Sneak Peek
Learn the essentials for a successful small business start up with this short course.
Have you been wanting to start your own business for a while, however you are not sure where to start? Don’t miss a step with this self guided short course on starting a small business. This course will help you organise your thoughts into a structured plan that will help you succeed in a business.
Using a self paced, interactive study guide; you can take as much or little time as you wish to complete this course. This course will see you doing practical tasks and activities that will add value to your business plans.
As you progress through each lesson; you will be provided with a range of ways you can expand your learning. By choosing what tasks you do and don't undertake; you can expand in areas that interest you most, and skip areas of less interest.
Some of the topics that are covered in this course include considering the product that you want to sell, the business systems, finding your customers, making a sale, how to deliver the products and some essential rules to stick to or things that you should avoid.
At the end of each lesson, you will be given a short interactive test to undertake, which will provide an indication of how your learning is progressing. Upon completing the very last lesson, you will be offered a more thorough automated test or examination. This final assessment can be undertaken at any time of day or night; and any day of the week; and if you achieve an overall pass; you will be able to obtain a "certificate of completion" with your name and completion date on it.
The Contents in this course include:
LESSON 1 INTRODUCTION - A REALITY CHECK
- Businesses don’t need to fail
- Getting a product that is saleable
- Establishing management systems
- Finding potential customers
- Selling to potential customers
- Delivering the product
- Know your strengths
- Types of Businesses
LESSON 2 THE PRODUCT OR SERVICE
- Passion is not enough
- Consider your options
- Scale of Business
- What you might sell
- Supply and demand
- Understanding change
- Developing ideas for businesses
- Primary industries
- Manufacturing
- Professional services
- Future growth areas
- Time saver services and products
LESSON 3 SYSTEMS FOR MANAGING A BUSINESS
- Cost of systems
- Compliance and procedures
- Business systems
- Total quality management (tqm)
- Innovation management
- Information technology
- Staff management
- Employee induction
- Performance management
- Financial management
- The simplest approach
- Planning in business
- Creating a strategic plan
- Risk
- Strategy formation and implementation
LESSON 4 HOW TO FIND POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS
- How can you become visible?
- Technology
- Media
- Trends
- How to attract attention
- Target marketing - strategies, market segmentation, etc.
- Competition
- Market research
- The marketing mix
LESSON 5 HOW TO MAKE A SALE
- What makes a good salesperson
- Who is the customer
- Making a decision
- Rational decisions
- Heuristic procedures
- Decision making processes
- Selling online
LESSON 6 DELIVERING A PRODUCT OR SERVICE
- Presentation and packaging
- Ways of delivering products and services
- Virtual consulting
- Virtual education
- Mail order retailing
- Selling downloads
- Customer satisfaction
LESSON 7 PITFALLS TO AVOID / RULES TO FOLLOW
- Managing money
- Keeping cash flowing
- Persistence
- Doing market research
- Keeping up with change
- Sales focus
- Being different
- Niche products and services
- Business coaching
FINAL EXAM
How does this course work?
- Enrol any time of day or night
- Start studying immediately or later (as you wish)
- Configure your study sessions at any length and frequency you wish
- Work through at your own pace
- Help desk-Use the subject- Business Start Up Short Course- we are available on business days contact us here
- Automated self assessment tests pop up at the end of each lesson. Upon completion, you can see your results
- At the end of the whole course, you are presented with a major automated examination which can be attempted online, anywhere, anytime
- If you achieve a 60% pass in the exam; you immediately receive a downloadable certificate of completion with your name on it