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Courses >
Start Your Own Business > Creating a Successful Business Plan
Syllabus:
All
courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two
lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course.
You do not have to be present when the lesson is released, but you must
complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.
A new
section of each course starts on the second or third Wednesday of each
month. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure
to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.
| Week One |
| Wednesday - Lesson 01 |
In
this first lesson, as you take that first step along your
entrepreneurial path, you'll meet your instructor and learn about her
childhood, growing up in ChocolateTown USA. You'll meet several leading
entrepreneurs and determine if you have similar passions and skill
sets. And, you'll discover that business plans are not just for funding
your dream, but for guiding it along the path to success (as you choose
to define it).
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| Friday - Lesson 02 |
Today,
you'll start to mold your business. You'll develop a vision and a
mission for your enterprise. You'll define and refine your product or
service, and you'll uncover your niche. This is the fun part of the
journey—your only limitation is your imagination!
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| Week Two |
| Wednesday - Lesson 03 |
We'll
focus on the customer in this lesson. Today's successful companies
focus not on the products and services that they offer, but on the
customers that they serve—on many levels. Together, we'll position your
company to be customer-centric. And, you'll learn how to move that
customer from satisfied to loyal (and perhaps even an advocate for your
business).
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| Friday - Lesson 04 |
In
this lesson, you'll structure your organization so it's in the best
position to provide your product or service to your targeted customers.
I'll help you create a board of experts to guide you along your
journey. You'll discover the role that change plays in your
entrepreneurial evolution. Change is good—it shows that you're thinking!
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| Week Three |
| Wednesday - Lesson 05 |
Today,
we’ll explore the plan within the plan—the marketing section of your
business plan. We'll lay the foundation for your marketing efforts and
we'll define sales and marketing (there is a difference!). We'll also
explore the features and benefits of your product or service, and we'll
begin the ongoing task of market research. This is where you can
differentiate your product or service from that of your competition.
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| Friday - Lesson 06 |
For
today's lesson, we'll explore three separate areas of marketing. First,
you'll learn about your competitors so that you can better position
yourself and discover just how solid your business ideas are. We'll
discuss one of the most difficult issues of new business—pricing.
Finally, we become the SWOT team—analyzing strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, and threats.
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| Week Four |
| Wednesday - Lesson 07 |
Today,
you'll join a panel of outstanding marketing, public relations, and
graphics experts who are also entrepreneurs and believe in the power of
networking. We'll explore graphic design, logos, image, public
relations, and guerrilla marketing. And you'll also discover marketing
in action in this lesson.
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| Friday - Lesson 08 |
Today, we'll start by hearing Alice in Wonderland explain to the Mad Hatter that, in
a topsy-turvy world, it seems like (you) have to do something wrong
first, in order to learn from what not to do. And then, by not doing
what (you're) not supposed to do, perhaps (you'll) be right. But
(you'd) rather be right the first time, wouldn't you? Confused? We'll tackle manufacturing and operations concerns in this not-so-topsy-turvy lesson.
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| Week Five |
| Wednesday - Lesson 09 |
In
this lesson, you'll learn that both successes and failures can be
tremendous teachers—but you'll have to apply those lessons learned to
other life or business ventures. For today's lesson, we'll take a
bird's eye view of the financial section of a business plan. We'll also
briefly explore the capital equipment list, the balance sheet, and
break-even analysis.
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| Friday - Lesson 10 |
In
this lesson, we'll discuss three additional financial components of the
plan. We'll explore the projected income statement (always a fun
area!), cash flow, and historical financial records. Be sure to take
some time to explore the Supplemental Links area (in this lesson and in
all the others) for outstanding online resources.
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| Week Six |
| Wednesday - Lesson 11 |
Today,
we'll continue our focus on money, but from a different perspective
than in the previous two lessons. We'll focus on funding and financing
opportunities, and by the end of this lesson, you should have a better
understanding of financing. You'll also find out where to locate
traditional (and not so traditional) sources of funding.
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| Friday - Lesson 12 |
In
our final lesson, you'll end one journey while beginning another.
First, you'll write an outstanding executive summary. We'll discuss a
few important document formatting tips, and you'll learn what
supporting documents you should add to your final business plan. You
now hold all the keys to the doors along your entrepreneurial path.
Journey well!
