CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - Opening a new business in Citrus Heights? Refine your offering, get your first customers, and learn to pitch like a boss. Registration is open for The Lean Innovator, a 10-week business startup workshop series starting on June 1^st.

“The Lean Innovator” new business incubator Zoom workshop program, hosted by Dan Casas-Murry, is a collaborative effort with the Carlsen Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Sacramento State University and the Capital Region Small Business Development Center (SBDC).

The upcoming workshop is the result of discussions between the Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce, the SBDC and Meghan Huber, the city’s economic development manager, to bring Zoom-based, quality business education to new business owners and entrepreneurs who may be just starting with a business idea in Citrus Heights.

Casas-Murry joined the Capital Region Small Business Development Center (SBDC) three years ago. His “The Lean Innovator” workshop series has evolved since getting started in 2016. Casas-Murry knows Huber since she filled a similar economic development leadership role for the city of Rancho Cordova and is support for her new role in Citrus Heights.

The opportunity to offer “The Lean Innovator” workshop program in Citrus Heights is an outgrowth of regular collaborative bi-monthly telephone calls between Casas-Murry, Meghan Huber and Diane Ebbitt-Riehle, executive director of the Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce, all of whom are active in support of the SBDC’s efforts to help new and emerging Citrus Heights businesses to thrive.

“We visualize the Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce as a business resource and networking center,” Ebbitt-Riehle said. “In this new business environment, we want to bring very real value to our membership and create an incentive for non-members to join us,” she said.

Ebbitt-Riehle welcomed the offer of Casas-Murry to offer “The Lean Innovator” Zoom workshop to Citrus Heights chamber members and to the general public. “In the future, the Chamber would like to offer classes to help our local business owners with licensing, developing a business plan and achieving their marketing goals through social media,” she said.

The 10-week, Zoom-based on-line program taught by Casas-Murry is facilitated by the Carlsen Center at Sacramento State University. Two Zoom video sessions each week cover a variety of topics including customer profile development, market niche research, value proposition design, light prototyping and collateral design.

“We have found that people who benefit the most from this program are folks that are just starting out with a business idea; have created a product/service concept but haven’t solidified it yet, or already have a business but need to pivot with new customers or products,” Casas-Murry said.

The cohort-based course program covers customer profile development, market niche research, value proposition design, light prototyping and collateral design.

“Workshop participants will learn how to talk about their new startup in one sentence, one minute, and with 12 visual presentation slides, to make their pitch interesting,” Casas-Murry said.

Participants are also encouraged to create their own accountability squad, bringing into the workshop sessions feedback from their customers and fellow business members.

Casas-Murry cited the concerns voiced by many business startups who feel they lack the necessary skills in social media marketing to succeed in today’s marketplace, or who describe their anxiety in directly interviewing their customers to better determine their wants and needs.

“I hope that all who participate in “The Lean Innovator” workshop program come away both with a better understanding of the issues which might hold them back from truly being successful and become better communicators of the value their new start up has to offer the public,” Casas-Murry said.

“The Lean Innovator” program is free to attend and starts on June 1st.  Applications are being accepted until May 16th and will fill 12-14 seats. For further information contact Dan Casas-Murry at [email protected] or visit theleaninnovator.org/application to apply.