AOC BUSINESS ACADEMY
YOU’RE BUILDING THE BUSINESS.
WE’LL HELP YOU NAVIGATE THE PROCESS.
A Business Navigator helps you understand where your business stands, identify potential gaps, organize priorities and determine what may need to happen next.
THE BUSINESS OWNER’S PROBLEM
INFORMATION IS EVERYWHERE. CLARITY ISN’T.
Entrepreneurs can find thousands of articles, videos, apps, services and opinions. The harder question is knowing what applies to your business right now.
Business owners don’t always need another list of things they could do. They often need a clearer way to identify what deserves attention first.
Should you focus on your website or your banking? Bookkeeping or marketing? Business credit or customers? Formation documents or operating systems?
The answer depends on what already exists, what is missing and where the business currently stands.
WHAT IS A BUSINESS NAVIGATOR?
A GUIDE THROUGH THE BUSINESS-BUILDING PROCESS.
YOU OWN THE BUSINESS.
YOU MAKE THE DECISIONS.
The Business Navigator does not replace the business owner. The Navigator helps the owner understand the business-building process more clearly.
That means looking at where the company stands, identifying potential gaps, organizing priorities and connecting those priorities to the appropriate AOC Business Academy resources.
The objective is not to make every decision for you. The objective is to help you make more organized, informed decisions about what comes next.
IDENTIFY.
PRIORITIZE.
NAVIGATE.
REVIEW.
Five actions create the core Business Navigator methodology.
THE BUSINESS NAVIGATOR METHOD
FIVE STEPS TO A CLEARER NEXT STEP.
The Navigator process helps turn a long list of business needs into a more organized sequence of priorities.
ASSESS
Understand where the business currently stands, what already exists and what the owner is trying to accomplish.
IDENTIFY
Identify potential gaps, missing systems or areas that may require additional attention.
PRIORITIZE
Organize business needs so the owner can distinguish between what is important now and what can come later.
NAVIGATE
Connect the priorities to relevant business services, resources and the AOCBA business-building framework.
REVIEW
Review progress, identify changes and determine what may become the next priority.
THE GOAL IS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN NEXT.
TWO FRAMEWORKS. ONE BUSINESS.
THE NAVIGATOR METHOD AND THE BUSINESS ROADMAP WORK TOGETHER.
One framework helps determine what the business needs. The other organizes where those needs fit in the business-building journey.
HOW WE HELP YOU THINK THROUGH THE BUSINESS.
The Business Navigator methodology helps examine the business, identify potential gaps and organize priorities.
WHERE THE BUSINESS IS IN ITS JOURNEY.
AOC Business Academy organizes the business-building process around four critical phases.
WHAT WE NAVIGATE
THE BUSINESS HAS A LOT OF MOVING PARTS.
The Navigator helps you look at those parts in the context of the entire business.
BUSINESS FOUNDATION
Formation, legal structure, EIN, foundational documents, registered agent and related business setup.
PROFESSIONAL PRESENCE
Domain, business email, phone, website, branding and professional business identity.
FINANCIAL SYSTEMS
Banking preparation, budgeting, bookkeeping, expense tracking and payment systems.
BUSINESS OPERATIONS
Business planning, dashboards, document management, customer systems and operating processes.
CUSTOMERS + SALES
Lead generation, referral systems, marketing, sales strategy and customer acquisition.
FUTURE READINESS
Business credit education, funding preparation and planning around future business opportunities.
CLEAR EXPECTATIONS
WHAT A BUSINESS NAVIGATOR IS — AND ISN’T.
Clear roles create better business conversations.
| A BUSINESS NAVIGATOR IS NOT… | A BUSINESS NAVIGATOR IS… |
|---|---|
| The owner of your business | A guide through the business-building process |
| Someone who makes every decision for you | Someone who helps organize potential next steps |
| A replacement for an attorney | A source of general business navigation and resources |
| A replacement for a tax professional | A connection point to relevant business resources |
| A promise or guarantee of business success | Support for building stronger business foundations |
| Another automated dashboard | A human point of contact |
THE CONVERSATION
REAL BUSINESSES CREATE REAL QUESTIONS.
These are the kinds of questions a Business Navigator can help you organize.
NAVIGATION + EXECUTION
THE BUSINESS NAVIGATOR HELPS YOU FIND THE PATH. EMPOWERU PLUS™ HELPS YOU BUILD.
Human guidance becomes more useful when it connects to practical business-building resources.
FORM • LAUNCH
OPERATE • GROW
FROM CONVERSATION TO BUSINESS-BUILDING ACTION.
EmpowerU Plus™ is AOC Business Academy’s flagship service plan, organizing business services around the same four phases used by the Business Navigator.
That creates a direct connection between understanding what the business may need and accessing resources designed around those needs.
A SMARTER STARTING POINT
LET YOUR BUSINESS ANSWER THE FIRST 22 QUESTIONS.
The Ownership Readiness Assessment™ helps establish a clearer baseline before the Business Navigator conversation begins.
It reviews the business across four areas: Formation, Launch, Operations and Growth.
22 QUESTIONS • 4 BUSINESS AREAS • 1 CLEARER STARTING POINT
WHO CAN BENEFIT?
YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE AT THE BEGINNING TO NEED NAVIGATION.
Business questions change as the company moves from formation to launch, operations and growth.
“I DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START.”
Get a clearer framework for turning an idea into an organized business-building process.
“I FORMED THE COMPANY. NOW WHAT?”
Understand the steps that may follow formation as you begin launching the business.
“THIS IS BECOMING A REAL BUSINESS.”
Identify the structure and systems that may be missing as your activity becomes more established.
“I’M DOING EVERYTHING.”
Organize the many responsibilities competing for your attention and identify priorities.
“WE NEED BETTER SYSTEMS.”
Examine gaps across operations, financial systems, customers, marketing and growth preparation.
“I WANT TO BUILD ALONGSIDE MY JOB.”
Begin exploring business ownership without assuming you must immediately leave your current employment.
THE HUMAN DIFFERENCE
YOU DON’T NEED ANOTHER LOGIN.
SOMETIMES YOU NEED A PERSON.
Your business is unique. Your starting point is unique. And the next step may depend on what you’ve already built. Start by understanding where your business stands and where it may need to go next.