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This
course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide
you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your
questions. The instructor for this course will be Carol Parenzan Smalley.
 Carol
Parenzan Smalley is an entrepreneur and educator with a degree in
engineering and over 20 years of business experience. She acts as a
consultant to both small businesses and to business writers, has more
then thirteen years of experience teaching college-level
entrepreneurial courses, and is the former editor of the world's
largest customer relationship management online community.
Requirements:
Microsoft
Word or other word processing program, Internet access, e-mail, and the
Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser.
Student Reviews:
"An excellent source of information for anyone interested in business. Carol has taken time to make her course very useful."
"As a self-employed person who lives from deadline to
deadline, finding time to cover the material has been a real challenge!
This course is thorough. And it's worth its weight in gold (that's
pretty heavy considering the 3-ring binder I've been toting around full
of our lessons, assignments, and printouts from supplemental links!)"
"A very well structured, focused course. No fluff. I got exactly what I needed. Thanks!"
"Awesome course! Thanks for providing this information in a format that was conducive to my life demands!"
"Carol added stories from her own businesses and life
experiences to make the course more practical and enjoyable. Thank you
Carol for helping my partner and I work on our plan and starting our
journey into entrepreneurship. I feel certain we will be more
successful for having taken this course with you."
"Carol did a wonderful job in putting this course together.
The supplemental readings were especially appreciated and really
enriched the lessons. I have begun my first draft of our business plan,
and we hope to launch our new venture by the beginning of next
year...thanks in great measure to Carol."
"Carol, I have enjoyed these past weeks planning my journey.
You do have a gift for teaching, I have gained so much information,
more then I have ever found in any book. Have you ever thought about
writing a book? I know I would be first in line."
"Carol, I just want to tell you how much I appreciate you
teaching this course. It would have taken me years, YEARS! to compile
this information and I would never have had the benefit of your
experience or the invaluable lessons I learned as I listened in on the
feedback given to my classmates."
"Carol is an amazing instructor. Her wealth of knowledge and
ability to communicate clearly far surpassed my expectations. I never
ever expected to feel so "comfortable" interacting with someone online
in a classroom setting - consequently, I did not hesitate to share any
and all concerns and ideas. Carol was so very encouraging throughout, a
real blessing to students, and a definite asset to the institution! I'm
most appreciative of all her efforts, and hope to interact with her
again one day!"
"Carol is an energetic and inspiring instructor. Her course
has propelled me greatly along--not only in regards to writing a
business plan, but also in regards to thinking like an entrepreneur and
understanding business. I feel that my horizons are broadened thanks to
this course."
"Carol is an excellent instructor and has excellent
knowledge base. She responded very quickly to the discussion area and
to my satisfaction. I would recommend this course and her as an
instructor without any reservation. As a matter of fact we would like
her to be on our Board of Experts."
"Carol is awesome! I'm ready to take on the small business world. This course is great!"
"Carol is a wonderful teacher and provides the motivation
and resources to develop a successful business plan. She is very
responsive to questions and encourages interaction with classmates. It
is best to be working your business plan while taking the course - take
advantage of Carol's knowledge; however, working on the plan
concurrently is not mandatory."
"Carol is fantastic! This was my first online course and I
couldn't be more pleased. Carol made this class fun and entertaining.
She made complex material very understandable and useful. I wish all my
teachers were as good as Carol! Thank you Carol for the excellent job
and helpful responses to all questions/posts. You made this a very fun
experience!"
"Carol's excitement and enthusiasm is very contagious."
"Carol's knowledge and insight on writing a successful
business plan was so helpful. I had no clue of how to start writing my
business plan and now I've gotten a semi-first draft of it today. She
made it very easy with a step by step approach and all the
supplementary material she provided."
"Carol Smalley offered a class that I was excited to return to each day!"
"Carol Smalley was excellent as an advisor and instructor.
Her course outlines excelled with great examples for us to follow. Even
though I have done business plans annually, for the past 20 years, I
found more information through taking her course! A lot of great
resource/reference material online. Thank you!"
"Carol, thanks from East Africa for your labouring to ensure
we get it - time well spent. Your efforts were not in vain. You are a
perfect instructor, and I have learned so much from you that I will
definitely use in my small business but also in helping others in my
country who desire to take the same trails. You have developed nations,
Carol."
