What Is SquareUp?
SQUAREUP I: SELF-DISCOVERY & THE ENTREPRENEUR'S MINDSET
Entrepreneurship is more than starting a business. It’s a way of thinking, daring, and dreaming to try more, build more, and be more. This module clarifies the differences between business management and true entrepreneurship while isolating three core personal attributes of entrepreneurial thinking. Creating short and long-term goals allows the learner to embrace the deep parallels between entrepreneurial thinking and personal development. These sessions provide a foundation for sound reasoning and problem-solving skills, essential to both professional and personal success.
Learners explore their unique strengths and weaknesses by clarifying personal attributes through self-awareness. The learner creates a resume-ready personal positioning statement and other powerful tools tailored to each individual. Learners focus on clear thinking and effective communication as problem-solving tools to overcome challenges in their post-incarceration lives.
SQUAREUP II: IDENTIFYING PROBLEMS & DEVELOPING SOLUTIONS
The backbone of SquareUp II is the introduction to the business model canvas framework. Different from a traditional business plan, this approach highlights the dynamic interplay of key factors and fosters a deep respect for interconnectivity and flexibility. By approaching business modeling through a novel and creative lens, learners are better able to understand, and take advantage of, the interdependency of many parts as they relate to a whole. The result is flexible, goal-driven business modeling learners can apply to multiple endeavors.
The idea mapping module, a definitive turning point in the course, gives learners the freedom to create their own business model canvas synthesizing their learning with business fundamentals: defining value proposition, marketing a concept, receiving constructive feedback, and more. The learner works collaboratively with peers and outside mentors to ensure their work and mindsets are ready for the marketplace. This module engages creativity and innovation as multiple forms of brainstorming and idea generation are essential to its learning.