SURE, Start Up Retail Entrepreneurship is a 12-week program, to help entrepreneurs accelerate the process of starting and growing a retail business by providing affordable retail-based training covering merchandising, inventory, product pricing, packaging, marketing, and more.

Who Should Apply?

Entrepreneurs who are selling goods are the ideal candidate for the SURE program: think jewelry, jams, journals, and juices. If you have physical product ready to sell or that you are already selling, we want you to apply!

What to Expect

During the SURE program at StartUP Columbus, you are not being lectured. This is an action-driven, collaborative process with a small and supportive group of like-minded people. Led by a facilitator who is an experienced entrepreneur, you’ll identify your assumptions about why and how your businesses will work and then talk to customers in order to validate your ideas. This approach will pull from the Curriculum of CO.STARTERS CORE and 37 Oaks University. You’ll leave the program with a deeper understanding of: Business Planning, Marketing and Sales, Inventory and Supply Chain Management, Customer Relationship Management, Financial Management, Retail Operations, eCommerce and Technology.

Curriculum

  • Week 1 – Knowing Yourself

  • Week 2 – Knowing Your Customer

  • Week 3 – Getting the Relationship Right

  • Week 4 – Building Blocks

  • Week 5 – Structures & Systems

  • Week 6 – Intro to Retail Math and Discovering the Bottom Line

  • Week 7 – Intro to Costing Goods 

  • Week 8 – Intro to Product Pricing and Financial Modeling 

  • Week 9 – Intro to Storefront 

  • Week 10 – Intro to Virtual Merchandising 

  • Week 11 – Planning for Growth and Intro to Assortment Planning 

  • Week 12 – Celebration!

Application guidelines

We encourage you to apply if you’re an existing business owner selling goods. You will need a well-articulated description of the product you offer and a description of your consumer or target audience. We’re looking for for-profit entrepreneurs from diverse sectors and backgrounds to establish a cohort incorporating established businesses and startup concepts. We screen our applicants, and space is limited.

Pricing 

The total course fee for our SURE Program is $1,000, which includes course materials, a StartUP Columbus Incubator Membership, mentors to address your business development needs, and access to community events, networking opportunities, & small business resources. All class participants will be added to StartUP Columbus’ network of startups for up-to-date access to new resources. StartUP Columbus can offer up to 50% scholarship funding to applicants who qualify, along with payment plans for the balance remaining beyond scholarship coverage.