Aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners can take their ideas from concept to launch this fall with Piedmont Adult School’s new Startup Founder Series, which focuses on some of the most important challenges entrepreneurs face. The series includes three free courses:
- Startup Founder Series (1): Validate Your Business Idea
- Startup Founder Series (2): Perfect Your Pitch
- Startup Founder Series (3): Financing Your Startup
Led by entrepreneur Joshua Errett, these classes offer practical, hands-on instruction for anyone considering a startup, launching a side hustle, or looking to grow an existing business. Each course consists of four sessions and focuses on skills participants can put to work immediately.
Joshua Errett has started three venture-backed companies and has experience launching products, building partnerships, raising capital, and bringing new inventions and technologies to market. His startup experience spans three continents, most recently in Southeast Asia. Errett holds an MBA from Indiana University and focuses his classes on practical tools students can apply immediately.
A New Certificate for Entrepreneurs
The Startup Founder Series is part of Piedmont Adult School’s new Small Business & Entrepreneurship Certificate, designed specifically for the modern entrepreneur. The certificate provides a practical way to build business knowledge and confidence and turn an idea into action.
Students pursuing the certificate select courses across three key areas of entrepreneurship: Business Foundations & Strategy; Marketing, AI and Communication; and Operations & Growth. The program allows students to build a course of study that reflects their own interests and business goals while earning a certificate recognizing their professional growth.
Students can register for these and other classes at piedmontadultschool.org. For more information, contact Piedmont Adult School at pas@piedmont.k12.ca.us or 510-594-2655.
Class Details:
Startup Founder Series (1): Validate Your Business Idea
September 16–October 7, Wednesdays, 6:00–7:30 p.m.
How do you know if a business idea has real potential? Students will use customer discovery, market research, competitive analysis, and real-world validation techniques to test and refine their ideas before investing significant time or money.
Startup Founder Series (2): Perfect Your Pitch
October 14–November 4, Wednesdays, 6:00–7:30 p.m.
Whether pitching to a potential customer, partner, or investor, entrepreneurs need to communicate their ideas clearly and persuasively. Students will learn the fundamentals of business storytelling, slide design, and presentation and leave the course with a polished pitch deck for their own business.
Startup Founder Series (3): Financing Your Startup
November 10–December 8, Tuesdays, 6:00–7:30 p.m.
Students will learn the fundamentals of startup finance, including forecasting, pricing, cost structure, and cash flow, while creating a working financial model for their own business. The course will also explore funding options ranging from bootstrapping and grants to loans, angel investment, and venture capital. No finance background is required.
