Coast Catalyst Accelerator Program Participants

Today 👍

I caught a nasty UTI and can’t attend tonight. I’ve asked Jessica if she could record the session tonight but if she cannot, could one of you please share some notes with me? This is the session I needed the most :(

Thanks!

Thank you so much for being vulnerable and honest here — that kind of openness is exactly what makes this group so powerful.

First off, you're not alone — starting from scratch can feel overwhelming, especially when it comes to financials and budgeting. But here’s the truth: you don’t need to have everything figured out to start. The budgeting homework this week isn’t about perfection or predicting the future — it’s about playing with the numbers and starting to think about the real-life costs of bringing your vision to life.

If you don’t have a storefront yet, try to imagine what your “dream version” would look like and list out the basic things you might need:

• Would you need to rent a space?

• Are there startup costs like equipment, licenses, website, branding?

• What might your costs be each month (even just ballpark)?

And just as importantly:

• What products/services would you offer?

• How might you price them?

• How many would you need to sell to break even?

This is your sandbox moment. There are no wrong answers — just a chance to explore, imagine, and start piecing things together.

Remember, this program is designed to support people who are at all different stages — even the dream-to-paperwork phase. You're exactly where you're supposed to be, and your insight and questions help others too.

We’re here with you — one baby step at a time. Let me know if you’d like to hop on a quick call or chat more one-on-one to help make this feel less daunting. You've got this!