The Kauffman FastTrac® series is an educational program created by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs. FastTrac® is designed to help you evaluate and perfect your business concept and complete a comprehensive business plan. Whether you’re starting a food truck or a factory, a construction company or a consulting firm, you need a plan. This 10-week series offered twice a year can help. The program is most appropriate for those who are: either within a year of launching your business or have launched within the past year and are seeking a plan for establishing your business. You will study with a group of entrepreneurs, experienced facilitators, and people with start-up business experience who understand the pitfalls of starting a new enterprise.
Each week, you'll hear from our expert facilitator and a guest expert. You’ll also receive lifetime access to an online FastTrac® Toolkit. The Toolkit houses the business planning templates, action steps, activities, videos, and other helpful materials.
When you finish the program, you will know if your idea has profit potential, and will have an actionable plan you can use as a roadmap or take to investors.
In this ten module FastTrac® program, you will:
- Explore entrepreneurship and develop your business concept.
- Identify and research market needs.
- Set financial goals and determine start-up costs.
- Develop research skills and determine the unique features and benefits of your product/service.
- Research and analyze the market and prepare a marketing plan.
- Create a business image and marketing strategies.
- Build the organization team and understand legal structures.
- Plan for a profitable business, evaluate pricing and profitability.
- Learn how to monitor cash flow and seek funds.
- Determine and implement next steps to launch your business and complete your business plan.
The class features weekly online meetings with an expert teacher and a supportive cohort of other new entrepreneurs. Class sessions will often feature presentations from guest speakers who are accountants, social media consultants, attorneys, or other business experts.
Membership in the class also includes unlimited remote coaching sessions with the instructor and free access to all of WBEC-East's business training webinars and programs for the duration of the course.
FastTrac® Cohorts currently alternate between in-person and virtual. Spring 2025 is in-person and Fall 2025 is virtual.
If students are repeatedly absent, unresponsive, or disruptive, we may need to ask them to leave the course and rejoin in the future when they’re better able to focus and/or commit. No refunds are available for FastTrac® course fees.
Application Instructions:
- This form is accepting applications for 2025.
- This application is for both Spring (in-person) and Fall (virtual) Cohorts.
- Fill in all the information requested and provide as much detail as possible in the spaces provided.
- Feel free to attach any documents about your business concept, product or service, or business needs and strategies in the space below.
Space is limited! Applications will be considered on a first come, first served basis.
Upon receipt of your application, WBEC-East will contact you for a interview. If accepted, you must submit your payment by the due date indicated on your acceptance letter to reserve your seat.
The full fee for this class is $300, but as a mission-driven nonprofit, we want to be sure that the fee is never an obstacle to joining this class. Most FastTrac® participants recieve need-based financial aid, which you can apply for at the end of this application. Your ability to pay the full fee will not influence our decision on whether or not you are ready for this class.
If you have any questions, please email Alexandra Mullins (Women's Business Center Director) at amullins@wbeceast.com, Evelyn Martinez (Program Coordinator) at emartinez@wbeceast.com, or Melanie McLeod (FastTrac Course Facilitator) at melaniemcleod10@gmail.com.