Business Lifecycle
Masterclass Series
From Startup to Succession
The Business Lifecycle Masterclass Series, presented by Montana West Economic Development and powered by Rich in Thought Consulting, brings you 12 practical workshops for every stage of your business journey.
Whether you’re launching a new venture in the Flathead Valley, scaling up your operations in Evergreen, or planning the next chapter for a legacy business in Columbia Falls, this series is built to support your journey. With expert insights tailored to Montana’s unique business landscape, you’ll gain practical tools to thrive in today’s economy. Don’t miss this chance to connect, learn, and grow alongside other driven entrepreneurs and business leaders in Northwest Montana.
Business Lifecycle Masterclass Series Powered by
Rich Turner is a Marine Corps veteran, business strategist, and Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach who has guided more than 75 businesses toward over $80 million in reported economic impact. As founder of Rich in Thought, he equips entrepreneurs and leaders with operational rigor and a deep commitment to growth, leadership, and purpose.
Growth and Leadership Track
Scale with systems. Lead with clarity. Grow with discipline.
This track strengthens the core: strategic alignment, lean operations, margin recovery, and leadership capacity that supports scale without chaos.
Foundations Revisited: Mission, Vision and Values Alignment
Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 8:30 – 10:30AM at Wachholz Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center at FVCC, 715 Grandview Dr. in Kalispell
Course Overview:
As businesses mature, early mission and values may drift or lose clarity. This session guides leaders in revisiting, realigning, and re-energizing their foundational statements for long-term direction.
Key Learning Objectives:
1. Re-examine mission, vision, and values.
2. Align leadership and staff around shared purpose.
3. Use foundational clarity to guide growth decisions.
Who Should Attend:
Owners and leadership teams in second-stage businesses seeking renewed alignment and clarity.
Practical Takeaways:
1. Mission, vision, values workbook.
2. Alignment assessment tool.
3. Communication templates for cascading vision.
This session is part of the Business Lifecycle Masterclass Series, designed and led by Rich in Thought Consulting.
Register today to confirm your spot!
Strategic Planning: Align Resources for Growth
Tuesday, May 19, 2026, 8:30 – 10:30AM at Wachholz Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center at FVCC, 715 Grandview Dr. in Kalispell
Course Overview:
Strategy is the allocation of resources to their highest and best use to maximize return on investment. This session introduces the fundamentals of strategic thinking, clarifies the difference between strategy and tactics, and helps business leaders understand how to deploy their three core resources: time, money, and human capital. Attendees leave with a practical framework for making better decisions about where to invest their limited resources.
Key Learning Objectives:
1. Define strategy and distinguish it from tactics.
2. Identify the three core resources: Time, money and human capital.
3. Define strategic objectives, strategies and tactics
4. Apply a resource allocation lens to everyday business decisions.
Who Should Attend:
Business owners, managers, and emerging leaders who want to think more strategically about how they invest their time, money, and people.
Practical Takeaways:
1. Strategy definition framework
2. Resource allocation worksheet
3. Strategy versus tactics decision guide
4. Resource Strategies, including time management techniques.
This session is part of the Business Lifecycle Masterclass Series, designed and led by Rich in Thought Consulting.
Register today to confirm your spot!
Leadership Development: Building Internal Capability
Tuesday, June 16, 2026, 8:30 – 10:30AM at Wachholz Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center at FVCC, 715 Grandview Dr. in Kalispell
Course Overview:
Businesses scale only as far as their leaders grow. This session develops leadership capacity within organizations, equipping teams to manage complexity and drive sustained growth.
Key Learning Objectives:
1. Assess current leadership capacity.
2. Build leadership skills across levels.
3. Establish succession pipelines for future leaders.
Who Should Attend:
Owners, executives, and managers committed to building leadership bench strength.
Practical Takeaways:
1. Leadership development roadmap.
2. Succession pipeline template.
3. Leadership competency self-assessment.
This session is part of the Business Lifecycle Masterclass Series, designed and led by Rich in Thought Consulting.
Register today to confirm your spot!
Succession & Transition Track
Protect value. Reduce risk. Exit on your terms.