"Carol, thank you so much for your very positive &
encouraging ways. There were many times during this course that I
thought to myself, I must be crazy, I can't do this, but even through a
computer I felt your positive energy to keep me going. Keep up the
fabulous job you do with teaching this course."
"Carol, this has been the best class I have attended and my life has been changed. I am sorry it's coming to an end."
"Carol was an excellent instructor. I totally enjoyed the
class. She was great at challenging you and making you think outside of
the box. I've come away from this course armed with knowledge &
ready for success!!"
"Carol was fabulous. She is obviously an expert in her
field, she presented the information in an interesting manner, she
replied to your questions and comments immediately, and she was
incredibly supportive and positive about my venture. I would take any
class that she taught."
"Carol, you helped even more than the SCORE coach I have and
the course was well worth the money I invested. You are a great coach
yourself and I thank you for sharing your experience and expertise. I
loved the brainstorming technique and will employ it more often to
everything for which I need to plan."
"Carol, your program not only provides the means to creating
a successful business plan; it also provides the means for seeking
clientele and niche markets. You are a teacher and a coach. I would
like to thank you for your support and experience throughout. This
program was fast, timely, and extremely well composed. I will continue
to use these lesions ongoing."
"Carol, your program not only provides the means to creating
a successful business plan; it also provides the means for seeking
clientele and niche markets. You are a teacher and a coach. I would
like to thank you for your support and experience throughout. This
program was fast, timely, and extremely well composed. I will continue
to use these lessons ongoing."
"Excellent course, excellent instructor...a must for anyone
considering starting a business. It stretches your mind and gives you
the support you need to do the necessary research for a successful
business. Also, it helps narrow down the sea of information on the
Internet and separates the business plan into bite-size pieces."
"Excellent course! The instructor exhibited an outstanding
and unique knowledge of getting started in business and what anyone
needs to consider whether it is a hotdog vending cart or a
semi-conductor factory. ALL of the key items were at least discussed
and the wealth of resources the instructor shared for outside-of-class
use was incredible!"
"For the last year or so, I have read and re-read so many
articles and books, but by far this has been the best money spent.
Thank you personally for this information. It is much more than just a
business plan class; it is a business education class."
"Great class. I liked having the lessons, quizzes and
supplements available throughout the duration of the course. Carol was
very responsive to each question and comment on the discussion board.
She offered many suggestions and considerable encouragement. I saved
all of the lessons and plan on referring to them repeatedly. They
offered some good tips, fantastic links and great conversation. Thanks!"
"Great course! I really enjoyed the practicality of the
lessons including the practical applications. Great instructor! I loved
Carol's humorous and thought-provoking writing style. Although I
already have an MBA, this course really helped me put my thoughts
towards a small business to paper."
"I absolutely LOVED this course! This was my first online
class and I found the teacher to be highly intelligent and effective in
the use of her style of teaching. This class was so great and the
teacher was so good, I might possibly become a perpetual student from
now on. Overall, this course was GREAT and I am a perfectionist type
picky student! Thank you! I'll be back!"
"I am an artist/calligrapher who has a new lease on life. No
longer will I struggle with doing art shows every weekend or paying
enormous rentals to have a shop in the mall or even do what is
necessary to keep wholesale sales turning. I am going to reinvent
myself on the Internet."
"I am having a blast with this course. My heart pounds hard
and then I feel more confident. I really hate for it to end. My sincere
appreciation for your encouragement and direction."
"I can sum up this course with one word: empowering! My thanks and appreciation to an excellent instructor."
"I can't begin to tell you how much this course has helped
me. For the last 14 years, I have been shying away from writing a
"Business Plan." After having everything in place, I still had not
written a plan, but alas, now it's done. I just have to refine and get
it to read and present professionally."
"I’d like to compliment Carol on the format of the lesson. I
just love it when you interview as part of the lesson. The reading goes
so fast and is interesting. It really gives us some insight into what
is going on in the current business climate. Things are changing so, so
fast with the explosion of the computer age."
"I enjoyed this class more than any other business class I
have taken. The instructor made me fell like a colleague -- not a
beginner."
"I enjoy learning new ideas, and for a while I've toyed with
the idea of starting a business. This class frightened me a little, but
it also brought about what I need to concentrate on my weaknesses,
mainly business accounting. All in all I learned a lot, great job."
