INDIANAPOLIS (Inside INdiana Business) — IUPUI and SOURCE River West Entrepreneurship Center in Indianapolis are partnering with the United Kingdom-based PopUp Business School to help would-be startups in Indianapolis to get their ideas off the ground. The two-week program is completely free and will run from October 21 through November 2 at the John Boner Neighborhood Centers. 

In an interview for Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick, IUPUI Assistant Vice Chancellor Teresa Bennett said the program is a game changer for people with a business idea. 

Offering programming on sales and marketing skills, tax and legal help, pricing, creative funding sources and networking, Bennett says the PopUp school provides participants with all the essential tools needed to start a business.

The PopUp Business School was founded in the UK in 2012, and has helped more than 1,500 businesses start without debt.

Through the program, attendees will make a business website, social media plan, sales and marketing plan and connections to local small business resources to help them build success. The school also affords an opportunity to break into a bigger network and launch strategies to get businesses off the ground or grow without debt.

The program is intended to serve as a catalyst for people who want to start a business at any level and need mentorship. 

“We see a lot of people who are starting side businesses or sole proprietorships and they get so far with their idea – they’ve got the passion, the grit, the know-how but they can only get so far. What this is going to do is kick open the door and give them what they need to move forward,” said Bennett.

Support for the program comes from the city of Indianapolis, IUPUI, John Boner Neighborhood Centers, Innovate Indiana, IU Kelley School of Business Indianapolis, Indiana Small Business Development Center and Taft along with multiple partners throughout the city. 

Bennett says so far, about 100 people have registered for the program with about 100 spots left. Registration is open through next week.  

For more information, click here.