A 12 week intensive training

programme of essential business

skills and knowledge for social

entrepreneurs and More Than

Profit leaders.

The CircleAcademy

www.thecircledundee.org.uk/the-circle-

academy

SEPTEMBER 17TH - DECEMBER 4TH 2020

Our missionis to createthrivingsustainablemore thanprofitbusinesses

THE CIRCLE ACADEMY IS APIVOTAL PART OF THECIRCLE'S MISSION TOCREATE AN ECOSYSTEMOF STRONG, LONG-LASTING AND IMPACTFULTHIRD SECTORORGANISATIONS

The Circ le Academy i s a responseto having witnessed f i rs t hand thechal lenges faced by th i rd sectorand social ly aware organisat ionsand entrepreneurs . We bel ievethat equipping indiv iduals withthe tools and knowledge toovercome chal lenges ranging f romburnout to bui lding a viablebusiness plan and rel iable incomeis the key to ensur ing theirorganisat ions future.

The programme aims to produceknowledgeable, equipped andhighly investable indiv iduals , witha well researched, informed andviable business idea, and theacumen and res i l ience to see i t tofrui t ion.

Attendees wil l , week by week, beguided through topics and contentthat wil l develop their businessacumen, bui ld an entrepreneuria lmindset , f ine-tune their pitching,sel l ing, and market ing ski l ls .

On complet ion of the programme,successful part ic ipants wil l havebui l t a detai led and an act ionablebusiness plan, cash f low, andmarket ing plan, alongside ski l ls ,knowledge, networks and ongoingsupport . And wil l be awarded with‘The Circ le Academy Award InSocial Entrepreneurship’ .

FeaturesA 2 day per week intensive course

structure that combines speakers , drop-

ins , 1-1 support and onl ine learning.

Sessions del ivered by industry speakers

cover ing entrepreneuria l mindset ,

business planning, legal structures ,

governance, f inance, market ing, sales and

sel l ing, teams and culture, social impact ,

funding and pitching.

Dai ly drop- in sess ions where part ic ipants

can ref lect on their learning, work on

tasks, ask quest ions and recieve support

f rom The Circ le team.

A total of nine 1-1 sess ions to access

cr i t ical support and guidance to aid in

the development and ref inement of their

business plan, cash f low, and market ing

plan.

Access to The Circ le Academy’s exclusive

learning resources, inc luding a copy of

The Academy Manual .

The opportunity to pitch to a panel on

complet ion of the programme, with the

possibi l i ty of being awarded a share of a

funding pot.

The end goal wil l be to develop highly

investable people, who have produced a

wel l - researched and credible business

plan worthy of investment .

TopicsWEEK 1

INDUCTION

WEEK 2

MINDSET

WEEK 3

BUSINESS PLANNING

WEEK 4

LEGAL STRUCTURE

WEEK 5

GOVERNANCE

WEEK 6

FINANCE

WEEK 7

MARKETING

WEEK 8

SALES AND SELLING

WEEK 9

TEAMS AND CULTURE

WEEK 10

SOCIAL IMPACT

WEEK 11

FUNDING

WEEK 12PITCHING

Entrepreneurs acrossScotland have benefited

from The Circle Academy.

"THE ACADEMY GAVE MESPACE TO FOCUS MY

THOUGHTS ON MYPENDING VENTURE AS

AND TIME TOCONSOLIDATE MY

LEARNING WITHOUTDISTRACTIONS."

Emma Charl ton

"THE PROGRAMME HASBEEN INVALUABLE IN

MANY WAYS ALREADY,PROVIDING NOT ONLY

KNOWLEDGE, INSIGHTS& GUIDANCE BUT

FOSTERING AMAZINGCONNECTION."

Alvina Menzies , Enl ighten Cupar

S.P.R. I .N.G Solut ion

"THE ACADEMY IS MORETHAN A CLASSROOM ORSESSIONS. IT IS GENUINE

SUPPORT, NOT JUST APAT ON THE BACK."

Eddie Baines, Kirkton Community Larder

"THE BIGGEST LEARNINGCURVES FOR ME WEREAROUND MY MINDSET,

SELF-CONFIDENCE ANDSUSTAINABILITY.  TO ME

THESE INGREDIENTS ARETHE MOST IMPORTANTTO HAVING A HEALTHYSOCIAL ENTERPRISE."

Suzie Repova, Catesbi

Outcomes

On complet ion, successful part ic ipants wil l have:

Achieved ‘The Circ le Academy Award In Social

Entrepreneurship’ .

Produced A detai led and act ionable business plan,

cash f low, and market ing plan.

