The final presentation of the summer application program for Voyager was earlier this week, and we couldn’t be more pleased with how it went! Three organizations presented their business plans to an audience of twenty supporters, focusing on what help they needed most to take their organizations to the next step. Throughout the evening, they successfully fielded questions, pitched their business and — maybe most difficult of all — were vulnerable about how they can improve.
The purpose of the evening was to connect the presenting organizations with people who could be a good fit for their Dream Team: individuals with relevant expertise, who are willing to invest time into their organization. The applicant founders have immense subject matter expertise and experience, but nobody can be everything to a business, and that’s where Voyager can help. We want to give them an opportunity to work closely with up to three Dream Team members, chosen from our stable of interested contractors. This Dream Team will provide strategic and fractional work over a three-month studio workshop program, to help solidify an organization’s business plan and set them up for success.
Last night’s event was a crucial step in creating long-term success for our founders. We wanted to see if our organizations could be persuasive enough to convince people to say “yes, I want to help, I’m invested and I think I can be of service”. We’re not going to get the results we’re looking for just assigning halfhearted contractors to work on arbitrary projects — we want our Dream Team to be as excited as the founders are to make this dream a reality.
After the talks, the attendees stuck around for conversations with the founders, asking clarifying questions and offering initial advice. We’ve gotten nearly a dozen requests to connect in the hours after the presentation, and we’re so excited to make those connections and build the Dream Team for our first studio workshop.
Follow along for more updates as we work to create stronger connections and better businesses in the community around us!