"I enrolled in this class to see if I could handle a small
business. I'm not quite ready, but when I am, I know I have some
valuable information to help me along. You have been very supportive
and kind and I really appreciate that. Thank you, Carol. This
experience has been wonderful!!!"
"I especially loved the way you kept my interest. You helped me tremendously and I love your teaching style!"
"I feel like my business knowledge has grown exponentially from the time I opened the first lesson. You are a great teacher!"
"I felt so inspired after reading the interview with Michael
Katz. His honesty, lighthearted spirit, confidence, and positive energy
most definitely popped off the page. I especially will
remember...."hear your own song" and "Leap and the net will appear."
The lessons are filled with LOTS of information...I will have to digest
it over time. I will enjoy the challenge."
"I felt that the knowledge I gained will help me in the
future as I move forward to my goal. I used this class as a cross
reference of already aquired information, and I learned a lot more.
Thank you."
"I finally have a three-dimensional package and not just a "thought.""
"I found this course extremely valuable and helpful. My goal
was to at least start on a first draft of a business plan, and I've
done this and will continue working on my plan until the first draft is
complete. Also, I really enjoyed your teaching style. You were so
encouraging, and it was great how you answered everyone's posts so
promptly. As well, the lessons were all written so they were
interesting ... even those financial lessons which can often be so dry.
I kind of wish the course wasn't ending, but it's time to spread our
wings and make our go of it without you. However, we do have all the
helpful lessons and reference materials you provided to us which will
be useful in our endeavors."
"I found this course very helpful and beneficial. It cleared
up a lot of cloudy areas for me and is making writing my business plan
a lot smoother."
"If you're thinking about taking this course, but can't
decide - DO IT! Carol makes this rather frightening & complicated
process fun & entertaining!"
"I have a small business and thought I would take this class
to start up something new. I now have the knowledge that I would need
to tackle that feat. During the lesson on customers, I spider webbed an
idea to make my business more customer centric. I simply offered
another low overhead service to my largest client. The spider web
exercise led to three large markets opening up for me. I am now
projecting to gross last year's income times 4. What an investment!
Thanks again for the great ideas."
"I have just taken a step toward my dream."
"I have learned more than I thought I would in this course!
It was an extreme pleasure having Carol as an instructor. She made
everything easy to follow and made me really search as to what my
business was going to be all about. I highly recommend this course to
anyone interested in pursuing their dreams."
"I have learned what I don't know. I have an action plan and
will continue to pursue this passion. Thank you for your lively
support, insights and the knowledge that you have passed on. I would
look forward to a class in marketing and promotion. You have a lot to
offer! You have helped me change my perspectives and goals. Thank you!"
"I have loved this study and your teaching methods! You are
a great instructor and very smooth in your presentation and gracious
with your knowledge. This course has offered many hints, many positive
ideas, many links for more information than I could imagine. It has
been a pleasure taking this journey with you and I look forward to the
success you have encouraged!!"
"I just love Carol's teaching style. She always kept me
interested and I felt that I was right there with her in each lesson.
Her "guests" were a wonderful addition to the class and the additional
material area was very helpful! I would LOVE to take another course of
hers!"
"I knew in order to make a success of a business you needed
a plan. This course gave me concise details regarding how to put a
business plan together. The instructor is very personable and very
knowledgeable. It was a great course."
"I learned a lot and now know why the previous business I
started went bankrupt in such a short time. We did not start with a
business plan and had no idea how much we didn't know."
"I learned an enormous amount about what a good business
plan means and that it can be a creative endeavor (despite the
accounting and financials!) and not a drab formulaic document. My
design business will succeed in part due to your teaching. Thank you!"
"I learned more useful information in this course than in the entire years worth of classes I took at another online college."
"I learned some much in the past 6 weeks, and all those
links with such good information will keep me researching for a long
time and discovering new things for a long time. I am not done with my
business plan, but I have printed out all the lessons and compiled a
small book, so that I can follow along as I continue to create my plan.
I don't want to rush something as important as this."
"I liked being pushed outside of the box. The activities and
assignments made me grasp 'the big picture.' Now I feel ready to tackle
the technical part of the business plan. Though it is only just begun,
I feel that it will come together quickly because of the activities."
"I'm a more confident person because of this class. The
digestible format makes a tough subject easy to understand. I had no
problems understanding the concepts required to create a successful
business plan. I highly recommend this instructor and this course."
