skysthelimit.org is the digital platform of
Youth Business USA, a 501c3 nonprofit
based in Oakland, CA

Welcome and Thank You!
To start with, we know how hard it is to build a business, and
that it takes a village. We thank you for offering your time
and talents to support our young entrepreneurs.
We couldn’t do this work without you. Your participation
makes our communities stronger. Helping young people
know that they aren’t in this alone makes a big difference -
thanks for joining us!

Overview
1. About Us
2. Entrepreneurial Mindset
3. Pathway to Business Ownership
4. Guide to Advising & Mentoring
5. Community Guidelines
We hope this orientation helps you better understand who we are, what
we do, and how you can succeed on our platform!

About Us

Our vision is that underserved young entrepreneurs
nationwide will have the support they need to
achieve their business dreams.
The Vision
Our mission is to empower underserved young adult
entrepreneurs nationwide by providing them with
the right support, from the right people, at the right
time in their journey.
The Mission

The youth unemployment crisis in United States…
• Nearly 45% of young adults aren’t employed full-time.
• 18 to 29 year olds have the highest
underemployment rate since World War II.
• As a result, roughly 19 million are low-income.
-AP, US Census
The Problem
…takes a devastating toll on society.
“America’s unemployed youth will cost an estimated $4.7
trillion over their lifetimes in lost revenue, welfare, crime and
health care expenditures.”
- White House Council
And it’s getting worse.

The Opportunity…
Over young adults in the United States want
to start a business, but lack the support and resources to do so.
1
11 million
1. Kauffman/Young Invincibles report, US Census.
Over professionals want to volunteer their
skills to help others succeed.
10 million
…to connect.

Advisors & mentors create
a profile on our web app
at skysthelimit.org. They
have access to training
and ongoing support from
our team.
We use a machine learning algorithm on our digital platform to recommend the
right young entrepreneurs to match your skills and preferences.
Advisors & mentors help our entrepreneurs learn, build and achieve their business
dreams.
How it works
JOIN
Young entrepreneurs can
request support through the
platform. We intelligently
recommend the right
entrepreneurs to our
advisors & mentors -
however, you are ultimately
able to select the
entrepreneurs you match
with! Schedule your first
meeting and
get started!
MATCH
You work together with
young entrepreneurs to
prepare, launch and grow
their businesses. You help
them build their new
products and services, get
skills and chase their
dreams. You’ll be exposed
to other great people &
ideas, build your own skills,
and be part of a young
entrepreneur’s story.
BUILD
www.skysthelimit.org

PREPARING TO LAUNCH THE BUSINESS
GROWING THE BUSINESS
Business Modeling Customer Development Branding
STARTING THE BUSINESS
Product/Service
Development
Website Development &
Technology Funding
Marketing & Sales Bookkeeping, Accounting
& Financials Legal & Regulatory
SUSTAINING THE BUSINESS
Building the Team Business Soft Skills Operations & Strategy
Pathway to Business Ownership
Our entrepreneurs receive support from our advisors & mentors in the following areas:

Impact from Pilot Program
low-income young entrepreneurs trained700+
businesses created or grown40+
jobs created60+
Since launch of Youth Business USA in summer of 2014
completed actionable business plans400+

• Ages 18 to 29
• Low-income (HUD)
• 80%+ are people of color
• Nearly 2/3 female
• Also immigrants, formerly
incarcerated or in foster care, LGBTQ,
& other underrepresented groups
• Passionate, motivated
• Small businesses (e.g. many different
kinds of services, food, clothing, etc.)
• Mostly in “Prepare” and “Launch”
stages of business
Our Young
Entrepreneurs
Our Advisors &
Mentors
• Professionals & subject-matter
experts, ranging from local firms to
global corporations (Accenture, Bank
of America, Google, Blockchain, Intuit,
Lyft, etc.)
• Small business owners, tech, encore
careers
• Motivated by having a meaningful
experience & giving back
• Give time on an as-available, as-
needed basis
Profiles of our Members

