Kickstart Your Entrepreneurial Journey

A 6-week online course to give you the tools, mindset, community and accountability to start testing and building your business ideas.

Want to do something different – but not sure where to start?

Kickstart Your Entrepreneurial Journey is a learning-by-doing community experience that will teach you how to build a startup. This is your entrepreneurial apprenticeship. It’s not about building a rocketship overnight, it’s about developing a powerful new toolkit, network and mindset to help you identify and execute exciting opportunities over the next few years as you transition into entrepreneurship.

30 people. 6 weeks. 1 mission.

Doing something different is possible.

Limited to 30 people max. Scroll down for more info.


 

Life is too short to do work that doesn't matter to you.

Since 2010, we've helped thousands of people Escape into starting businesses through our Escape School in London. We've gathered knowledge from our 250,000+ Escape community members around the world to learn what works. We've dissected tried-and-tested lessons from entrepreneurs, psychologists, philosophers, adventurers, investors and other successful Escapees to distill a set of principles that work.

We've distilled our best StartUp lessons into this 6-week course.

 

Launching a StartUp is daunting – but it's a lot more doable with a solid framework and alongside a community of likeminded people.

By the end of this course you will:


Have generated, tested and prototyped your own startup ideas.

Whether you've had one idea you've been dying to launch for years, or hundreds you can't narrow down - you'll learn how to test what could work, and how to start it.


Addressed your Blockers head on.

Fear of failure. Fear of the unknown. Fear of career suicide. Not enough time, money, skills, confidence...Blockers are the real or perceived obstacles standing in your way. You'll identify your top Blockers and make a plan of attack.


Understand the reality of the entrepreneurial path.

It's not all "a-ha" moments! This is a marathon, not a sprint. There are a million mistakes to be made - you'll learn how to avoid the biggest.


Have clarified your startup motivations and set realistic goals.

We each have a unique set of values, interests, dreams and curiosities that hold clues to what the best ideas for us to launch are.


Have learnt the key entrepreneurial tools, techniques and strategies.

In 2016, it's never been easier, cheaper or faster to launch a business. You'll learn years of accumulated startup wisdom, distilled to the key bitesized chunks you need to know.


You'll move from thinking to DOING.

Real-world challenges will help you get out of your head, challenge your comfort zone and start to take small, bold steps – despite not being 100% sure where you're going.


You'll actually launch an idea to the world.

This is where it gets exciting! "Perfect is the enemy of good" - the truth is, no idea or business is ever finished or complete. But that doesn't stop us launching. We'll get you to good enough, and help you go even further.


You'll gain 30+ new Escape buddies around the world.

You'll complete the lessons alongside a group of Escape buddies to ensure you keep moving forward. Change is much more doable and a lot more fun with a group of likeminded people.


You'll feel prepared and empowered to keep moving forward.

Most startups take much longer than 6 weeks, but after this course you'll be equipped with the tools and community to keep you moving forward.


Your Instructor


The Escape School
The Escape School

Escape The City is on a mission to liberate talented people from unfulfilling corporate jobs. Since 2014 we've helped over 1000 people Escape into more fulfilling work and start businesses through our London-based Tribes programs. Life is too short to do work that doesn't matter. Join our community at escapethecity.org.


Your Mentors and Coaches

Here are some of the team that will help you move forward.

Henry Blanchard

Escaped the City by creating and launching an overseas volunteering organisation in his spare time whilst working as an accountant at Deloitte. Joined the first ever Tribe programme at Escape in order to find more fulfilling work.

This led to him creating his startup, the Uganda International Marathon (UGM), before handing in his notice in 2014. 2 years on UGM employs 8 people, is the largest fundraising event in Uganda, and has won "Best International Event" at the 2016 Running Awards. He also leads part of the Startup Tribe programme at Escape. @HCBlanchard


Ben Keene

Dad of two under two. Chunky mortgage. London job. Doesn't necessarily sound like the ideal setup for a fulfilling career? Ben Keene doesn't think so. As leader of the past 4 startup programs at Escape the City and as a business advisor at Virgin Startup Ben has learnt than working with people kickstarting career change often comes down to a small things - and doing it a group together is the key to any kind of momentum. Superpowers: Helping people turn pub ideas into actual startups / building purposeful communities / hacking online projects together in a very short amount of time / sharing stories of success and failure pursuing a 21st century career. @benkeene / benkeene.com



How does it work?

