Instructor perspective: Marketing/HR professional focused on customer clarity, demand evidence, differentiation, positioning, and practical customer acquisition.

Essential terminology: target market; customer segment; customer persona; customer need; market demand; direct competitor; indirect competitor; differentiation; positioning; marketing channel; lead; conversion; sales funnel; referral source; customer acquisition cost; value proposition.

Detailed timed agenda totaling 120 minutes:
0–10 min — Welcome and continuity check: instructor explains how Week 2 builds on the Week 1 business concept and asks learners to identify one assumption from their business overview that needs market evidence.
10–25 min — Week 1 draft review through a marketing lens: learners pair up and review problem, solution, value proposition, products/services, and initial goals. Instructor identifies common gaps such as vague customers, broad markets, unsupported demand, or unclear differentiation.
25–45 min — Mini-lesson: defining target customers and demand signals. Instructor models how to move from “everyone can use this” to a focused customer segment using demographics, behaviors, needs, buying situation, urgency, and willingness to pay.
45–60 min — Collaborative activity: customer persona sprint. Small groups develop one primary customer profile for a sample local business, then apply the same structure to their own business idea.
60–75 min — Professional example and case discussion: compare a neighborhood meal-prep service, mobile detailing business, and bookkeeping service. Learners examine how each business chooses competitors, positioning, channels, and sales steps differently.
75–90 min — Competitor mapping workshop: learners list at least three direct or indirect competitors and compare them on customer need served, price/value, convenience, credibility, customer experience, and weaknesses or gaps.
90–105 min — Role-playing activity: first sales conversation. In pairs, one learner acts as a potential customer and the other practices a short discovery conversation that tests need, urgency, objections, and fit. Partners switch roles and record one revision to positioning or offer.
105–115 min — Guided business-plan development: learners draft or revise a target-customer profile, positioning statement, two to three marketing channel priorities, and a basic awareness-to-sale pathway.
115–120 min — Formative market-fit check and handoff notes: learners submit a brief exit ticket identifying their primary customer, strongest competitor, main differentiator, best channel, and one question for the HR-focused Meeting 4 instructor.

Professional examples and case studies: local service business choosing between social media ads and referral partnerships; early-stage retail food concept distinguishing direct competitors from substitute products; professional services startup using networking, credibility, and consultative selling instead of mass advertising.

Guided business-plan development: learners update the target market/customer profile, market demand notes, competitor comparison, differentiation, positioning, marketing channels, and sales strategy sections that feed the Week 2 Assignment Workspace: Market and Competitor Draft Checkpoint.

Instructor notes based on professional expertise: Press learners to support customer assumptions with observable evidence such as conversations, search behavior, foot traffic, existing competitors, industry data, waitlists, reviews, community groups, or prior sales. Do not re-teach Week 1 feasibility; instead, connect the Week 1 value proposition to customer demand and buying behavior. Flag staffing implications for Meeting 4, including expected service volume, response time, sales labor, customer support needs, and brand experience. Document feedback that may affect the CPA’s Week 3 work, including pricing sensitivity, sales-cycle length, seasonality, likely conversion rates, and marketing cost assumptions.

Formative assessment: exit ticket plus instructor review of each learner’s draft customer profile, competitor list, positioning statement, and channel rationale. Learners receive quick feedback using a market-readiness check: specific customer, clear need, credible demand evidence, realistic competitor awareness, differentiated promise, and plausible sales pathway.

Preparation for linked assignment: learners should leave with enough draft content to complete the market and competitor portions of the Week 2 practical assignment. They will refine these materials after Meeting 4 by adding organizational chart and staffing plan elements.

Beginner support: provide fill-in-the-blank persona, competitor comparison, and positioning templates; allow learners to use interviews, observation, and public competitor websites instead of paid market research. Advanced extension: add segment prioritization, simple channel metrics, referral assumptions, estimated lead volume, likely conversion rate, and notes on customer acquisition cost for Week 3 financial forecasting.