Business Coaching for
Northern Innovators.
Venture Forward is for founders building innovative and technology-driven companies in and for northern BC, at any stage.
You can start whenever you’re ready.
Not sure if you’re ready, or if this is the right fit? Book a free 30-minute call with our team.
We’ll talk through your business, answer your questions, and figure out together whether it’s the right fit and which tier makes sense.
ONE-ON-ONE COACHING
A Map of your business
ACCESS TO SPECIALISTS
MONTHLY GROUP SESSIONS
VERIFIED BUSINESS STATUS
Program at a Glance
Venture Forward has no end date.
You get a Coach who knows your business, meets you every month, and stays with you as it grows.
Who It’s For
Venture Forward is for founders building innovative and technology-driven companies in and for northern BC, at any stage:
- Pre-revenue and still shaping the idea
- Generating sales but not yet profitable
- Profitable and looking for a sounding board as you grow
You can start whenever you’re ready.
What It Costs
You pay according to where your business is. As your sales grow, your rate moves with them. And if they fall, you can move back down; we’ll let you know when it’s time.
How To Start
1. Talk to us. A short conversation about your business, and who your Coach would be.
2. Sign up. We send your agreement to sign online, then your payment link and your login.
3. Get started. Work through your first module, then meet your Coach.
From first email to booked sessions, in about a week.
What You’ll Access
A Coach, Every Month
One-to-one, online, wherever you are in the north. Your sessions are booked three months ahead so coaching never gets squeezed out by a busy week.
Bring the real problem: a pipeline that’s stalled, a customer who left, a hire you’re unsure about. Your Coach works it through with you and shows you where it sits on the map. Acting on it is yours to do, which is what makes it stick.
A Map Of Your Business
Every business runs on the same parts: who you serve, what you offer them, how you reach them, who you depend on, and what it all costs. Your first sessions map yours. If you’re early stage, that means working out what your business should be. If you’re established, it means finding which part is holding you back.
Specialists When You Need Them
Our Entrepreneurs in Residence bring deep expertise in areas such as finance, operations, marketing and investment. Once your Foundational notebooks and a live pitch show us you have the foundations in place, we match you with the right specialist for a defined piece of work.
A Trusted Circle of Founders
The Founders Circle is a monthly session with a small, curated group of northern founders. You bring a real problem, and people who have faced the same thing work through it with you, in confidence. Profitable companies join the Business Leaders Mastermind instead.
Verified Business Status
Many funding applications ask one question founders don’t know how to answer: “Who is your Accelerator?” With Venture Forward, the answer is Northern Innovation Network. That unlocks government funding and programs that require one.
What’s Included
Your tier follows where your business is, and what is included changes as you grow.
Pre-Revenue
For founders just starting out- Verified Accelerator status
- 2 seats: you and a co-founder
- Foundational Business Training
- Founders Circle, monthly
- General coaching: 1 one-hour session each month
- Not included at this tier
- Capacity Training
- Business Leaders Mastermind
- Specialized coaching
- Strategic Review
Revenue
Selling, not yet profitable- Verified Accelerator status
- 2 seats: you and a co-founder
- Foundational Business Training
- Capacity Training (coming soon)
- Founders Circle, monthly
- General coaching: 1 one-hour session each quarter
- Specialized coaching: 1 one-hour session each month
- Not included at this tier
- Business Leaders Mastermind
- Strategic Review
Profitable
Profitable and growing- Verified Accelerator status
- 5 seats: you, your co-founders and your team
- Foundational Business Training
- Capacity Training (coming soon)
- Business Leaders Mastermind, monthly
- General coaching: 1 one-hour session each quarter
- Specialized coaching: 1 one-hour session each month
- Strategic Review, annually
- Not included at this tier
- Founders Circle
On-Hold
Taking a break from coaching- Verified Accelerator status
- Your existing seats
- Foundational Business Training
- Not included at this tier
- Capacity Training
- Founders Circle
- Business Leaders Mastermind
- General coaching
- Specialized coaching
- Strategic Review
Verified Accelerator status. Northern Innovation Network is your registered Accelerator, which some government funding and programs require. It is included in every tier.
Seats. The people from your company with their own login, including you. On Pre-Revenue and Revenue, the seats are for you and a co-founder. Once your company is profitable, seats extend to your team. Seats are logins and training access. Coaching belongs to your company, and your CEO decides who attends each session.
Online training. The Foundational Business Training is seven modules that start with your Business Model Canvas. Capacity is a video series for Revenue and Profitable members, coming soon.
Founders Circle. A monthly 90-minute session on Zoom, with breakout rooms, where you bring a real problem and work through it with other founders.
