Course Description 
All types of Asian owned business are invited to apply to the ElevAsian Uplifts Asian Entrepreneurs. The purpose of the program is to empower participants with the knowledge, resources and professional networks they need to grow their businesses. 

ElevAsian's 6th cohort will begin on May 22, 2025. During the 1st online session staff and instructors will provide an overview of the program and answer questions. In addition to meeting each other, cohort members will have an opportunity to meet and select their mentors. The next ten (10) 2-hour sessions will be held online every other week at 6:00pm. The pace of the class sessions is intended to give you ample time between classes to take what you are learning in the classes, and through your interactions with your peers and mentors to run your businesses more efficiently. The first nine classes will cover important aspects of operating your businesses and making them more profitable. The topics that will be covered in these classes are listed below. Each class will feature 1 mini-case presentation. Presenters will be selected by the instructors based on the alignment of the issues facing the businesses with the class topic, which creates rich real world learning opportunities for the presenters and peers. Class topics are used to provide structure to your work with your mentors. You will make final presentations in the tenth class. The purpose of the final presentation is to create a structured way for you to present your overall plan and to demonstrate the extent of your progress and learning in the course. You will receive the curriculum and course materials upon selection. 

Applicants will be interviewed and selected on a rolling basis until we reach our maximum of 12 cohort members by the May. We will make our best efforts to ensure there will not be any competitors in the group. All information discussed in the program will be treated as confidential and not discussed outside of the program unless participants give their consent. Participants are expected to attend all classes. Attendance is important because what you are likely to learn from the other business owners in the class can be just as important as what you will learn from the instructors and executive mentors. Attendance is also important because in many cases one topic builds on the previous topic and you need to attend all sessions to fully keep up with the material. The other reason to attend all sessions is your absence is a lost opportunity for yourself and your peers. 

Class Topics

1. Ideas and Innovation (6/5/25)
2. Industry and External Factors (6/19/25)
3. Competition and Competitive Advantage (7/10/25)
4. Required Resources (7/24/25)
5. Human Resources (8/7/25)
6. Cost Control (8/21/25)
7. Profits and Profitability (9/4/25) 
8. Leadership (9/18/25)
9. Succession Planning (10/2/25) 
10. Final Presentations (10/16/25)