Socium Solutions recently received an exciting opportunity when we were privileged to participate in the Founders First Community Development Corporation FastPath Program.
The Founders First CDC is a nonprofit organization that is committed to fostering growth opportunities for companies. They seek to empower minority and underrepresented business owners and leaders—people of color, veterans, women, and LGBTQ individuals—to expand and develop their operations. They have successfully facilitated an average of 25% year over year growth for over 400 companies, all in the last five years.
As Socium Solutions is a minority and woman-owned business, we were extended an exclusive invitation to participate in the Founders First CDC FastPath program. John Ponce, our Business Development Manager, and Jeff Baker, our Chief Information Officer & SVP of Operations, participated in this challenging yet invigorating workshop.
In the words of Founders First CDC,
“[T]he 4-week FastPath Executive Program in Financing & Managing Growth is designed for companies generating $1 million to $5 million in annual revenues. The program is best suited for successful Founder/CEOs, needing up to $1 million in growth capital as well as professional development, including leadership skills, confidence, and vision to overcome challenges and realize opportunities in accelerating revenue growth.”
The program, held entirely online, is an immersive, intensive course that consists of modules that are designed to allow participants to collaborate with other business leaders. The synergy generated by this “meeting of the minds” facilitates the formation of out-of-the-box strategies for developing and expanding their current organizations.
The modules focus on topics regarding growth strategies, tools, and behaviors. They expand on the four main pillars of the Founders First CDC platform: Construct, Cultivate, Collaborate, and Capitalize.
The final module consists of mapping out a three-year growth plan, allowing participants the opportunity to implement the tactics and tools they learned in the first four modules.
By the end of the four weeks, according to Founders First CDC’s website, participants will have:
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Understanding of agile management in the development of growth plans
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Detailed growth marketing and sales initiatives
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Innovate, useful business model
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Recurring revenue built into their business
At the conclusion of the four-week program, John and Jeff pitched Socium Solutions and our growth plan to investors along with three other companies. While they did not win the pitch competition, they succeeded in winning a marketplace simulation game and did a commendable job representing the company and demonstrating its talent and expertise.
Due to our successful completion of the program, Socium Solutions is now part of the network of businesses that are FastPath certified, a status that offers additional collaboration opportunities and guidance from other business owners.
As Founders First CDC notes, “Growth is not a linear process. It requires planning, experimentation, taking measured risks, and changes in a company’s team behavior. The FastPath program draws upon the expertise of its founders, facilitators, and industry research to provide a hands-on learning experience.”
We at Socium Solutions are honored to have had the opportunity to participate in this exclusive program, and we were proud to showcase both the talent of our hardworking team and the innovative new strategies of our leadership team. We look forward to continued growth in 2022 and beyond.