"I'm finding that this course is the exact thing I needed. I
have a very precise vision of what I want to do, but up until now, it
was just a vision. I have gotton my ideas out on paper and organized my
thoughts in a meaningful way."
"I'm having such a good time that I'm even thinking up stuff for the store in my sleep!"
"I'm not only starting to learn how to create a successful
business plan, I'm also starting to apply the lessons to every aspect
of my life. I'm willing to create a successful life plan, too. I'm
thankful for your teachings."
"I really appreciate all the great ideas from everyone, many things I would not have thought of on my own."
"I really enjoyed the online discussions. Many times, when I
was feeling a little down, I felt like I was picked up by the
encouragement and shown a way to get through."
"I really enjoyed this class format. I loved the
discovery-based learning approach and learned so much more than I had
originally anticipated. This was my first online course, and it has
truly been a positive experience. My business plan is halfway
complete....and I am not worried about that. If I have learned one
thing from this course, it would have to be that it is OK to take a few
steps back now, reorganize my thoughts, and strategically plan for a
direction that best fits ME!"
"I really enjoyed this course. Many thanks to Carol and
class for input and posts. I have a "favorites" full of resources now
that would have taken me months to research. I'm very pleased with the
first draft of my Business Plan and with a little work...$$"
"I really enjoyed this opportunity! When can I do it again?"
"I so appreciated your guests and what they shared. Where we
do not know something, we ASK those who do. I have learned to say to
such professionals-"What is it I should be asking you that I have not
yet asked?" I so love this class!"
"I thoroughly enjoyed this course. I feel much better
prepared to write a business plan now, and I also have a better
understanding of where I want my business to go."
"I thought Carol Smalley was excellent. She provided the
right blend of valuable information, insight, and humor. She made the
class interesting and informative without being condescending to her
students. She also made me realize that by telling it like it is, I
have lots of work to do before launching my own small business. Thanks,
Carol. I will take this valuable information and build on it."
"I took this course as an educational tool. I'm dying to
open a business, had millions of ideas and yet to find the “one.” This
course enlightened me so much - I'm happy. I read each lesson with such
a drive...they gave me the courage to look into the details and all the
considerations before opening a business. Great lessons and great
course. I loved it."
"I took this course so that I could determine if it is
something I would recommend to others in my role of business librarian.
It is and I would."
"I truly enjoyed this course and learned quite a bit about
writing a business plan. Although my plan isn't finished, this course
have given me the necessary information I need to complete it. I will
definitely be sharing the information I received from this course with
some of my clients who need to create a business plan. I thank the
instructor for being so knowledgeable. I would definitely like to be
kept abreast of any other course offered."
"It's been a thrill taking this course. The delight in discovery has been the best part!"
"It's been very enlightening and you have encouraged me to go forth with my ideas."
"It was a very good class. No one should ever consider starting a business without a class of this nature."
"I've been duly impressed with the magnitude of the resources you've placed at our fingertips, Carol! Great job!"
"I want to say thank you. I feel like I am cutting a life
line here. I hope I can keep the momentum going. I pray success for
everyone and thank you for pouring into my life and my business."
"I want to thank you for your instruction and encouragement
throughout the class. The content and links have been a tremendous help
to me, and I know I will continue referring to the lesson material and
links while I continue working on my business plan. This is the first
time since starting my clothing line two years ago I feel confident in
my ability to create a business plan that truly represents my company
and its path. Also, having the class online was the only way I was able
to attend."
"I want to thank you for your patience and teaching of the
Business Plan. I did learn quite a bit and thought quite a lot about
what direction I really want to go in regarding my business. At first,
it seemed to be quite overwhelming, but because of the support and
teaching you gave me, I made it through. It was terrific being in
class."
"I want to thank you for your showing us and walking us
through (the plan) step by step (figuratively holding our hands), as
you coached us in the actual doing and actual construction of the plan
for ourselves. This practical and hands-on aspect is something that
books lack. Your live, hands-on help during the walk through, and work
of actually constructing our plans, was extremely helpful. Thank you
once again for a great course. Well presented, well organized, as well
as being very interesting and informative!"
"I was afraid of the business plan, but now I am confident
that I can create an excellent plan to follow and get all the necessary
assistance I may need. Thank you."