Business Leaders Mastermind. A separate monthly session for Profitable members, held over breakfast in Prince George or Fort St. John, or online.
General coaching. One-hour, one-to-one sessions with your Coach.
Specialized coaching. One-hour sessions with an Entrepreneur in Residence, focused on one issue at a time. It needs the Revenue tier or above, your completed Foundational notebooks reviewed by your Coach, and a pitch we have evaluated live. Your tier covers a set amount for each engagement. Some experts cost more than that, and in those cases you approve and pay the additional fees before the engagement starts.
Strategic Review. An annual strategic planning meeting with your Coach and the Entrepreneurs in Residence you worked with over the year.
Have A Question?
Call 250-563-2663 or contact us.
Ready To Apply?
Fill out the form and we’ll send you the application.
FAQ
What counts as an innovative business?
Venture Forward is for founders building something new and scalable: a technology product, a new service model, or a new way of solving a problem in the north. If you’re opening a business that already exists in every town, we’re probably not the right fit, and we’ll say so on the discovery call. Not sure which side you’re on? Book the call.
Is there really no end date?
That’s right. Venture Forward is built around your business, and your business doesn’t have a finish line. You stay as long as it’s useful, and you can put things on Hold if you need a season off.
What happens on the discovery call?
We talk through your business and your goals, answer your questions about the program, and figure out together which tier fits, or whether now’s even the right time. No pressure either way.
What are the monthly group sessions?
Every coaching tier includes a monthly session with a small, curated group of northern founders, where you bring a real problem and work through it together, in confidence. Pre-Revenue and Revenue members join the Founders Circle, a 90-minute session on Zoom. Profitable members join the Business Leaders Mastermind, which meets over breakfast in Prince George or Fort St. John, or online.
What does it cost?
Between $99 and $299 a month for coaching tiers, depending on whether you’re pre-revenue, selling but not yet profitable, or profitable. Your starting rate is set on your discovery call. Specialized coaching may have extra fees depending on the expert hired but those fees are agreed to by you prior to the engagement. There is a small monthly fee to retain your membership while on hold.
How do I work with an Entrepreneur in Residence?
Working with an Entrepreneur in Residence is the specialized coaching included from the Revenue tier up. You show us the foundations of business are in place in two ways: the completed notebooks from our Foundational Business Training, which your Coach reviews, and a live pitch to our team and participating angel investors, with your pitch deck sent to your Coach beforehand. Once both are approved, we bring in a specialist whenever your business needs one. Your tier covers a set amount for each engagement. Some experts cost more than that, and in those cases you approve and pay the additional fees before the engagement starts.
Can I take a break without losing my spot?
Yes. Talk to us and we’ll send you the link to put your membership on Hold at a minimum monthly rate, which keeps your Accelerator status, your online training and your place. You pick back up from your account when you’re ready.
What’s Verified Business status?
Northern Innovation Network becomes your registered Accelerator. That opens the door to government funding and programs that require one.
How much of my time will it take?
Plan on your coaching sessions, a 90-minute group session each month, and about three hours of work on your business for every hour of coaching. The coaching only pays off if you act on it between sessions.
Is there a contract?
There’s a simple agreement, billed monthly. You can change tiers or cancel from your account, and put your membership on Hold by talking to us. A cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period.
How does pricing work if my sales change?
Your tier is based on your average monthly sales, and it moves with you. When your sales cross a line, we ask you to move up or down, and you make the change from your account.
Who are the Coaches?
Your Coach is a member of the NIN team, or one of our external Coaches when our schedules are full, and stays with you for as long as you’re in the program. Entrepreneurs in Residence are specialists brought in for a set number of sessions once your notebooks and pitch are approved.
Do I need to be in Prince George?
No. Everything is online, so it works the same from Fort St. John, Terrace or anywhere else in northern BC.
Do I have to take the Foundational Business Training?
Yes. Every founder completes the seven units of Foundational Business Training and the notebook that goes with each one. The training covers your business model, entrepreneurial mindset, market validation, marketing and sales, financial management, operations and preparing for investment. If you’re new to business, your Coach works through the units with you month by month. If you’ve been running your business for a while, you can move through them at your own pace and send your Coach the completed notebooks together. Your notebooks, your pitch deck sent to your Coach ahead of time, and a live pitch of your business are how we confirm you’re ready for specialized coaching.
What reporting do you need from me?
NIN is a publicly funded not-for-profit, so we report on member businesses to our funders. When you join, we’ll do a baseline evaluation with you. After that, we’ll ask for a short report twice a year, in October and April, with your sales, investment and hiring numbers for the previous six months. Your numbers are confidential and go only to our funders.
Delivered By
Request an Application
When you are ready to join Venture Forward fill this out and we’ll send you the application to complete.