Essential terminology: business model, revenue model, value chain, competitive advantage, differentiation, feasibility, owner readiness, strategic goals, key performance indicators, assumptions, risk, contingency plan.

Required materials: Meeting 1 draft notes, business-plan worksheet or shared document, calculator, internet access, learner concept notes, sample business model summaries, feasibility checklist, owner-readiness checklist.

Timed agenda totaling 120 minutes:
0–10 min — Welcome, continuity check, and Meeting 1 review. Instructor asks learners to identify one strength and one unresolved question from their customer problem, solution, mission, and value proposition drafts.
10–25 min — Mini-lesson: business model logic. Instructor explains how money, customers, delivery, costs, and repeat sales connect in a practical small-business model.
25–40 min — Professional examples and case studies. Example 1: neighborhood meal-prep service comparing subscription, single-order, and catering revenue. Example 2: mobile auto-detailing company using convenience and repeat maintenance packages as advantage. Example 3: consulting business that struggles because service scope is unclear and owner capacity is overestimated.
40–55 min — Guided business-plan development: learners draft or revise a business-model summary covering customer, offer, revenue source, delivery method, key costs, and repeat-purchase opportunity.
55–70 min — Collaborative activity: peer feasibility review. In breakout pairs, learners explain their business model in three minutes while partners ask: Who pays? Why now? Why you? What must be true for this to work?
70–80 min — Break and individual notes.
80–95 min — Mini-lesson: competitive advantage, owner readiness, and leadership responsibilities. Instructor covers differentiation, founder skills, time availability, decision rights, accountability, and when outside help is needed.
95–108 min — Role-play: owner-readiness interview. One learner acts as the owner and one acts as a business mentor asking about experience, gaps, finances, time, operations, decision-making, and support network. Learners switch roles briefly and capture readiness risks.
108–116 min — Formative assessment: feasibility traffic-light check. Learners rate business model, competitive advantage, owner readiness, goals, and evidence as green, yellow, or red, then identify one required revision before assignment submission.
116–120 min — Assignment preparation and handoff notes. Instructor reviews Week 1 assignment expectations and asks learners to document questions that the Week 2 marketing/HR professional should review.

Instructor notes from business leader perspective: Emphasize practical execution over enthusiasm. Push learners to define who pays, how often, why the business can win, and what the owner must personally lead. Watch for vague advantages such as “better service” without evidence. Encourage modest, testable goals and clear next-step milestones. Document concerns for the next instructor, especially unclear customer fit, weak differentiation, unrealistic staffing assumptions, or leadership gaps.

Formative assessment: Completed feasibility traffic-light check, peer questions answered, and instructor review of each learner’s draft business-model summary, owner-readiness gap, and three measurable goals.

Preparation for linked assignment: Learners leave with notes needed to complete the Week 1 Practical Assignment: business overview, mission, value proposition, business-model summary, owner assessment, feasibility notes, initial goals, and success measures.

Beginner support: Provide sentence starters, examples of simple revenue models, and a one-page checklist for business-model and readiness review. Allow learners to describe assumptions in plain language before converting them into formal plan language.

Advanced extension: Ask experienced learners to add sensitivity assumptions, identify leading and lagging indicators, compare two revenue-model options, and draft a short contingency plan for their highest-risk assumption.