These sessions help owners choose the right path, de-risk the enterprise, and raise company worth before a handoff or sale.
Growth, Succession, Exit: Clarify the Path Forward
Tuesday, July 14, 2026, 8:30 – 10:30AM at Wachholz Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center at FVCC, 715 Grandview Dr. in Kalispell
Course Overview:
Every business must eventually decide whether to grow, transition to new leadership, or prepare for sale. This session clarifies the options and helps owners choose the right path.
Key Learning Objectives:
1. Explore growth, succession, and sale pathways.
2. Evaluate readiness for each option.
3. Build decision criteria for long-term planning.
Who Should Attend:
Owners preparing for major transitions or evaluating long-term business strategy.
Practical Takeaways:
1. Growth vs. succession vs. sale comparison tool.
2. Pathway readiness checklist.
3. Decision-making framework.
This session is part of the Business Lifecycle Masterclass Series, designed and led by Rich in Thought Consulting.
Register today to confirm your spot!
Risk Mitigation: Reduce Owner Dependency and Financial Risk
Tuesday, August 11, 2026, 8:30 – 10:30AM at Wachholz Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center at FVCC, 715 Grandview Dr. in Kalispell
Course Overview:
Owner dependency and unmanaged risks can reduce business value and jeopardize transitions. This session addresses risk mitigation strategies to safeguard continuity and enterprise value.
Key Learning Objectives:
1. Identify and reduce owner dependency.
2. Address legal, financial, and operational risks.
3. Build risk mitigation into daily operations.
Who Should Attend:
Business owners, successors, and leadership teams preparing for transition.
Practical Takeaways:
1. Owner dependency reduction plan.
2. Risk audit template.
3. Risk mitigation action checklist.
This session is part of the Business Lifecycle Masterclass Series, designed and led by Rich in Thought Consulting.
Register today to confirm your spot!
Business Valuation: Understand and Improve Company Worth
Tuesday, September 15, 2026, 8:30 – 10:30AM at Wachholz Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center at FVCC, 715 Grandview Dr. in Kalispell
Course Overview:
Valuation is more than a number—itʼs a reflection of systems, profitability, and scalability. This session prepares business owners to understand and improve their companyʼs worth ahead of succession or sale.
Key Learning Objectives:
1. Understand business valuation methods.
2. Identify value drivers and detractors.
3. Implement strategies to increase company worth.
Who Should Attend:
Owners planning for succession, exit, or sale who want to maximize value.
Practical Takeaways:
1. Business valuation readiness checklist.
2. Value driver improvement plan.
3. Valuation methods overview guide.
This session is part of the Business Lifecycle Masterclass Series, designed and led by Rich in Thought Consulting.
Register today to confirm your spot!
PAST SESSIONS
Entrepreneur Start-Up Track
Start strong, Build smart, Secure your foundation
This track gives founders a concrete plan, real-world market proof, early operational discipline, and financial clarity to make sound decisions and earn support from banks and investors.
Writing a Business Plan: Planning Essentials for Entrepreneurs and Growth Leaders
Monday, October 20, 8:30 – 10:30AM at MWED, 44 2nd Ave. W in Kalispell
Course Overview:
A strong business plan communicates vision, viability, and discipline. This session provides entrepreneurs with practical tools to write plans that win support from banks, investors, and partners.
Key Learning Objectives:
1. Identify the critical sections of a compelling business plan.
2. Translate business strategy into bank- and investor-ready language.
3. Use practical templates to avoid wasted effort and focus on what matters.
Who Should Attend:
Entrepreneurs seeking bank financing, startup funding, or structured roadmaps for internal growth.
Practical Takeaways:
1. Bank-ready business plan template.
2. Investor pitch deck outline.
3. Business plan grading rubric for self-assessment.
This session is part of the Business Lifecycle Masterclass Series, designed and led by Rich in Thought Consulting.
Market Validation: Testing Demand Before You Launch
Monday, November 17, 8:30 – 10:30AM at MWED, 44 2nd Ave. W in Kalispell
Course Overview:
Scaling without validation risks wasted time, money, and opportunity. This session shows entrepreneurs how to test demand, refine offerings, and ensure fit before investing in growth.