Tyrone and Tiffany, Co-Founders of Circle Up Education
At a young age, Tyrone Botelho was placed in Oakland’s foster care system. He was rotated through 13 different
group homes before he aged out of the system. In high school, he was exposed to the principles of Restorative
Justice, a conflict resolution and community-building practice. Tyrone went on to work his way through college in
low-wage jobs. Years later, he decided to launch a business to help other people experience the transformative
effects of Restorative Justice.
Tyrone and his co-founder Tiffany Hoang, approached Youth Business USA to support them in building Circle Up
Education, an educational consultancy that helps organizations implement Restorative Justice practices.
Through YBUSA, they received coaching in business modeling and planning to help them launch their business.
Then they were connected with a YBUSA mentor, Robin Nasatir, who is the former CEO of a management
consulting firm and a lifelong community volunteer. Robin has provided expert, invaluable guidance to Tyrone and
Tiffany as they have built their company over the past 18 months.
Circle Up Education has secured over $250,000 in contracts and now employs 5 people. Their clients include the
City of Oakland and the Hayward Unified School District.
“Youth Business USA helped make our business dreams become a
profitable reality. We don’t know where we would be without them.”
-Tyrone, Co-Founder
CircleUp Education
Y O U T H B U S I N E S S U S A S U C C E S S S T O R Y

Nicolas Cary: Co-Founder and Chairman
Nicolas leads the strategy of Youth Business USA’s platform development at
skysthelimit.org, our Board of Directors, and strategic partnerships. He is
also the co-founder of Blockchain, a financial technology company with over
10 million users of its digital platform. As CEO of Blockchain, he raised $30.5
million in Series A funding, and was named “European Digital Leader of the
Year” in 2015. The World Economic Forum recognized Blockchain as a 2016
Technology Pioneer - previous awardees include Google & AirBnB.
Bo Ghirardelli: Co-Founder and CEO
Bo knows that talent is everywhere, but opportunity isn’t. He leads
operations, partnerships, outreach, program design, and fundraising for
Youth Business USA. His focus is to meet the needs of our young
entrepreneurs. Bo also founded and built a successful business accelerator
for low-income young adults in Morocco during the Arab Spring, serving
over 1,500 entrepreneurs nationally.
Our Founders

Other Initiatives
Our Funders
In partnership with the City of Oakland Mayor’s Office, we began a multi-sector
collaboration in 2016 to prepare, launch, and grow 100 underrepresented young adult
entrepreneurs in Oakland each year.
*plus over 200 individual donors
THE
OAKLAND
FUND

Our Entrepreneurial
Mindset

Our Approach to Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is chaotic, messy and uncertain - we’ve found the following
mindset to be effective in building a business.
We know that people’s most basic
abilities - and their businesses -
can be developed through
dedication, learning, and hard
work. Advisors, mentors and
young entrepreneurs should share
this mindset.
We believe that the best way to
launch a business is to test the
business idea quickly, reliably and
repeatedly, using resources you
already have or can easily get. You
can’t buy success in
entrepreneurship. Check out the
Lean Startup and Bootstrapping
concepts for more info.
Growth Mindset Lean and Scrappy
Time is precious. We encourage
early-stage entrepreneurs to
spend 40% of their time making
their product or service better,
40% of their time trying to sell
their product or service, and 20%
of their time learning, “building
the business,” and dreaming! This
is a corollary to the 80/20 Rule.
40/40/20 Rule
Focus, focus, focus. Disciplined
focus on their business greatly
helps entrepreneurs achieve their
goals. You can’t do everything.
The challenge is to be doing what
matters most when working on
your business and avoiding
distractions. Finding product-
market fit is a vital early step!
Focus

Pathway to
Business Ownership

PREPARING TO LAUNCH THE BUSINESS
GROWING THE BUSINESS
Business Modeling Customer Development Branding
STARTING THE BUSINESS
Product/Service
Development
Website Development &
Technology Funding
Marketing & Sales Bookkeeping, Accounting
& Financials Legal & Regulatory
SUSTAINING THE BUSINESS
Building the Team Business Soft Skills Operations & Strategy
Pathway to Business Ownership
Our entrepreneurs receive support from our advisors & mentors in the following areas:

