Do you have a great business idea but don’t know where to start? It’s daunting to think about every complex aspect of business, and we tend to get overwhelmed by all of the details. We see the vision and success but we don’t know how to get from where we are to where we want to be.
Sometimes, we get through the initial hurdles and start to trade. But we don’t know how to take the business from something informal to a real business. We are running our business but we may be ignoring certain aspects either by choice because we don’t have the skills or by accident because we don’t know what we don’t know.
The majority of funding requests from small businesses are rejected not because the business is not viable or because it’s a bad idea, but more because information is missing or is not presented in a way that inspires confidence.
| Module 1 | Business Overview – In the first module, we begin the journey of building out our own business modelling and planning document – the Business Think document. We focus on your business’s history, values, vision and mission, and work on building out your business model and reviewing your management structure. Finally, we lay out the targets and objectives that will guide how your business will operate. |
| Module 2 | The Market – This module focuses on the market you aim to enter with your product or service. You will analyse the existing market and carry out an industry analysis. You will identify your target market and consider your competition. Finally, you will consider the sales and marketing strategy that will best serve your business’s targets and objectives. |
| Module 3 | The Product – Module 3 investigates the product or service you are offering by means of a basic product description, the features and benefits and an analysis of its uniqueness. We explore different pricing models and the best ways to position your product in the market. You will do a basic cost analysis to arrive at a selling price that honestly reflects the value of your product. By the end of this module, you will have analysed your product from various angles along with the price, value, cost and profit. |
| Module 4 | Business Processes – This module delves into the aspects of what makes a business work, namely, systems and processes. We identify systems and processes in your business, and work out the best ways to build, maintain and improve them. We consider operations, staffing, suppliers, production, distribution, payment and quality control as key business functions. |
| Module 5 | Finances – Module 5 provides the new business owner with deeper insight into the importance of finance in the business. We scrutinise your current financial plan and consider your relationship with money. We introduce key financial terminology and work through the most important financial statements. You will end this module with a working understanding of the financial aspects of your business. |
| Module 6 | Business Think Document – This is the final chapter of the Business Case Developer course and brings together all the components, tools, skills and knowledge covered in previous modules culminating in the completion of your Business Think document. We explore how you can best present your Business Think document in a sales or investment presentation and, finally, end the course with a firm strategy and action plan for the future. |
A highly experienced entrepreneurial learning facilitator, Yasmeen holds an Honours degree in Commerce from Wits University. She has spent more than ten years in the Raizcorp Learning Academy which is responsible for training and developing entrepreneurs across South Africa and beyond. She is also the host of the Small Biz MBA on Business Day TV.
This course is designed to help you build a business case for your own business that can be used to seek funding or investment – or even to sell your products or services. Whether you have an idea, have just started a business, or just desire a holistic view of the components of business, this course is for you. We will start by understanding who we are in relation to our business. We’ll work through our product offering and define our target market through a competitor analysis.
We’ll help you to identify your own core competencies and consider how you can best leverage these to bring value into what you offer to your customers and help you solidify your uniqueness. We will work through the key financial concepts that every business owner ought to know, along with management processes and sales strategies.
You’ll complete your own “Business Think” document that can be used for funding or investment proposals. You’ll gain a deeper understanding of the workings of your business both now and into the future. You’ll gain insights into each aspect of running your business using a growth mindset.
You’ll carry out a rigorous investigation of your business and business idea, and you’ll receive a range of tools to help you run your business more effectively. By the end of the course, you will walk away with your own well-developed Business Think document and presentation which cover the key areas of strategy, finance and sales.
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