Ready, Start, Grow · Group starts Monday, February 1, 2027
“This is the course I wish I had when I started my business.”
A 19-module program by John M. Torrens, Ph.D., built around the practices research links to better outcomes for founders. Your company is formed as part of it.
- 19 modules, three phases
- Company formation included
- Weekly office hours with John
- One-on-one coaching
- Course access as soon as you enroll
- Everything on one platform
- 33 seats
Book your call about Ready, Start, Grow
The problem
Most new businesses don’t make it to ten years.
Official US data track every new private-sector business location from the year it opens. The latest figures:
close within their first year.
77.7% of businesses opened in 2024 were still operating a year laterhave closed within five years.
47.2% of businesses opened in 2021 were still operating five years laterhave closed within ten years.
34.2% of businesses opened in 2016 were still operating ten years laterA closure isn’t always a failure. Some owners sell, retire or move on, and Census research found that about a third of closed businesses were successful when they closed, in their owners’ own judgment. The figures also count locations, not whole companies. The risk is real, and it’s a risk you can study.
What research says helps
The founders who last do specific, learnable work.
No study has measured Ready, Start, Grow. These studies looked at what founders do differently, and the program is built around exactly that.
Planning, and revising the plan as you learn
A meta-analysis of 46 studies covering more than 11,000 small firms found business planning is consistently associated with better performance. The effect is small, and the authors recommend pairing planning with learning.
Brinckmann, Grichnik & Kapsa, 2010Built around itEvery module adds to one workbook, and the last exercise in each carries your work into the next. By Module 19 it holds your whole plan, tested and rewritten as you go.
Task-specific skill, not credentials
A meta-analysis of 70 samples, nearly 25,000 people in all, found that the knowledge and skills for the actual tasks of running a company predict success more than education or experience for their own sake. The link is stronger in young businesses.
Unger, Rauch, Frese & Rosenbusch, 2011Built around itThe 19 modules follow the founder’s actual jobs in order: readiness, validation, markets, pricing, structure, marketing, sales, projections, finance, pitching, negotiation, team and exit.
Structured advice from people who have done it
In a randomized experiment with 100 startups, founders who got structured management advice from experienced peers were 10 percentage points less likely to fail two years later.
Chatterji, Delecourt, Hasan & Koning, 2019Built around itHands-on help with your own business and expert guest sessions bring experienced advice to your company’s actual work, not only lessons.
Doing, not just listening
Randomized trials show the kind of training matters. In one study of 1,500 small businesses in Togo, published in Science, action-focused training raised profits 30%, while traditional classroom training gave a statistically insignificant 11%.
Campos et al., 2017Built around itEvery module ends in a seven-day sprint: specific things to do in the real world that week, recorded in your workbook.
What’s inside
Nineteen modules in three phases.
Each phase answers one question, and you leave each one with something you can use.
Ready
Should you start this, and is the idea worth it?
- 01Founder Readiness
- 02Opportunity Recognition
- 03Customer Discovery and Validation
- 04Industry Analysis
- 05Market Analysis
- 06Value Proposition
You leave withA clear-eyed go, change or stop decision, backed by real conversations with customers and a value proposition you can say in a sentence.
Start
How do you make it real and win the first customers?
- 07Business Model and Pricing
- 08Legal and Business Structure
- 09Marketing Basics
- 10Marketing Clarity
- 11Go to Market Moves
- 12Sales Fundamentals
You leave withA business model and prices that hold up on paper, a formed company, a message people understand and a plan for your first customers.
Grow
Will the numbers work, and can it last without you?
- 13Market Share Projections
- 14Building a Proforma
- 15New Venture Finance
- 16Pitching and Storytelling
- 17Negotiation Basics
- 18Team and Systems
- 19Scaling to Exit
You leave withProjections you can defend, a funding plan, a pitch, and the team and systems to build something that runs without you doing everything.
The Founder Workbook
One exercise at a time, matched to the lessons. Each module’s last exercise carries forward, so the workbook ends up holding the full story of your company.
Seven-day sprints
Every module ends in a sprint of real-world work on your own business, so you finish the course with a company, not just notes.
Office hours with John
One hour every week from Monday, February 1, 2027, for the length of the program. The day and time are set before the group starts, and we tell you then. Every session is recorded, so you never miss one.