BUSINESS PLANNING
I need guidance on where to start with my business idea. I need to
create a basic design and plan for how my business works and
how it can make money.
-Simone, Partner at Mamacitas Cafe

CUSTOMER DEVELOPMENT
I need to better understand my customers: their problems &
desires, the differences between my types of customers, how to
reach them, what they think is valuable, etc.
-Tyrone and Tiffany, Co-founders of Circle Up Education

BRANDING
I need to name my business, create a logo, design how the
business looks (i.e. colors, style, designs, etc.), and figure out how
to talk about my business to other people.
-Afiba, Founder of Twisted Roots Project

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
I need to design my products to fit my customers’ needs, and
figure out what materials & equipment I need for them, which
manufacturer I should choose, how best to get my products
delivered, what price I should charge, etc.
-Victor, Founder of Run The World Clothing

SERVICE DEVELOPMENT
I need to design my services to fit my customers’ needs, and
figure out what services I offer (and what I don’t offer…), how
much I charge, how I deliver my services, etc.
-Daisy, Founder of Resilient Wellness

WEBSITE & TECHNOLOGY
I need to design and build a website for my business, and grow
my online presence. I need to create and use social media and the
right apps for my business.
-Morgan, Founder of Cakes by Morgan

MARKETING & SALES
I need to get the word out about my business and promote it. I
need to get paying customers, and figure out the best ways to sell
and market my products and services.
-Yodassa, Founder of Yoda Will Styling

ACCOUNTING & FINANCIALS
I need to figure out how to manage my business’ money. I need to
figure out which taxes I need to pay for my business. I need to
create a budget and financials for my business.
-Brittini, Owner of Prodigious Soles

FUNDING
I need to figure out the best ways to get funding for my business -
whether it is loans, grants, investors, crowdfunding, pre-selling my
products or services, or just starting my business with what I have
saved.
-Andrew, Founder of Helping

LEGAL & REGULATORY
I want to figure out the legal stuff, like licenses, permits, getting
insurance, etc. I want to create the right business structure,
whether it is a sole proprietorship, LLC, cooperative, etc. I want to
know what regulations I have to follow for my business.
-Acacia, Founder of Ethnic Ties

BUILDING A TEAM
I need to build a team for my business, and figure out how to
handle recruiting and hiring (or getting volunteers), creating roles
for each job position, motivating people, creating incentives,
training and managing employees.
-Bri, Owner of Wyred Up Bartending

OPERATIONS
I need to create business processes & systems to help me get
organized. I want to be more efficient and grow the business. I
want to find new ways to manage the business, cut business costs,
etc.
-Lindsay, Founder of Brown Sugar Baking

STRATEGY
I need to create a strategy for my business so that I can
accomplish my goals. I need a more detailed & organized plan
that describes what I do and how I grow my business. I want to
identify what the risks and opportunities are for my business over
the next few years.
-Brianna, Owner of Catrina’s Popcorn

BUSINESS SOFT SKILLS
I need someone who can be there for me along the way as I build
my business, someone who can make introductions, help me learn
and grow my skills, avoid mistakes, push past obstacles, and get
to my goals.
-Ajmal, Founder of MyRise

Quick Guide to
Advisors & Mentors

Provide short-term support for a
young entrepreneur in a specific
area of their business.
All advisors and mentors on skysthelimit.org should have: exceptional interpersonal & listening skills, multiple
years of direct business experience, and the aptitude for developing skills in our young entrepreneurs.
Advisors Mentors
Volunteer Role
Background
Minimum
Commitment
Intended
Commitment
Location of
Meetings
Impact
Matching
Have subject matter expertise
(e.g. sales, legal, branding,
finance, marketing, etc.) and are
aligned with our social mission.
One meeting (approx. 1 hour)
Two to four meetings over
approx. one month, with an
option to continue ad hoc as you
have time/availability.
Provide long-term, “generalist”
support for a young entrepreneur
across their business and life.
1st meeting: Phone call
Other meetings: Virtual or in-
person, if possible
Advisors teach, guide, counsel
and work one-on-one with young
entrepreneurs.
Ideally have entrepreneurship
and/or business management
experience, and are aligned with
our social mission.
One meeting (approx. 1 hour)
4 hours a month for 12 months,
with an option to continue
1st meeting: Phone call
Other meetings: Preferably in-
person, or virtual
Mentors teach, guide, counsel,
make connections, and work one-
on-one with young entrepreneurs.
Advisors can match with many
different young entrepreneurs,
and young entrepreneurs can
work with many advisors.
Mentors work with one young
entrepreneur at a time, and young
entrepreneurs work with one
mentor at a time.