Each week you'll receive TWO self-guided lessons including:

Escape StartUp Curriculum

Instructor videos, lessons and business startup insights, plus curated reading and watching assignments to help you learn the principles.


A Series of Challenges

You'll be assigned sets of DOING exercises to help get you out of your head, challenge your comfort zone, and move you into action. This is truly a learning-by-doing experience.


Vibrant Community Engagement

You'll work with your fellow classmates on challenges, help each other move forward, and share what you're learning and experiencing. Community is the secret sauce to change and action.

How is this different from other online courses?

Most online courses deliver education. But for any sort of big life transition like career change, two additional principles are necessary and important: Action and Community.

You'll be expected to engage with both Action (through Challenges) and Community (through our private Facebook group, Slack channel, video chat, and other tools). You'll get the most out of this experience if you're honest with yourself and willing to get your hands dirty with the challenges.

We run the course by intakes with designated start and end dates to build a community and build momentum around making change.

The course begins mid-Jan 2017
Future intakes to be announced.

Week-By-Week Outline

You'll be expected to review the lessons and complete assignments by Sunday evening local time each week.

A key part of the course is interaction, support and learning from your fellow coursemates. Accountability is the secret sauce that will get you off the ground ad launch your entrepreneurial journey. Expect cheerleaders and tough love in equal measure!

Our experience helping entrepreneurs over the last 5 years shows that:

You will get out of this what you put in.

This is not a passive course, action and doing are key.

Expected time: 5+ hours each week.









And after all this? You'll have access to your community group of entrepreneur buddies for the next SIX months, and be encouraged to continue holding each other accountable, encouraging each other along your journey through startups!

What are the timings during the weeks?

The content is learned at your own pace week by week online. There will be group Skype calls in your smaller groups, which we will arrange depending on everyone's schedule. Based on past experience these will likely be evenings and weekends. Most importantly, there will be an active online community which you will be able to access 24/7 through your smartphone/tablet/PC.

What outcomes can you expect?

Here are some stories from our London programs:


Laina escaped teaching for her own photography project.

“Escape helped me to go back to that better version of myself. I realised it is important to dream about the kind of work you want to do. I now approach things differently – I no longer worry about what other people will think of my career move, I find myself connecting and collaborating with people that I never would have done so previously.”

Patrick escaped the management consultancy to launch his own business.

“Previously I would have procrastinated and probably done nothing, now I am very action oriented; I’ve launched my own business, built two websites, and I have also made smaller changes in my life, exercising more and eating healthily which means I’m more energised.”

Claire escaped accounts management to become a master of her own time, volunteering and engaging with organisations she is deeply interested in.

“Escape helped by first exposing my thought routines that stood in the way of me seeing my true potential. Then giving me the persistent nudges to keep on looking at what really got me excited about my place in the world. The more I was forced to look I realised there wasn’t anything standing in my way. It also made me realise that we don’t need to find the answer now, it’s about giving things a try and seeing where they lead.”


Neelie escaped finance to transition into freelance consultancy.

“[Escape The City] really helped me see that there’s so much out there and so many different things to do other than the classic types of jobs and ways people live their lives. I’m now convinced we are part of the early adapters of the way work will be seen in the new world.”


Matt transitioned from a full-time consulting job to solopreneurship.

“Taking action was pivotal for my mindset shift. I shifted from often thinking; “Oh god, what if I fail?” to now thinking, “let’s treat this as one glorious experiment, where I will fail, learn and be okay.” Taking action with the Escape community meant I saw positive outcomes. Taking actions and failing showed me that failure wasn’t ever the catastrophe I anticipated it would be.”

Some more StartUp examples:

Pippa used to work at The Science Museum in London until she founded Pip & Nut, super healthy nut butters.

Jamie has a background in equity exotic brokerage and is now the founder of his own wine brand, Guns and Rosé.

Charlie left a job in PR to start MOJU Drinks, 100% raw and cold pressed juice for the people.

Sanne left corporate law to start FRAEMd, an online art platform providing an intuitive tool for the first time art buyer to find original art

Ed left big city law and went freelance to give him time to start sitterstars, an online childcare agency focussed on helping parents find trusted baby sitters with unique talents whilst reducing their childcare costs.

