Validate Your Idea Before Overinvesting or Quitting Too Soon

Searching for a practical way to know whether to keep going, pivot, or invest further in your idea?

Join us at this Learn@Lunch workshop which offers a structured, low-risk approach to figure out exactly where you stand.

For many aspiring entrepreneurs, not knowing whether to keep building, pivot, or walk away can make the journey feel harder, overwhelming, and discouraging. Join this workshop to get a clearer look into the validation phase of your project.

What’s Covered?

If you have an idea, new offer, or a pivot you’re considering, this workshop helps you figure out two things before you invest further: what to focus on right now (and what to leave for later), and whether this is something you’ll actually want to keep delivering a year from now, or through the tough times.

You’ll walk through a Startup Phase Scorecard to diagnose your current stage, a Founder-Opportunity Fit check to test alignment (not just market demand), and practical, low-risk ways to validate your idea.

What You’ll Learn

• Why ideas tend to stall by overbuilding before validating, or by giving up too soon, and how to spot where you stand
• How to diagnose your current stage using a Startup Phase Scorecard, so you know what to focus on now versus what is better to do later
• Why validation isn’t just “will they buy,” it’s also “will I still want to deliver this in a year, or when it gets hard?”
• The signals that tell you whether to keep going or shift direction
• How to write a short script you can use today to get buy-in or early feedback on your idea
• Practical, low-cost ways to test an idea, offer, or pivot, and get real indications instead of guessing

What You’ll Gain

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, roughly 24% of small businesses don’t make it past their first year. 48% are gone by year five. Recent research from CB Insights found the drivers typically trace back to two things: poor fit between the idea and what the market actually needed, and an inability to generate enough adoption or revenue to sustain the business.

It’s common to either overbuild far beyond what’s actually needed at your current stage, or to stop too soon on something that just needs the right signal and area of focus to keep going.

This workshop helps you tell the difference and gives you a fast, low-risk way to check in before you’re too far in or about to quit.

You’ll leave with clarity on exactly what to focus on next, whether the idea is genuinely sustainable, and a concrete step you can act on immediately.

Who Should Attend?

This workshop is for professionals wanting to build something aligned and meaningful of their own, and early-stage entrepreneurs with an idea, offer, or pivot they’re considering, who want a structured way to know where they actually stand and what to do next.

Whether you’re just starting to explore an idea or already deep into building one, you’ll leave with clarity on your next move.

No prior business or startup experience is needed.

Speaker: Loann Phoenix, Career and Business Coach | Founder, Gifted Impact™

Meet Your Speaker

Loann Phoenix is a Career and Business Coach and founder of Gifted Impact™, helping professionals in transition and early-stage entrepreneurs gain clarity, make aligned decisions, and build businesses rooted in their natural ability to create value.

Her career began in international business development and management consulting. Loann spent more than a decade helping companies expand across North America, Asia, and Europe. Before launching her coaching practice, she served as Head of Sales and Consulting for a startup, helping grow the company from 8 to 50 employees during the pandemic and contributing to its successful acquisition. Her expertise includes offer development, market entry strategy, team building, leadership, and entrepreneurship.

As the child of immigrants who followed the traditional path to success, Loann understands the pressure to meet expectations and seek external validation. Her own decision to leave behind a successful but unfulfilling career path inspired the foundation of her work: helping people identify and leverage their innate Gifts, the unique strengths that make them stand out and create impact.

Through her proprietary Gifted Impact™ methodology, Loann has helped more than 250 clients uncover their natural Gifts. She translates them into aligned careers, businesses, offers, and ways of working.

She regularly delivers workshops and talks for universities, career centres, community organizations, and entrepreneur support networks. Loann is a co-host of the RPES Podcast.

Workshop Details

Pre-registration is required. This workshop is presented in English and is available as an online, live-streaming webinar.

After you register, you’ll receive an email with login instructions. If you haven’t received it an hour before the workshop, please check your Spam/Junk folder.

*This free workshop is only possible thanks to our generous funders and partners.

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