Quick Tips for
Getting Started

PREP FOR THE FIRST MEETING
AT THE FIRST MEETING
AT ONGOING MEETINGS
• READ the entrepreneur’s business plan and their personal story.
• THINK especially about the young entrepreneur’s motivations for starting the business, their
goals and what success looks like for them.
• BUILD TRUST: Just like with meeting anyone new for the first time, trust is earned. Focusing on
building rapport and a connection with a young entrepreneur is the most important part of your
first meeting. A few tips:
• Let them know you care about them as an individual and their overall success in life, not
just in getting their business up and running.
• Ask questions before you offer advice
• Learn their story - what is their current life situation, their background, hurdles they face?
• Modeling is better than telling - let entrepreneurs hear how you would think about, frame
and tackle a business problem so they learn from your thought process.
• Let them get to know you and practice mutuality in your relationship with an entrepreneur.
• OPERATE WITH EMPATHY: You may be working with a young person who hasn’t yet built
the professional habits and skills (e.g. communications) you’ve accumulated over your
career. Patiently helping them gain these vital skills will take them far in business & in life!
• Proactively reach out to them as they may feel uncomfortable asking for your time, or
unaccustomed to setting up meetings.
• FOCUS ON BUILDING SKILLS: Not everything is about getting things done, helping young
entrepreneurs learn your skills will pay off big for them in the long run!

General Guide to
Advising & Mentoring

Meet them where they’re at
Making a meaningful impact as a business advisor or mentor on skysthelimit.org
starts with understanding the individual you’re working with.
Gaining confidence in
themselves
Our young entrepreneurs’ dynamic needs often include:
Soft and hard
business skills
Roadmap and plan for
achieving their
business goals
Ability to remain
financially stable
while starting a
business
Trustworthy,
knowledgeable,
reliable, culturally
competent, and
emotionally
intelligent support
Relevant connections
to people in their
industry
Healing from trauma
and discrimination
Access to flexible and
individualized training
Access to potential
customers for their
products and services

What advising & mentoring is
Advisors and mentors provide some combination of these four kinds of support
based on what a young entrepreneur needs.
TEACH GUIDE COUNSEL DO
Advisors & mentors are
confidants, partners in
problem-solving,
encouraging, curious,
inspiring, and challenging
while supportive.
TEACH:
Teach entrepreneurs
skills (both soft skills
and Pathway-related
skills), habits, and
mindsets.
GUIDE:
Ask probing questions,
instill focus, and hold
problem-solving
discussions with
entrepreneurs
supporting them
through their journey.
COUNSEL:
Provide specific advice
on different areas of
business, such as how
to create a budget, a
brand strategy, or
develop a proposal.
DO:
Helping entrepreneurs
actually build parts of
their business, making
relevant introductions
in your own network,
etc.

What advising & mentoring is NOT
Direct “sponsorship”
Focused on the
advisor’s or mentor’s
business interests
Doing everything for
the young
entrepreneur
Too task-focused A conflict of interest Getting stuck in the
details

Potential challenges
Inadequate
definition of roles
and expectations
Conflicting values or a
mismatch in
personality
compatibility
Meetings are
repeatedly
re-scheduled
(or missed)
Relationship
difficulties (broken
promises, prejudices,
etc.) and a lack of
commitment
Wanting to give up
Unreasonable
demands for help and
support
Relationships are complicated. Being aware of potential challenges can help
you prevent or prepare for inevitable obstacles.

