Small Business Bootcamp
Are you thinking of starting your own business, or perhaps you've already taken the plunge and just need a helping hand to help you take your new business even further?
There are a lot of things to consider when starting your own business, from understanding your customers right through to budgets, business plans and legislation.
Why this course?
This eight-week online course will help you unravel and navigate your way through all the essential elements of starting your own business.
You'll gain the essential skills and business knowledge you need to run a successful business, and focus on low-cost, quick-to-implement strategies to enable you to exploit emerging trends and technologies and learn through doing.
What you'll learn
● Developing a strategy and business plan: defining your vision for the future and planning the steps to achieve it
● Market research: what has worked well and what hasn't, and what you can learn from that when refining your business strategy
● Products and pricing: what do you need to understand to be able to accurately price your products/services? What is your cost of goods? Will you discount? Do you need seperate retail and wholesale price plans? You'll explore all of this and more
● Cash flow, financial forecasting and fundraising options: you've heard the saying 'cash is king', how do you raise and manage your finances in the best way for your business?
● Legalities and logistics: armed with a plan for your business, this is where you get to grips with licensing, registration and accounting requirements
● Communication: how and where to tell your story and build your brand
● Pitching, negotiating and selling
Weekly overview
Week 1: SMART Goals and Business Model Canvas
Week 2: Customer Segmentation, Value Proposition and Minimum Viable Product
Week 3:
● Branding and naming a company (company values / mission statement, logo design)
● Conducting market research (and the impact it will have on your strategy)
● Drawing up a SWOT analysis for their business amongst other things
Week 4:
● Products and Pricing
● Legal structure of trading companies
● Insurance and risk management
Week 5: Accounting, Cashflow and Financing
● Basic accounting (Net, gross and TAX)
● Management accounts and annual accounts
● Financing your business.
Week 6: Communication and Sales
● Marketing message
● Pitching, negotiating and selling
● The 7'Ps' of marketing: product (or service), prices, promotion, place, physical environment, process and people.
Week 7: Digital Marketing
● Web (SEO, PPC)
● Social Media
● Newsletters and content marketing
Week 8: Scaling and Operations
● Scaling up
● How to cross-sell and up-sell
Who will you learn with?
Sara is the co-founder and managing director of one of Cornwall’s most successful marketing and design agencies. Her award-winning business has worked with brands around the world while keeping its focus on helping small businesses to grow their market presence in the South West of the UK.
She is a Senior Lecturer at Falmouth University’s Business School where she is passionate about entrepreneurialism and teaches startup methodology as well as marketing and communications. She has started several ventures of her own and enjoys supporting other enterprises. She currently has an active role in eight businesses ranging from property development to tech start-up and a women’s fashion brand.
How do I study?
The course content includes presentations, interviews and case studies to ensure you understand what you're learning in real life with topics broken down into manageable chunks and made available to you on a weekly basis.
You'll learn, interact and collaborate with your classmates to open up your knowledge and skills to a range of perspectives and new opportunities. You can expect one hour of presented, online content with around 4 hours of self-study each week required to complete the content. The time and date of your one hour will be agreed between yourself and the tutor once the course starts.
Your online classroom is an easy to use, intuitive interface. Here you'll have access to the diverse range of materials that'll support and delivery your learning; all of which you'll be guided through by your expert tutor. You'll never feel alone in your online classroom, you'll be interacting, questioning and engaging regularly with your peers on the course as well as with your tutor. Ask the questions you need to, when you want to and gain valuable insights and perspectives from your peers as you share experiences, ideas and thoughts.