Anthony has moved away from management consulting to set up Stashbee – a community marketplace where people can book secure storage in the homes, lofts and garages of trusted homeowners who live nearby.

Jane left corporate law to start Haleo, a clean food business focused on promoting healthy eating and wellbeing through education and community.

Every Escape is different. You'll get out whatever work you're willing to put in.

What will you start?

Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
The course starts on Tuesday November 8th and ends on Monday December 19th. 6 weeks in total.
Is it worth the time and money?
Most of us will spend at least 80,000 hours (or 1/3 of our lives) working. Is it worth it to ensure that time is spent doing work you believe is worthwhile? The principles you'll learn in this course are ones you can take with you anywhere. Whether you start one business or ten, change jobs to work in startups, shift industries, or just want to learn more about the new and exciting world of business in the 21st century, these principles will help you lay foundations for future career and life transformations and create new opportunities for yourself along the way.
How long do I have access to the course?
After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own. We'll also keep your private slack channels open so you can continue to engage with your group after the course finishes. Plus, you'll get first access to anything new we launch at Escape!
Who is this course for?
Are you tired of thinking about business ideas and ready to start building? So many people talk about starting businesses, but so few act on their ambitions. It’s understandable: startups can seem scary, expensive, risky and extremely hard. There’s too much advice out there and so much of it is unhelpful. Even if you think you’re ready to start something — Which books should you read? Who should you talk to? Which methodologies should you apply? It can be overwhelming and confusing. We have built this as an intensive introduction to early-stage startups. This is a programme for committed, passionate people who are excited to learn about entrepreneurship by rolling up their sleeves and getting their hands dirty. This experience is for people who – Are at the early stages of exploring their entrepreneurial ambitions. – May have an idea or two but haven’t built or launched anything yet. – Have a track record of getting things done and generally achieving. – Might be frustrated by their career and be feeling keen to explore alternatives. – Are determined not to look back on these years and regret not trying. – Are prepared to move from thinking mode to doing mode in order to learn. – Are attracted by the idea of moving forwards with a group of likeminded people.
Who is this NOT for?
This course is not for dreamers who aren't prepared to become doers. It's not for people whose excuses will sabotage any meaningful forward action. It's not for people who believe that work is something to be endured rather than enjoyed. It's not for people who are hoping for a path to a rewarding career that is both quick and easy. It's not for people for whom external symbols of success are more important than finding ways to do work that is meaningful and fulfilling to them.
What other outcomes can I expect?
By the end of the course you will: – be a lot clearer on what the startup path really looks like. – have a new toolkit of entrepreneurial skills, tools and strategies. – have a bunch of real-life startup experiences under your belt. – have actually launched something real into the world. – be connected with a strong community of likeminded people. – have ongoing long-term support for your career & startup aspirations. – be able to make informed decisions about your startup ideas. In terms of your plans, you may: – have successfully launched your early-stage business and be focusing on growing it. – be considering resigning from your job to work full-time on your startup. – be experimenting with your idea, building traction before deciding to pursue it full-time. – have explored your ideas and have decided to stay put in your job for the time-being. – be applying entrepreneurial new skills & tools to change your day job for the better. – be using the course to catalyse an entrepreneurial career change / get a job in a startup.

What past students have said about our London programs:


“I feel like I have a really solid framework to resurrect my Escape, which had stalled slightly over the past year due to a lack of direction and confidence. There are so many tools that I have picked up and a really diverse group that I feel I can turn to for motivation.” –Victoria

“Totally worth every penny. Would have paid a lot more over the course of many years for different types of things that wouldn’t have given the same unified effect.“ –Juju

“I feel it's been money well spent, the experience has confirmed it is. I've met more than 50 new people, and done a lot in that time... I feel I have the tools to have a better life going forward.” –Sam

“Last year I made a decision to spend money in experience rather than things, as experiences are supposed to create more happiness. In that context, the investment has repaid a thousandfold, and I expect it to continue to repay, lovingly tended.” –Meredith

“I would definitely do it all over again. It was very much worth it. The size of the investment also made me stick to it more than I would have otherwise when I hit the rough patches.” –Alice

 


This course is run by Escape the City - as featured in::

Next Intake: January - March 2017

Limited to 30 people max. Enroll today:

I'm happy to invest just £495 and start a business in 2017.


This course is closed for enrollment.