"I wasn't looking forward to updating my business plan
according to the materials I had on hand, so I'm so glad that I
enrolled in this course. I think this course is unique in its
presentation of the material and its approach to the subject matter. I
have really enjoyed the process of thinking about my business and
rewriting my plan."
"I would like to both thank and congratulate Carol and her
staff on a job well done. I have a busy schedule, but my aptitude/drive
for starting a small business drove me towards taking on online
business class. For the skills that I was attempting to acquire and
lessons that I wanted to learn, I do not think that I could have made a
better choice."
"Just want you to know that I enjoyed every minute with your class. Just wish it could be longer."
"Learning Shouldn't Be So Much FUN !!!! This was a very
informational and pleasant learning environment. I have opened my eyes
a lot wider now. When I first started this class, I didn't think there
was that much to putting togeather a business plan, I learned I was
wrong. I now know for sure that I'm ready to venture into this business
fully prepared to succeed in this adventure. I have no doubts that I'm
fully prepared to handle anything I might have overlooked. So THANK YOU
all for the delightful eye opening, brainstorming, and totally
enjoyable past few weeks."
"Ms. Smalley, you are one fabulous instructor! You are
definitely high on my list of professionals. I have truly enjoyed
taking this online course. I look forward to seeing your involvement
with other online courses that I may need in the future. Thanks for
speaking in laymen terms. It has been a wonderful experience."
"My business plan has been a struggle for me; however, I
knew the importance of creating my own. Since completing the class and
having the printed material to refer to, I know I will have a final
first draft that will be useful, inspiring, and a true picture of my
company. The class has provided incredible direction to great
informational websites that would have taken me endless hours to locate
on my own. I'd like to thank Carol for her excellent presentation and
material."
"My favorite tool has become the spider webs that we used in
our initial lessons. I've previously used lists and tables to record
action steps and plan strategies but the spiders are such a great
visual tool in the creative and strategic planning process. I've found
the spiders to be an excellent communication tool, and I've already
used them at meetings with two of my 'experts.'"
"My friend and I have had this dream to open a home
accessory/giftstore for many years. It's so easy to 'dream' of the
business but to actually sit down and put it on paper is entirely
different. Although the financial part is very important, I thoroughly
enjoyed the marketing segments of this class. I enjoyed the market
research and really thinking about whether or not this 'dream' is a
profitable business. Thanks, Carol, for your input and objective
suggestions."
"My idea has evolved substantially as a direct result of
taking this course. I'm very grateful to you. I've networked in places
I hadn't previously though of and have found two contributing operating
partners in the process."
"My instructor was awesome."
"Our Business Plan was praised by our lender, who helped
provide necessary funding. The Plan proved extremely helpful in
ensuring that we considered all the bases before we opened."
"Prior to starting this course, I had the passion and drive
to start my own business. Now I not only have the passion, but I have
the direction."
"Simply a wonderful course to excite any entrepreneur. The
instructor does an excellent job of pulling the best out of
everyone...."
"So far, the loan program applications I have looked into
each had their own form and description of what a business plan is. I
feel confident that with the work I am saving from this class I could
easily fill out the business plan form included with many loan
programs."
"Thanks for a class that is making me think in ways I hadn't
before. What great background and inspiration for writing my final
business plan!"
"Thanks for the insight on writing a business plan. Now I will follow my own path through life and not someone else's path."
"Thanks so much for all of the help that you have offered in
this course. You have made the learning very easy. You gave me so many
different resources and advice in the lessons. With the help that I
have received from your course we think that we will be ready to open
our tack and saddle shop (soon). We are very excited about this new
endeavor in our life."
"Thanks to this class I now have a new direction and a new
name for my company. I especially want to thank Carol for being prompt
with her replies and giving useful advice."
"Thank you Carol! This was a great class and you are a great
teacher. I was particularly impressed with how responsive and
enthusiastic you were. It's the first online class I've taken, and the
experience was better than a lot of campus classes! My business plan
needs a lot more work (still need to hone my mission statement), but
the class provided a great start."
"Thank you, Carol. You certainly have prepared me to journey well, not only in business but also in life."
"Thank you for all of your encouragement throughout this
class. I feel blessed that I was able to attend an on line class that
enabled me to expand my view of what I wanted in a business plan. I
will continue to work on my business plan so soon I will have that
business I have dreamed about for such a long time."