 The ski l ls , knowledge and networks that wil l

enable them to create a successful ‘More Than

Prof i t ’ business .

Ongoing access to onl ine learning resources to

support business growth.

Access to ongoing support f rom The Circ le ,

including monthly meetings, and access to The

Circ le Academy Alumni network.

A fu l ly prepared and rehearsed pitch.

Part ic ipants wil l also have the opportunity to pitch

for a share of a funding pot at the end of the 12

week programme.

THE PROGRAMME AIMS TO PRODUCE

KNOWLEDGEABLE, EQUIPPED AND

HIGHLY INVESTABLE INDIVIDUALS,

WITH A WELL RESEARCHED,

INFORMED AND VIABLE BUSINESS

IDEA, AND THE ACUMEN AND

RESILIENCE TO SEE IT TO FRUITION.

SQAAccreditation.

On complet ion of the programme, successful

part ic ipants wil l be awarded with an SQA accredited

qual i f icat ion, evidencing their development of business

acumen, understanding of good governance, abi l i ty to

understand cash f low, f inancial planning and divers i ty of

income, and development of leadership and

management ski l ls .

Business Plan inc luding legal structure, organisat ion

structure, social impact , governance.

Market ing Strategy inc luding SWOT, price points ,

market ing channels .

F inancials inc luding cash f low and f inancial

project ions.

SCQF LEVEL

7

SCQF POINTS

21

PROGRAMME OWNER

THE CIRCLE DUNDEE

CREDIT RATING BODY

SQA CREDIT RATING SERVICE

THE CIRCLE ACADEMY AWARD INSOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED ON:

DetailsTIMESCALE

THE PROGRAMME WILL RUN FOR 12 WEEKS

STARTING WEEK COMMENCING 14.09.2020

SCHEDULE

SESSIONS WILL RUN FROM 9AM - 5PM ON

THURSDAYS AND FRIDAYS. PARTICIPANTS

MAY WANT TO COMMIT ADDITIONAL TIME

TO COMPLETE WORK.

COST

THE TOTAL COST FOR THE PROGRAMME IS

£2000. THIS CAN BE SELF FUNDED OR

FUNDED THROUGH GRANTS, BURSARIES

AND LOANS. PLEASE CONTACT US TO

ENQUIRE ABOUT FUNDING OPTIONS.

PERSONAL COMMITMENT

PARTICIPANTS WILL NEED TO COMMIT TO

ATTENDING THE 12 WEEK PROGRAMME IN

FULL.

SQA QUALIFICATION

TO SUCCESSFULLY ACHIEVE THE CIRCLE

ACADEMY AWARD IN SOCIAL

ENTREPRENEURSHIP PARTICIPANTS WILL

NEED TO SUBMIT ALL OF THE REQUIRED

EVIDENCE IN FULL.

Who ShouldApply ForThe CircleAcademy?

THE CIRCLE ACADEMY ISOPEN TO ANYONE

WANTING TO CREATEPOSITIVE SOCIAL OR

ENVIRONMENTALCHANGE IN A

SUSTAINABLE ANDFINANCIALLY VIABLE

WAY.

I f you want your current social impactefforts to become your fu l l t ime job, th is

programme i s for you.

I f you run a for-prof i t business and wantto do more for your community , th is

programme i s for you.

I f you run a not- for-prof i t organisat ionand are struggl ing to survive through

funding alone, th is programme i s for you.

I f you have an idea for a way to posit ivelyimpact your community but are unsure ofhow to execute i t , th is programme i s for

you.

I f you are an entrepreneur concernedabout burnout , th is programme i s for you.

I f you run an exist ing social enterpr isethat i s in i t 's f i rs t three years of

development, th is programme i s for you.

I f you run a smal l business that doesgood th ings, but are struggl ing to make

ends meet, th is programme i s for you.

I f you have started a community projectand are sel f - funding i t , th is programme

is for you.

I f you run a business and want tointegrate your social purpose into yourbusiness model , th is programme i s for

you.

I f you are rel iant on funding that i scoming to an end, th is programme i s for

you.

I f you are up and running but unsurehow to tackle your f inances and legal

obl igat ions, th is programme i s for you.

I f you want to use your ski l ls orprofess ion to benef i t the community but

have no prior experience in the th i rdsector , th is programme i s for you.

Apply now to secure a place on

Cohort 3 of The Circle

Academy.

Apply Now

Successful applicants will be contacted on or

before Friday 28th of August, and will be

invited to a virtual interview taking place week

commencing 31.8.20.

Good Luck!

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE APPLICATION FORM