Built for first-timers who’d rather do than study.
You’ve never owned a business. You have a skill, a work ethic, or an idea you can’t stop thinking about. What’s been missing is capital, structure, or a deadline.
THE SELECTION PROCESS
What we look for ?
The selection process values:
No prior business ownership.
A specific, narrow concept, not “I’ll figure it out.”
A believable path to your first 10 paying customers.
A clear, specific use for the funding.
Comfort on camera and in writing.
A connection to the Chicago Southland or Cook County is a plus where it fits.
MODELS THAT FIT A 45-DAY CLOCK
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![Working man]()
Local Service Business
Mobile detailing, pressure washing, junk removal, lawn and landscaping crews, home organizing.
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![Technology]()
Reselling and sourcing
Retail or online arbitrage, liquidation-pallet flipping, sneaker and collectibles resale.
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![Gift Box]()
E-commerce micro-brand
Print-on-demand or a light private-label storefront in one narrow niche.
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![Meeting]()
Service agency or freelancing
Social media management, bookkeeping-lite, virtual assistant or appointment-setting for local businesses.
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![Market Place]()
Event or pop-up business
Weekend markets, pop-up retail, food and beverage pop-ups, one-day workshops.
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Property-adjacent micro-business
Short-term-rental co-hosting, move-in make-ready turn services, light real-estate wholesaling.
Every day names a number and a decision.
The journal is the raw footage. Each entry is short, structured, and shaped to become content.
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What I did today: Written or voice memo.
What worked · what broke: Honest, specific.
One number that mattered: A sale, a cost, a lead, a no.
Tomorrow’s bet: The one thing you’re testing next.
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Revenue & expenses: To date, against the approved plan.
Biggest mistake: And what it cost.
Biggest win: Of the week.
Pivot or persist: The call heading into next week.
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Weekly cash in · cash out: One standard workbook for the whole cohort.
Running P&L: Use of funds vs. plan.
Day-45 memo: Final numbers, lessons, and your buy or no-buy case.
THE 45-DAY EXPERIENCE
YOUR HOST
Bo Kemp
CEO, Southland Development Authority
Bo Kemp is the CEO of the Southland Development Authority (SDA), the economic development organization for Chicago’s south suburbs, serving 750,000 people across 45 municipalities. He began his career in finance at Morgan Stanley and TSG Capital Group, then served as Business Administrator (chief operating officer) of Newark, New Jersey, under then-mayor Cory Booker. He has since advised cities, developers, and fund managers across the country on Opportunity Zone investment. He holds a BA in Economics from Yale and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Highlights
Helped SDA reach 10,000 businesses and consult directly with 1,000.
Helped secure $10 million in grants for local businesses.
Oversaw 5,000 employees as Newark’s chief operating officer.
Yale BA in Economics.
Harvard MBA.
Off the clock, he’s working toward visiting 100 countries and is an aspiring aquaponics and micro farmer.