• Respect: Volunteers and young entrepreneurs are considerate of one another and treat people
in the manner in which they themselves expect to be treated.
• Trust and “Fit”: Business volunteers and young entrepreneurs recognize the importance of first
building trust with each other and making sure they are a good “fit” before committing to an
extended mentoring relationship.
• Motivations: The primary purpose of participating is to support young entrepreneurs in
achieving their business goals.
• Mutuality and Equality: Young entrepreneurs and volunteers are equals, and it is the
responsibility of both sides to make sure that they are collaborating in a way that works for all.
• Commitment and Follow Through: Doing what you say you’ll do is the best way to
demonstrate your commitment.
• Curiosity and Openness to Feedback: Be curious, not judgmental. Ask lots of questions to
understand the full picture before you jump to conclusions or provide advice.
• Use Time Effectively: Respect one another’s time by being prepared and on-time to meetings.
Focus on progress, not perfection.
• Active Participation: Maintain communication and openness to collaborating together.
• High Expectations: Have - and maintain - high expectations for yourself and your mentee while
accepting that no one is perfect.
• Use Available Resources: Make use of all resources available - from our Pathway to Business
Ownership to information available on the internet, from our shared community, and from your
own network.
• Speak Up: If you have any problems or concerns, be open and honest with each other - if
needed, contact our Program Managers!
General Tips for Success

Other Resources

JOIN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP FOR ADVISORS & MENTORS
https://www.facebook.com/groups/YBUSAmentors/
UPDATE YOUR LINKEDIN PROFILE
1. If you update your LinkedIn profile, you can turn on “Notify your network” so that your
network will know about your work supporting young entrepreneurs.
2. On your LinkedIn profile, go to “Volunteering Experience & Causes” and “Add a
volunteer experience”. For Organization, choose skysthelimit.org. Your Role can be
Business Advisor or Business Advisor and Mentor. For Cause, choose Economic
Empowerment. For Description, see a possible one below:
I provide advice and guidance to a young entrepreneur as he/she works to plan, launch,
and grow a new business. The entrepreneur I am working with is starting (briefly
describe the business here).
During our regular meetings, I help the entrepreneur I work with problem solve, develop
skills, and plan ahead. I provide encouragement and high-level guidance, as well as
connect them to my network to help them grow.
SKY’S THE LIMIT is a not-for-profit program that connects young adult entrepreneurs
with experienced business advisors & mentors. Our mission is to prepare, launch and
grow highly motivated young entrepreneurs who face barriers to business ownership.
ONLINE MARKETPLACES FOR YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS
If a young entrepreneur needs help getting $ or customers, check out peers.org
Additional info:

Community
Guidelines

RESPECT PURPOSE FOLLOW THROUGH
CONFIDENTIALITY NON-SOLICITATION
NO CONFLICTS OF
INTEREST
NOTIFICATION
Community Guidelines
All members of our community agree to the following:

RESPECT
I agree to treat all members of this community
with respect, and that I will build and maintain
the trust placed in me by other members of this
community.

PURPOSE
Entrepreneurs agree that their purpose in joining
this community is generally to build their
business, make new connections and learn new
skills. Advisors & Mentors agree that one of the
key purposes of their interactions with
entrepreneurs in this program will be to support
them in achieving their own business goals.

FOLLOW THROUGH
If I commit to a match, I agree to follow through
on my commitments to that person. I understand
that if I schedule a meeting and miss that
meeting (without re-scheduling in advance), I can
have my membership suspended.

CONFIDENTIALITY
I agree to treat the private information disclosed
to me through this program as confidential. If you
have a question about what is confidential, just
ask the person who told you the information.

NON-SOLICITATION
I do not intend to use this program just to
promote my own products or services to other
members of our community.

NO CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
I do not intend to use this program to find a
business to invest in, an idea to market myself, or
to create any other conflicts of interest with
members of this community.

NOTIFICATION
I agree that I will keep this community’s Program
Managers informed of any change that could materially
affect my participation in this program. This includes
but is not limited to: 1.) if you no longer have the
available time to meet regularly with your mentoring
partner, or; 2.) if your mentoring partner becomes
unresponsive. I also agree to provide periodic updates
to improve the quality of the program.

Email: info@ybusa.org
Websites: ybusa.org | skysthelimit.org
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Thank you!
Youth Business USA, a 501c3 public charity EIN # 27-4333255