"Thank you for the great information and teaching you've
offered. I look forward to going back through all of it and working on
my business idea. I appreciate all of your personal comments. I have
learned so much and feel that this was time well spent."
"Thank you for this wonderful course! I feel so fortunate
that I found it. You've given us a lot of tools and a lot of
encouragement. It was about more than writing a business plan, I think
we're learning to see the world a little differently."
"Thank you for your creativity, insight, and humor! Carol,
you are jewel of information. Thank you for your expertise and
commitment to each of us. I've learned a lot. I am still working on the
writing of my business plan; you have certainly provided me a “road to
success.”"
"Thank you so much Carol. I have learned quite a bit in the
last six weeks. I have already "opened the doors" of my business and
things are going great. I have a lot of avenues yet to travel but I am
hoping that they all lead to the same boulevard. Thanks for your time
and your wisdom."
"Thank you so much for this great on-line class. The class
was very enlightening and informative. You really challenged our
entrepreneurial spirit. Thank you again for sharing your expertise and
experience. You provided us with a lot of tools and resources we needed
to get us well on the way to writing a unique business plan."
"Thank you very much for the wonderful journey."
"The class had so much information that this will be a
course that I will use for as long as I am in business. I know where to
go to get started and what to be careful of not doing. Thank you for
this course. There will be time to review this plan over and over.
Thanks!"
"The content of this course has provided an excellent
foundation from which to take the first step and to know what direction
to place my feet. Your teaching style and approach has made it a
pleasure to log on each time and your friendly, supportive and
immediate response to concerns, progress and questions has made this
long distance learning seem not so very distant. Thank you for the
valuable resources - class content, introductions to experts in the
field and supplementary materials. These well planned lessons will
continue to guide, inspire and motivate me as I continue the process of
drafting a business plan for my current employer and hopefully someday,
in the not too distant future, when I do it for myself and launch my
own dream business."
"The course brought up important professional and personal
isues. It has been an extraordinary experience and one that I never
would have anticipated. It has made a monumental difference in my life
and marriage - giving me confidence and energy to move forward in
pursuit of my vision."
"The course was much more than I expected. It taught me much
more than how to write a business plan. The course/instructor taught me
how to think like an entrepreneur and gave me great advice on how to
make my business successful. I was clueless about starting my own
business before I completed this course, now I am confident and
focused."
"The greatest part of this course is -- through the
assignments that we had to do -- I have found some mentors and
resources to help me get started."
"The guidance, humor and links you provide with your lessons
will be used again and again as I continue to explore my abilities and
options as an entrepreneur."
"The important thing that happened to me in this class is
that I was finally able to "sell myself" on my own business. I had been
waffling for a couple of years, but now feel I have the tools to make
it more than the good business it was."
"The information I received was exceptional! This includes
great teaching style, easy to read lessons which were applicable to
completing my first business plan draft with many resources and tools
to carry with our business. Thanks."
"The instructor is there for you step by step and she really helps you through the twists and turns of making a business plan."
"The instructor of this course, Carol Smalley, is
exceptional. Not only were the lessons engaging (even when the subject
matter was dry!) but she was always prompt in responding to my
questions and always offered helpful direction for me. She encouraged
me and my classmates to respond to each other, allowing us to learn
from each other and helping to overcome the distance we might have felt
by being in an online class. The best instructor is always the one that
encourages you to work hard and think carefully. She did this for me. I
would be more likely to take another business course if I knew she was
teaching it."
"The instructor was very attentive to the students and their
needs, extremely helpful, and motivational. She expressed a sincere
interest in our ideas and in facilitating our personal success. I
recommend this class to anyone who has ever considered venturing out on
their own. It will help you to discern your readiness and the overall
profitability of your idea. It may even stimulate your imagination in
areas you never considered."
"The instructor was VERY friendly and engaging. I have never
taken an online course before because I thought it would be impersonal.
But to my surprise, this was a wonderful experience."
"The instructor was very personable and obviously put a lot
of time and thought, as well as herself, into the creation, writing,
organization and presentation of the course lessons and material. I was
also surprised by the FAST response rate from the instructor to the
Discussion Board. The instructor’s depth and breadth of knowledge and
people and resources was very impressive. And the way she wove all the
info together into an integrated, seamless, synergistic whole was
fantastic. Clear, easy to understand, well written and logically
arranged."
