Build your company where you live.
Dozens School is a free startup school for Western North Carolina, open to any kind of company. It gives you the structure that working alone doesn't: a deadline every week, a record of your progress, and people who read it. Plus a curriculum to learn from along the way.
Free, with no application. About 15 minutes a week, plus lessons at your own pace.
Startup advice is everywhere. Accountability is hard to find.
Building on your own, there's no boss, board or accelerator checking in, and that's when weeks slip. Dozens School gives every week a deadline and a check-in, so your progress is on the record and someone is reading it.
A deadline every Sunday.
The weekly update turns good intentions into a routine. Every week has the same shape, and every week is checked against the one before it.
- Monday Your plan is already set. The goals you wrote last Sunday are this week's checklist.
- Through the week Do the work. Every lesson you take ends with one thing to do this week.
- Friday Haven't posted yet? A reminder lands Friday morning.
- Sunday Post your update in 5 to 15 minutes: tick off last week's goals, report your numbers, and set next week's.
Then the week starts again, and your streak grows by one.
What you answer each week
- Did you hit last week's goals?
- What's your primary metric this week?
- How many customers did you talk to face to face?
- What's in your way?
- What will you get done by next Sunday?
9 weeks in a row
23 of the last 26 weeks
- Your goals come back.
- Next week's update asks which ones you hit. Saying you'll do something is easy; ticking the box a week later is the point.
- Your progress is on the record.
- Your streak and the last six months of weeks sit on your dashboard, along with charts of your metric, morale and customer conversations.
- Someone reads it.
- Dozens School staff read updates and reply, so a hard week gets a question back, not silence.
- Your cofounders own it with you.
- Any founder on your team can post or edit the week's update. Nobody outside your team and our staff can see it.
A curriculum you can start tonight.
110 talks, essays, interviews and guides from startup experts and WNC founders, including Y Combinator, Paul Graham and First Round, in 12 modules. About 9 h 14 min of core video, taken at your own pace.
Every lesson comes with a short summary and one thing to do that week. Tell us whether you're exploring, building, already selling or past product-market fit, and your path narrows to what fits.
Browse the Tech curriculum- Deciding to start 39 min
- Finding an idea 33 min
- Building with AI 49 min
- Sales and getting users 1 h 59 min
- Forming your company 16 min
- Product-market fit 1 h 14 min
- Metrics, pricing and growth 57 min
- Bootstrapping or raising money 42 min
- Capital beyond venture
- Growing the company 1 h 6 min
- Founder stories 30 min
- Founders from here 29 min
For any company you mean to sell.
Dozens School is for people in Western North Carolina starting a company, turning a side project into one, or still deciding: software, food and beverage, outdoor gear, services, craft. If you already have customers and revenue, you're welcome. If you're six months from your first sale, this is built for you.
Pick the track that fits. Each has its own curriculum, and weekly updates, the member directory and local resources work the same on every track.
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Tech Software, apps and other technology products.Curriculum ready
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CPG Consumer packaged goods: food, drink, body care and household products sold in stores and online.Curriculum ready
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Manufacturing Physical products made at scale, from hardware to outdoor gear.Curriculum ready
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Services Agencies, trades, studios and professional services.Curriculum ready
Your neighbors are building too.
Coming up around WNC
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Wednesday, November 4 at 9:00 AM EST
1 Million Cups Asheville
Hatch Innovation Hub, 45 S French Broad Ave, Asheville, NC
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Thursday, November 5 at 6:30 PM EST
Coders League Low-Pressure Social Get-Together
Asheville Tech Events
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Wednesday, November 11 at 9:00 AM EST
1 Million Cups Asheville
Hatch Innovation Hub, 45 S French Broad Ave, Asheville, NC
Help that's already here
25 organizations in WNC and across the state that help founders, sorted by what they offer:
Once you join, the member directory shows every company in the program by track and city, so you can find the people building near you.
Questions founders ask.
What does it cost?
Nothing. There's no application, and taking part creates no obligation to Dozens, the studio that runs the School: no equity, no right of first refusal, no pitch.
How much time does it take?
The weekly update takes 5 to 15 minutes. Lessons run from a few minutes to an hour, and you take them at whatever pace suits you.
What happens if I miss a week?
Your streak starts over, and the next week opens as usual. Nobody is removed for missing a week. The program is a habit you return to, not a test you can fail.
I'm not building a tech company. Is this for me?
Yes. Dozens School is for any company you mean to sell to customers: food and beverage, outdoor gear, services, craft, software. Choose the CPG (consumer packaged goods), manufacturing or services track. Each has its own lessons, and weekly updates work the same for every company.
Do I need an idea or a cofounder first?
No. You need a working name for your company, and it can change. If you're still deciding, start with "Should you start a startup?" and post updates once you have something to measure. You can invite cofounders whenever you have them.
Who sees my weekly updates?
Your cofounders and Dozens School staff. Nobody else. The member directory shows only your company's name, one-line description, track, city and county, and its website if you add one.
I live outside Western North Carolina. Can I join?
Yes. The program is built around WNC, and its resources and events are local, but anyone is welcome.
Is this part of Y Combinator?
No. Dozens School is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Y Combinator. Many lessons link to free lectures Y Combinator has published, alongside essays, talks and guides from other sources, and every lesson credits where it comes from.
What is Dozens?
The startup studio in Asheville that runs Dozens School. The School is free and separate from anything the studio builds. Why a studio runs this explains more.
Dozens School is free, with no application, because more companies should start here.