Key Learning Objectives:
1. Apply market validation techniques (customer interviews, prototypes, surveys, pilots).
2. Analyze real data to confirm demand.
3. Decide when to pivot, persevere, or pause.
Who Should Attend:
Startup founders, product managers, and small business owners preparing to launch or scale new offerings.
Practical Takeaways:
1. Customer interview guide.
2. Validation experiment design template.
3. Metrics dashboard for measuring demand.
This session is part of the Business Lifecycle Masterclass Series, designed and led by Rich in Thought Consulting.
Operational Excellence: Operational Foundations for New Ventures
Monday, December 15, 8:30 – 10:30AM at MWED, 44 2nd Ave. W in Kalispell
Course Overview:
Lean principles help startups operate with discipline, minimize waste, and build scalable systems early. This session introduces core Lean concepts and shows entrepreneurs how to apply them in their ventures.
Key Learning Objectives:
1. Understand the fundamentals of Lean thinking.
2. Map processes and identify sources of waste.
3. Apply continuous improvement to startup operations.
Who Should Attend:
Startup founders, early-stage managers, and teams building operational discipline.
Practical Takeaways:
1. Lean startup operations checklist.
2. Process mapping template.
3. Continuous improvement toolkit.
This session is part of the Business Lifecycle Masterclass Series, designed and led by Rich in Thought Consulting.
Financial Forecasting: Proforma, Breakeven, and Pricing Clarity
Monday, January 26, 2026, 8:30 – 10:30AM at MWED, 44 2nd Ave. W in Kalispell
Course Overview:
Accurate forecasting gives startups the clarity to price well, manage cash flow, and prepare for growth. This session helps entrepreneurs calculate total costs, breakeven points, and pricing strategies that sustain profitability.
Key Learning Objectives:
1. Build a simple yet robust financial forecast.
2. Calculate breakeven and pricing thresholds.
3. Identify cost drivers and financial risks.
Who Should Attend:
Startup founders and small business owners who want confidence in their numbers when making decisions or approaching banks and investors.
Practical Takeaways:
1. Forecasting template (Excel/Sheets).
2. Pricing strategy worksheet.
3. Breakeven analysis calculator.
This session is part of the Business Lifecycle Masterclass Series, designed and led by Rich in Thought Consulting.
Funding Foundations: Funding Strategy and Capital Access
Monday, February 23, 2026, 8:30 – 10:30AM at Wachholz Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center at FVCC, 715 Grandview Dr. in Kalispell
Course Overview:
The right funding strategy determines how fast and how well a startup can grow. This session equips entrepreneurs to evaluate funding options, avoid common pitfalls, and build credibility with financial partners.
Key Learning Objectives:
1. Compare different funding sources (bootstrapping, loans, equity, grants).
2. Understand the tradeoffs between control, cost of capital, and growth speed.
3. Build a capital access plan aligned with your long-term strategy.
Who Should Attend:
Entrepreneurs preparing to raise funds, startup founders navigating capital decisions, and business owners seeking clarity on sustainable financing.
Practical Takeaways:
1. Funding strategy worksheet.
2.Example investor pitch framework.
3.Capital access opportunities (banks, angels, VCs, grants).
This session is part of the Business Lifecycle Masterclass Series, designed and led by Rich in Thought Consulting.
Gearing Up for Growth: Refocus, Reorganize and Regain Margin
Tuesday, March 17, 2026, 8:30 – 10:30AM at Wachholz Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center at FVCC, 715 Grandview Dr. in Kalispell
Course Overview:
Second-stage companies often face margin squeeze as they grow. This session helps owners refocus strategy, reorganize resources, and regain profitability without sacrificing momentum.
Key Learning Objectives:
1. Identify margin-draining activities.
2. Refocus on core profit drivers.
3. Reorganize people and processes for efficiency.
Who Should Attend:
Owners and executives of businesses beyond the startup stage who need to stabilize margins and streamline operations.
Practical Takeaways:
1. Margin analysis tool.
2. Reorganization planning worksheet.
3. Strategic focus framework.
This session is part of the Business Lifecycle Masterclass Series, designed and led by Rich in Thought Consulting.