The SMB Accelerator — the Y Combinator of Main Street
A small-business accelerator for existing owner-led companies — not startups. We install the OWNABLE OS so your business generates liquidity repeatedly across the Five Exits of Ownership.
The 8-week cohort syllabus
Every cohort runs the same eight-week sequence — week by week, engine by engine. You arrive with a business. You leave with an operating system.
- Week 1 · DiagnoseFive Hidden Taxes scored in real dollarsRun the OWNABLE Assessment as a cohort. Every owner sees the dollar cost of the Owner Tax, Workforce Tax, AI Tax, Capital Tax, and Exit Tax applied to their own numbers. Baseline OWNABLE Score set.
- Week 2 · Financial EngineOWNABLE chart of accounts + owner-independent earningsMap your existing ledger to the OWNABLE chart of accounts. Separate owner-independent revenue from owner-dependent revenue. Establish the monthly close cadence and the transferability score.
- Week 3 · Profit EngineProfitFlow design + Maximum Sustainable DistributionIdentify the flows that produce profit. Design the ProfitFlow policy: how money moves from revenue to reinvestment to distribution. Calculate Maximum Sustainable Distribution for each owner's business.
- Week 4 · Value EngineOWNABLE Score audit + durability leversAudit the four components of OWNABLE value: transferability, durability, capital-readiness, and exit optionality. Build a ranked list of value-creation levers specific to each business.
- Week 5 · Workforce EngineRoles, scorecards, successor identificationDocument every critical seat using the OWNABLE Workforce schema. Assign accountabilities. Identify the first successor for each seat. Map which roles carry Owner Tax and begin the extraction.
- Week 6 · Capital PlanCapital structure + lender-readiness packageSize the business for its next capital event — whether that's a working-capital line, a growth acquisition, or a distribution recapitalization. Build the lender-ready package on top of the installed Financial Engine.
- Week 7 · Exit MapFive Exits sequenced and prioritizedMap the Five Exits of Ownership against the owner's life plan and capital needs. Sequence which exit to activate first. Identify the conditions that must be true for each exit to yield full value.
- Week 8 · InstallOWNABLE OS locked in + Quarterly Cadence launchedFinalize all four engines inside Bootstrapper.ai. Set the Quarterly Long-Term Equity Review cadence. Cohort presentations. OWNABLE Score re-run. Every owner leaves with a running system, not a plan.
Cohort outcomes
These are the measurable outputs every owner carries out of the 8-week program:
Program tiers
The Accelerator meets owners wherever they are — from a single-day diagnostic sprint to the full 8-week cohort with ongoing platform access.
The core of the OWNABLE OS in a single focused day. Diagnosis, engine baselines, and a routed action plan.
- ✓Five Hidden Taxes scored in dollars
- ✓All four engine baselines set
- ✓First OWNABLE Score
- ✓Routed action plan: which engine first
- ✓Access to Bootstrapper.ai (Free tier)
Full OS installation alongside a cohort of peer owners, with direct access to the LTEM team.
- ✓Everything in 1-Day Sprint
- ✓8-week week-by-week syllabus
- ✓ProfitFlow + capital plan built
- ✓Workforce Engine + successor matrix
- ✓Exit map across Five Exits
- ✓Bootstrapper.ai Ownable Certified access
- ✓Quarterly cadence launched on Day 56
The 8-week program with ongoing 1:1 long-term equity advisory for complex capital or exit scenarios.
- ✓Everything in 8-Week Cohort
- ✓Dedicated LTEM advisor
- ✓Capital placement support
- ✓M&A and exit transaction advisory
- ✓Annual OWNABLE Score review
Who it's for
Owner-led and family-owned businesses, generally $500K–$5M in revenue, run by owners who want liquidity and independence — not a venture-style swing for one exit. If you've been told your only options are "keep grinding" or "sell and leave," the SMB Accelerator exists for the third path.
- You own and operate an existing business with real revenue.
- You want liquidity from your equity — without being forced to sell.
- You're ready to install a system, not just attend another seminar.
- You can commit a few hours per week for eight weeks.
- The OWNABLE OS →
The four-engine framework the cohort installs week by week.
- Bootstrapper.ai Platform →
The software that runs your OS after the cohort ends.
- Become an Integrator →
Certified to deliver this program inside your own practice.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a Y Combinator for small businesses?+
The Bootstrapper SMB Accelerator is built to be exactly that — an accelerator for existing owner-led businesses rather than startups. It installs the OWNABLE OS and connects owners to a peer community, without taking equity.
What's the difference between an SMB accelerator and a startup accelerator?+
A startup accelerator funds a new company in exchange for equity and aims at one big exit. An SMB accelerator strengthens a business you already own, leaves you with full ownership, and builds toward repeated liquidity across the Five Exits of Ownership.
Who is the SMB Accelerator for?+
Owner-led and family-owned businesses, generally $500K–$5M in revenue, run by owners who want liquidity and independence — not a venture-style swing for one exit.
What is the 1-Day SMB Accelerator?+
A single focused day that installs the core of the OWNABLE OS — a dollar-scored diagnosis of your Five Hidden Taxes, the starting state of your four engines, and a routed plan for what to fix first.
How is the accelerator priced?+
A flat program fee with no equity dilution. Optional follow-on advisory or capital pathways are sold separately. Start with the free Assessment to get routed to the right tier.
What do I get after the 8-week cohort?+
A running Financial Engine, an installed ProfitFlow policy, a Value Engine audit, a Workforce Engine with successor scorecards, and a capital plan — plus continued access to the Bootstrapper.ai platform.
Apply to the SMB Accelerator.
Start with the free Assessment — it scores your Five Hidden Taxes in real dollars and doubles as your application diagnostic.