Expert guest sessions
Experts brought in on what is happening now in business, and what the group asks for.
One-on-one coaching
Three one-on-one coaching sessions on your own business, with an advisor on John’s team.
Start now
Enroll before February and get course access right away. Office hours begin with the group on February 1.
Your company, formed as part of the program
You work out which structure fits your goals, an LLC or a corporation, and we form it for you through our formation partner as part of the program. The state filing fee is passed through at cost and shown to you before you pay. If you already have an LLC, your price is $250 lower when you pay in full.
Forming properly from the start keeps the business’s money and debts separate from yours, so you can build credit in the company’s name. Studies of US start-ups find that firms borrowing in the company’s name went on to survive longer and earn more than those relying on the founder’s personal debt. That’s an association, not proof, and forming an LLC doesn’t by itself make a business more likely to last.
One place for everything
You do the work. We take the complication out of it.
We built our own education platform in-house, around exactly this program. Everything lives in one place, under one login, and it always shows you the next step.
The course
Each lesson one step at a time, with the slides and John’s narration, on your phone or your laptop.
Your workbook
Every exercise sits beside the lesson it goes with, and your answers are saved as you type.
Office hours and recordings
Join John’s weekly office hours from the platform, and find every recording there afterwards.
Coaching
Book your three one-on-one sessions with an advisor on John’s team in the same place.
Your company
Formation happens inside the platform: you answer the questions, we handle the filing, and you can follow its progress.
Beyond the program
For founders who earn it, a path to capital.
Successful graduates may be invited to pitch their company in a live business competition, in front of a panel of investors and founders from John’s network. After working with a founder and their company through the program, we may also offer introductions to investors for standout founders, and in some cases partnering with them directly. None of it is promised or automatic, and any investment is always its own separate agreement.
Who it’s for
For people who want to start properly.
A good fit if you
- Are seriously asking “should I start a business?” and want a structured way to answer it.
- Have an idea, or a few, and want to test them before you quit your job or spend your savings.
- Already have an LLC but no clear model or customers yet.
- Want to do the work each week, not just watch videos.
Probably not if you
- Want a guaranteed outcome or a shortcut. Nobody can honestly promise one.
- Want a degree or a credential. This is practice, not a diploma.
- Already run an established company and need help with one specific problem.
- Can’t set aside time each week during the program.
Your instructor
John M. Torrens, Ph.D.
John has built companies and taught others to build them. Ready, Start, Grow is the founder’s job as he teaches it, from “am I ready?” to exit.
- Five-time Inc. 5000 founder
- Professor of Entrepreneurial Practice, Whitman School of Management, Syracuse University; 20 years teaching entrepreneurship
- Author of Lightning in a Bottle
- TEDx speaker
- Host of The Total Entrepreneur podcast
I have read hundreds of business plans and watched brilliant ideas stall for reasons that had nothing to do with the idea.
Compared with an MBA
At $4,950 paid in full, less than one-tenth the tuition of any top-30 US full-time MBA.
| Top full-time MBA | Ready, Start, Grow | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $186,016 in tuition and fees over two years (Wharton, 2026–27) | $4,950, plus your state filing fee at cost |
| Time | Two years, full time | About 20 weeks: about 3 hours of pre-recorded video, office hours with John for one hour a week (all recorded) and 212 workbook exercises |
| Focus | Broad general management | The founder’s job: one company, yours, from “should I?” to exit |
| Company | Not part of it | Formed as part of the program |
Two-year tuition for 2026–27 at top-30 US full-time programs starts at about $72,000 (Poets & Quants), so the comparison holds against the least expensive of them. To be fair to the MBA: it brings a broad network and a credential that a course doesn’t. If you want those, it may be worth the cost. If you want to start a company, this is built for that job.
Price and seats
Pay in full, or over three or six months.
- In full
- $4,950
- 3 payments of
- $1,979
- 6 payments of
- $1,297
- 33 seats, so every founder gets real attention in office hours and one-on-one.
- All 19 modules, the Founder Workbook and its 212 exercises, and a seven-day sprint for each module.
- Office hours with John, one hour every week from February 1, 2027. The day and time are set before the group starts, and we tell you then.
