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Big IDEAS, our signature learning platform, guides each entrepreneur as they develop their action plan for creating a sustainable business—step by step, from ideation, through execution, to scale. Entrepreneurs enter at the stage appropriate for them and progress at their own pace. Along the way, they are supported by a team of subject matter experts and a faculty focused on making mastery and excellence the default. In addition to group learning sessions, our platform features unique hands-on experiences and holistic, community driven development. To assess and assure mastery at each stage, Big IDEAS adheres to a rigorous set of “Readiness Indicators.”
To find out, follow the Big IDEAS journey.
Click a letter below to learn more.
INSPIRE: Identify the problem.
In this stage, entrepreneurs are inspired to build businesses and begin to adopt the experimentation mindset. The Inspire Stage is a safe place to explore your curiosities about entrepreneurship and strengthen your entrepreneurial mindset. Together we will help you explore both your business ideas and your readiness to build a business.
During this stage, you will:
In this stage, we offer services such as:
DEVELOP: Build an MVP.
The Develop Stage is the most critical stage in building a sustainable business. This is the foundation. Together we dig deep to help you validate feasibility, desirability, and viability of your business concept and build the company to support it. In this stage, you develop a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) by identifying the core features that address the primary needs of your target market.
During this stage, you will:
In this stage, we offer services such as:
EXECUTE: Validate product-market fit.
Entrepreneurs must assess the viability of their business model by validating product-market fit. You will evaluate whether your product is achieving product-market fit based on the feedback, metrics, and market response. Product-market fit is achieved when there is strong demand for your product within your target market, high customer satisfaction, and sustainable growth.
During this stage, you will:
In this stage, we offer services such as:
ACCELERATE: Drive strategic growth.
Entrepreneurs become leaders & operators to grow their business. The Accelerate Stage is the marathon that takes you from being a doer to being an owner. Together we help entrepreneurs expand their revenue by becoming contract ready and deploying systems that will position them well for scaling their business.
During this stage, you will:
In this stage, we offer services such as:
Entrepreneurs who demonstrate a deep knowledge of their customers and markets while achieving strong traction are our Pacesetter companies in the Scale stage of the Big IDEAS continuum.
In this stage, we demand your best, both professionally and personally.
Pacesetters focus on evidence-based, experiential, applied execution to build your business. So the Pacesetters Studio is designed to maximize session time with shared coaching and community building. Each business will be assigned a quarterback coach to help solve problems, access important resources, and keep you connected.
In this stage, we offer services such as:
Terri-Nichelle Bradley is the Founder and CEO of Play at Brown Toy Box. Bradley believes that Black children should see themselves positively represented in every space the experience regularly, starting with their toybox and the toy aisle. Bradley, an equity in play advocate, is on a mission to disrupt the $27B toy industry by creating a brand that reflects the world we live in today. Launched in 2017 as a STEAM kit, Brown Toy Box evolved into a full-scale educational toy company producing and curating STEAM toys, media, and experiences for centering and celebrating Black children in a manner all children can enjoy, learn, and have fun. Prior to starting Brown Toy Box, Bradley led a communications consultancy working with Fortune 500 companies in campaigns designed to connect with the African American community. Prior to that, Bradley served as the VP of Corporate, Crisis, and Public Affairs for the world’s largest global PR agency. Bradley has been awarded the Civic Impact Award, was recognized as a 2019 Atlanta’s Top 100 Businesswomen of Influence by the Atlanta Business League, acknowledged on the 2020 Who’s Who in Black Atlanta list of influential leaders and most recently named to Inc. Magazine’s 2020 Female Founders 100 list. Brown Toy Box is sold in Target stores nationwide, with Amazon, over 30 museums including the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture, as well as other independent specialty toy stores and retailers. Learn more at browntoybox.com
Stefan Miller is the Co-Founder and CMO for Young King Hair Care, which launched in December 2019. Young King Hair Care is a multicultural grooming and lifestyle brand company with tailored offerings catering to specific needs of young men of color. Stefan is a marketing professional with 15+ years of experience across marketing, sales and consulting in the CPG and tech industries. At Young King, Stefan has been featured in over 75+ national publications, was recognized by Mintel as one of the top US brand innovations of 2021, partnered with Disney and Marvel Studios for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and was a participant on Season 13 of ABC’s Shark Tank. Currently Young King Hair Care is available in multiple retail partners, including Target, Walmart, and CVS, selling in over 3,000 stores across the US. Prior to founding Young King Hair Care, he led business strategy and marketing communications, while launching innovations across multiple billion-dollar brands and categories at IBM, Johnson & Johnson, General Mills, Coca-Cola, and Red Bull. Stefan L. Miller Bio Stefan holds an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University with concentrations in Brand Marketing, Media Management and Management in Organizations, and is a proud HBCU alum of Morehouse College with a BA in Business Administration. He currently lives with his wife and co-founder Cora and 2 kids, Kade and Cree in Atlanta, Georgia. Learn more at youngkinghaircare.com
Ceata E. Lash, CEO and founder of PuffCuff has emerged as a pioneering figure in the natural hair accessory industry, holding the distinction of being the first African-American woman to secure four US patents in this domain. Her journey to entrepreneurship was built upon a 30-year career as a graphic designer, which laid the foundation for launching PuffCuff in 2013. Ceata’s innovative leadership has earned her prestigious accolades, including the President’s Innovation Award from Sally Beauty and the New Voices + Barefoot Wine Beauty Business Grant. These achievements have placed her among the top female founders featured in Inc. Magazine. Committed to lifelong learning and growth, Ceata has completed the Goldman Sachs 10K Small Businesses National Cohort and was part of the inaugural Amazon Black Business Accelerator Cohort. Her recent completion of the “Building a Successful Diverse Business” program at Tuck Executive Education, Dartmouth, further underscores her dedication to continuous improvement and leadership in the business world. Learn more at thepuffcuff.com