13 each).
 
Topics for our current 5-week session of Startup Workouts include:
 
Tuesday, June 26, 10 am: Revenue generation
Thursday, June 28, 4 pm: Basics of sales for startups
Tuesday, June 30, 10 am: Extreme bootstrapping
Thursday, July 2, 4 pm: Market validation basics
Tuesday, July 7, 10 am: Keeping your ego out of the product
Thursday, July 9, 4 pm: Work/life balance for founders
Tuesday, July 14, 10 am: Founder/team accountability
Thursday, July 16, 4 pm: Basics of project management
Tuesday, July 21, 10 am: Clarifying the concept
Thursday, July 23, 4 pm: Startup problem-solving 
 
For the current 5-week period of June 22-July 23, founders can purchase 1, 5 or 10 workouts passes, available here.
 
For more information about Startup Workouts, visit http://www.portlandten.com/startup-workouts
or contact Carolynn Duncan at cduncan@portlandten.com.
 
Tell Us What You Think!
 
If you have any suggestions or feedback on these two programs, please let us know. Send email to cduncan@portlandten.com and let us know if we are on track, or what changes you’d like to see in these efforts.