About the Class

Escape the day-to-day. Refocus your strategy. Get expert guidance to grow your business through this intensive program, designed to help business leaders step back from day-to-day operations and focus on growth.

Over the course of the masterclass, participants will gain the skills to create a concise 1-page strategic plan, define key metrics, and develop a clear growth roadmap.

Rendering of the collaboratorium, an open plan auditorium area of the new Side Centre Rendering of the collaboratorium, an open plan auditorium area of the new Side Centre

Side Centre

Masterclass Details

  • Start Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2026
  • Time: 1:00 to 3:00 pm
  • Cost: This is a fully funded pilot program; your time is the only investment.
  • Location: Centre 2000, Grande Prairie, AB

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Participant Profile

Designed to support small and mid-sized operations, participants should be:

  • Associated with companies with at least one year of operations and annual revenue between roughly CAD 500K and CAD 5M.
  • Located in Grande Prairie or the surrounding area.
  • Leadership committed to growth and able to invest around 2 hours weekly in workshops, plus additional time for preparation.

Time Commitment

Participants can expect to dedicate approximately 3.5 to 4.5 hours each week over six weeks. This includes around 2 hours for an interactive workshop facilitated with peers, 1 to 2 hours for pre-reading materials, articles, templates, and diagnostic surveys, and an optional 30 minutes for one-on-one coaching or check-ins tailored to individual needs.

Classes are scheduled for Wednesdays on the following dates:

  • October 21
  • October 28
  • November 4
  • November 18
  • November 25
  • December 2

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the masterclass, participants will:

  • Have a clear strategic growth plan summarizing their vision, market focus, differentiators, and measurable objectives.
  • Implement a Balanced Scorecard or OKR system that links financial, customer, process, and learning goals.
  • Develop an actionable 90‑day roadmap with priorities and accountability rhythms.
  • Gain market and industry insights relevant to Grande Prairie and the Prairie provinces.
  • Build a peer network for ongoing support and collaboration.

The Growth Journey

Each week addresses a specific business question, delivers a practical output, and provides inputs for the next session, resulting in a concise Business Growth Blueprint and a 90-day execution plan.

This week's core question will be: Where are we today? 

To answer this question, we will conduct a current-state diagnosis and identify preliminary growth priorities by:

  • Conducting a Growth Readiness Assessment
  • Building a Business Model Canvas
  • Establishing baseline KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)
  • Completing a TOWS analysis (Threats, Opportunities, Weaknesses, Strengths)
  • Identifying a primary constraint

 

This week's core question will be: Where are we going? 

To answer this question, we will develop a one-page strategic direction and establish defined growth targets by:

  • Defining your vision
  • Setting growth goals
  • Aligning strategic priorities
  • Establishing measurable targets with selective use of the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), Scaling Up, Objectives and Key Results (OKRs), or scorecards

This week's core question will be: How are we going to grow?

To answer this question, we will develop a market and customer growth strategy by:

  • Identifying customer segments
  • Developing the value proposition
  • Establishing positioning
  • Setting pricing
  • Implementing marketing
  • Driving sales and market expansion 

This week's core question will be: Can the business handle growth? 

To answer this question, we will develop an operational capacity and people plan by:

  • Analyzing process capacity
  • Enhancing systems
  • Leveraging technology and AI
  • Strengthening leadership
  • Optimizing hiring and accountability 

This week's core question will be: What resources are required?

To answer this question, we will develop a financial growth and capital plan by:  

  • Analyzing cash flow
  • Expanding margins
  • Streamlining working capital
  • Evaluating capital options
  • Assessing funding readiness
  • Strengthening financial confidence 

This week's core question will be: How do we make it happen?

To answer this question, we will develop a final business growth blueprint and 90-day roadmap by:

  • Setting 90-day priorities
  • Identifying KPIs 
  • Maintaining accountability rhythms 
  • Validating the final integration and peer feedback 
Jason Bacon, Entrepreneur in Residence sitting on a bench in brightly lit assembly hall Jason Bacon, Entrepreneur in Residence sitting on a bench in brightly lit assembly hall

Side Centre

Meet the Facilitator

Jason Bacon is an entrepreneur, business advisor, facilitator, and strategist with more than 15 years of experience supporting entrepreneurs, organizations, and communities through business development, strategic planning, and entrepreneurship programming.

Read Jason's Bio

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