- Three one-on-one coaching sessions with an advisor on John’s team, and expert guest sessions.
- Course access as soon as you enroll.
- Some course videos use an AI version of John, made with machine-learning software from his own recordings and words. Each one is labeled.
- Company formation, an LLC or a corporation, through our formation partner.
- State filing fee extra, at cost. It varies by state, and you see the exact amount before you pay.
- $250 off if you already have an LLC and pay in full.
Founding with co-founders
Two to five founders of one company who enroll together each pay less. The group price doesn’t combine with the $250 off.
| Founders | Each, in full | Each, 3 payments of | Each, 6 payments of |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | $4,450 | $1,779 | $1,197 |
| 3 | $4,200 | $1,679 | $1,097 |
| 4–5 | $3,950 | $1,579 | $997 |
Questions
Before you join.
Do I need a business idea already?
No. Module 2, Opportunity Recognition, is about finding and judging ideas, and Module 3 shows you how to test one with real customers. If you already have an idea, the Ready phase is where you find out whether it holds up.
How long does it take?
About 3 hours of pre-recorded video across 19 modules, office hours with John for one hour every week (all recorded), plus 212 workbook exercises, paced at one module a week: about 20 weeks in all. Each module ends in a seven-day sprint of real-world work, so plan for time each week on top of the lessons.
What does the $4,950 include?
All 19 modules, the Founder Workbook, the seven-day sprints, office hours with John for one hour every week (all recorded), expert guest sessions, three one-on-one coaching sessions with an advisor on John’s team, and the formation of your company as an LLC or a corporation. The only other cost is your state’s filing fee, which we pass through at cost.
Are any of the course videos made with AI?
Yes. Some course videos use an AI version of John, made with machine-learning software from his own recordings and words. Each one is labeled.
How much is the state filing fee?
It depends on your state and on the type of company. We charge exactly what the state charges, and you see the amount before you pay.
I already have an LLC. Is this still for me?
Yes, if you don’t yet have a tested model and steady customers. Your price is $250 lower when you pay in full, because we don’t need to form a company for you. Module 8, Legal and Business Structure, will still help you check whether your current structure fits your plans.
Can you promise my business will succeed?
No, and you should be wary of anyone who does. No study has measured this program. What we can say is that research links planning that keeps learning, task-specific skills, structured advice and hands-on practice to better outcomes for founders, and Ready, Start, Grow is built around exactly those.
Is this legal or tax advice?
No. The program teaches you how to think about structure and finance, and our formation partner files the paperwork. For advice on your own situation, talk to a lawyer or accountant. You’ll go into that meeting knowing what to ask.
Can I start before February?
Yes. Enroll now and you get course access right away, so you can work through the first modules before the group begins. Office hours begin with the whole group on Monday, February 1, 2027.
When are the office hours?
Every week from February 1, 2027, for the length of the program: one hour with John M. Torrens, Ph.D. The day and time are set before the group starts, and we tell you then. Every session is recorded, and if you can’t attend you get the full recording.
Will you invest in my company?
Not as part of the program, and nobody should join expecting it. After working with you and your company through the program, we may introduce standout founders to investors, and occasionally partner with them directly. That is always a separate decision and a separate agreement.
What happens on the call?
A conversation with our team about you, your idea and whether the program fits. If it does, we walk you through enrolling. If it doesn’t, we’ll tell you.
What does joining the waitlist commit me to?
Nothing. We write to you about this group, and you can unsubscribe any time.
Sources. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Business Employment Dynamics, Table 7 (survival of private-sector establishments by opening year; accessed Nov 2026) · Headd, Small Business Economics, 2003 · Brinckmann, Grichnik & Kapsa, Journal of Business Venturing, 2010 · Unger, Rauch, Frese & Rosenbusch, Journal of Business Venturing, 2011 · Chatterji, Delecourt, Hasan & Koning, Strategic Management Journal, 2019 · Campos et al., Science, 2017 · Cole & Sokolyk, Journal of Corporate Finance, 2018 · Wharton MBA tuition, 2026–27 · Poets & Quants, top-30 MBA costs, 2026–27.
None of these studies measured Ready, Start, Grow. Ready, Start, Grow is general education, not legal, tax or financial advice. © Entrepreneur.ing