Business Planning and Capital Readiness is a six-week program to help you develop a comprehensive business plan for your business to secure funding. This class will be offered in a hybrid format, with 4 classes in person and 2 online via Zoom.

The program will be offered at $65. CWE Members can register for the reduced rate of $20. Email womens-entrepreneurship@chatham.edu for the coupon code.

This program takes a deep dive into each section of the business plan with a concentration on financial projections, what they are, and how to create them. Topics covered will include:

Business Planning: target markets, competition, marketing and sales, operations and management team, and scaling.

Capital Readiness: preparation of financial statements, breakeven analysis, cost of goods sold, forecasting, understanding the lending process and 5 Cs of credit, sources and uses of funding, Q&A with a lender panel, and more.

The foundation of a successful business is a solid business plan. Committing your idea to paper in the form of a comprehensive business plan not only increases your chances of obtaining financing but also of keeping your efforts in line with your strategy. You will work through all the major components of writing a business plan and emerge with a business plan that will hold up to the scrutiny of loan applications.

Required: Zoom capable device and internet access to participate.

The Business Planning and Capital Readiness Program will run on Monday evenings from 6:00-8:00 PM from September 8 to October 13, 2025. In-person sessions will be on September 8, 22, and 29 and October 13. Zoom sessions held on September 15 and October 6. Clients are expected to participate in all sessions live.

To view the class syllabus, click here!