This online Ed2Go course, offered in cooperation with SDSU Global Campus, will teach you how to open and run a small business or start-up organization.
Learn the Secrets to Entrepreneurial Success
In challenging times for traditional jobs, starting a successful small business is a possibility for entrepreneurs with skills, knowledge, and passion to bring their product or service to market. This 100% online will teach you the principles for opening and running a small business or start up. Key topics include the communication and leadership skills, management principles and financial and legal concepts needed to start and operate a new business entity.
Job Outlook for Job Outlook for Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners
It’s possible to start your own business successfully with the right training and preparation. Gain the skills and knowledge to transform your passion into a marketable product or service. Our Entrepreneurship: Start-up and Business Owner Management online training course will teach you how to open and run a small business or start-up company. You’ll learn important communication and leadership skills, management principles, and financial and legal concepts that you’ll need to operate your new business successfully.
Course Objectives
- Identify the characteristics, risks, benefits, opportunities, and drawbacks of being an entrepreneur
- Assess the demand of an opportunity and its value proposition
- Determine the appropriate legal structure, required licenses, and regulations for your business
- Investigate intellectual property law for entrepreneurs
- Determine your operational costs and growth strategy for your business
- Use financial statements to assess profitability and break-even analysis for your business
- Design a business plan for your venture
Curriculum
- The Entrepreneur
- Opportunity Recognition
- Starting Up
- Funding the Venture
- Ethics and Sustainability
- Human Capital
- Intellectual Property
- Operating Procedures
- Marketing
- Advertising
- Financial Statements
- Cash Flow Management
Prerequisites and Requirements
You should have basic keyboarding and computer skills and be comfortable navigating the Internet. You should also have an understanding of a word-processing computer program (Microsoft Word is recommended) and have email capabilities. This course is designed for anyone interested in developing their enterprise management skills, whether you want to start your own business or gain a better understanding of how to operate an established business.
Registration and Enrollment
This course is 100% online. Start anytime.
Meet Your Instructor
David Harkins is a business leader with a background in executive coaching and consulting. His work focuses on entrepreneurial thinking, leadership development, and operational innovation to help businesses and organizations deepen social impact and strengthen performance. His past roles include Vice President of Strategic Services at the Jackson Group, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for software engineering firm Geneer and Vice President of Marketing and Product Development for Nykamp Consulting Group. He earned a Master of Entrepreneurship from Western Carolina University and a BBA in entrepreneurial and small business management from American Public University.
Small Business Industry Outlook
- Entrepreneurs have limitless opportunities with determination and the right knowledge and skills. TheHill.com reports there are more than 582 million entrepreneurs across the globe.
- FreshBooks reports that 54% of entrepreneurs say they make more money after starting their own business, and 97% of small business owners say they will never go back to traditional employment.
- The Global Entrepreneurship Index has awarded the United States a score of 83.6, making it the best country to start a new business in the world. It is followed by Switzerland, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
- FactFinder data indicates that 83.1% of American entrepreneurs started their own companies and built them from scratch. According to Forbes, 90% of new American billionaires are self-made.
- ZipRecruiter says salaries for entrepreneurs in San Diego are currently as high as $410,343 per year. Indeed.com reports the average base salary—not including commissions and bonuses—at $70,258, which is 6% higher than the national average.
FAQs for Small Business Owners
What Do I Need To Start My Own Business?
To successfully start and run your own business, you’ll need strong mental, emotional, and financial resources. You’ll also need to understand the best way to organize, launch and operate an owner-managed business to avoid making costly and detrimental mistakes. Knowing the legal and financial aspects of business creation, development and management principles is also key to your entrepreneurial success, as well as strong communication skills.
Are the Failure Rates High for New Businesses?
While Small Business Genius does estimate the failure rate for brand new businesses is 22.5% in their first year, a lot of your success depends on your planning. A well-thought-out, highly organized, and professionally run business has a nearly-80% chance of succeeding through the first year. More recent data also shows an upward trend in the number of new businesses that succeed. Enrepreneur.com reports that new business failure rates are 30% lower today than there were 40 years ago due to the lower cost of starting a small-scale business and the availability of training and information available to entrepreneurs.
Is It Important for Me To Get Training as an Entrepreneur?
It’s possible to start a new business without formal training. However, a well-designed entrepreneurship course can increase your odds of succeeding by giving you formal knowledge of financial, legal, and management issues you may encounter as a new business owner. According to CBInsights, 42% of businesses that fail do so because there isn’t enough demand for their product or service. Another 29% fail due to a lack of proper capitalization and budgeting. An online entrepreneurship course like this one will teach you how to avoid common mistakes and help you develop a solid business plan that will set you up for success.