"The journey is long but the business plan is definitely the
roadmap that lets you know that you are on the right road to the end.
Thank you for your laughter, warmth, and creativity to take a subject
and make it so much fun. I am really sorry that the six weeks is
ending."
"The links alone are worth the price of the course."
"There is only one word for the instructor, Carol, and that
is 'perfection.' I am so glad that I did this course. I have a wealth
of knowledge to guide me through my future venture. Carol is a great
mentor, very helpful, prompt with guidance, just perfect in what she
does. Thank you, Carol."
"The scariest part about starting my own business was giving
my two-week notice, but with all of the preparation that is shown
through our plan, I think it's now going to be the most exciting part."
"The way that this instructor breaks down the business plan
is great! The SBA can not compete! I have looked at both of them and
this class is so much better, it is more in depth and it makes you
think outside the box."
"This class gave me many areas to consider and unlimited options."
"This class has been a wonderful experience that I will take with me for the rest of my life."
"This class has been very helpful to me. It showed me things
I need to do and where I can get help. It also showed me things that I
had not thought about. I really liked it very much."
"This class has helped me tremendously in getting my
business started. It has provided a host of references for me to use in
setting up and going ahead with my business. It has also shown me that
there is a lot more to consider in the business realm than I had
realized. I feel that taking this business class will ensure my future
success in business."
"This class has really given me the motivation to move
forward with my small business venture. The information was excellent,
and even though I didn't ask many questions, I always read all the
messages and learned a lot from everyone."
"This class is better than any book I have purchased in my quest for a business plan tutorial."
"This class opened up a new world for me. I strongly
recommend this instructor and class. Due to my new learning experience
I am taking an Entrepreneurial Growth Program. I have truly enjoyed the
online classes!!"
"This class was a great way to start off my enterprise. By
this time next year, I plan to be in the final stages of acquiring my
mobile veterinary van, and this class has served as my springboard into
that adventure. Thank you, Carol. Great class!"
"This class was everything I was hoping it would be and
MORE. I learned so much and particularly enjoyed the virtual visitors
to the classroom. This class definitely "over delivered" and will be a
lasting resource for my business."
"This course exceeded my hopes. It was well-planned,
entertaining and so informative. I hope that Carole Smalley will teach
other classes. I felt that it was a real gift."
"This course has helped me understand more about the process
of being in business. And the information links are absolutely
wonderful and helpful to have. Our instructor was a great teacher; I
felt that she was very professional and at the same time down to earth,
like most of us. Thank you."
"This course helped my partner and me to structure a
business plan by providing us with an outline, excellent resource
materials, and positive feedback on the discussion board that required
us to continue to think for ourselves. I highly recommend this class
and Carol."
"(This course) is packed with excellent information. I'd
like to thank you for providing the guidance and inspiration for
helping us make the most of the opportunity. I've got a way to go to
complete my business plan, but I'm sure this class has helped me avoid
many pitfalls."
"This course was extremely helpful to me. It prevented me
from moving in the wrong direction regarding an idea. The instructor
provided a link which supplied information on a new city ordinance that
would have made it difficult to pursue the idea I had."
"This course was very enjoyable. I will have a lot of work
to do, but it will be done. I have learned a lot and you have provided
a lot of good resources for me. Thank you!"
"This experience has been a real dose of reality with regard
to how much planning and thought really goes into successfully starting
a business. I can understand now why so many start up businesses
fail...they fail to plan! Before starting this course I thought I was
real close to being ready. I now know I still have much work to do, and
as a result will be better prepared to succeed. Thank you Carol, and
thanks for all the superb supplemental links. I learned a tremendous
amount in six weeks."
"This has been a fantastic course. Extremely well put
together, fantastic links and leads to resources, interesting round
table discussions/interviews, and the personal comments on the
discussion board from you, Carol, and from all the classmates... the
totality of it all was superb. I learned a lot and have a lot of notes
and resources to review for later. Thank you for your hard work and
dedication, Carol. This course was excellent. Far beyond what I had
imagined it would be like. I would definitely recommend this course to
others."
"This has been one of the most interesting and informative
courses that I have ever taken. I wish that I would have had this
course when I started my part-time business. If I had, no telling where
that business might be today, LOL. I will take the wealth of resources
and information that has been provided and use it throughout the rest
of my life. I have printed all of the lessons and bound them into a
book. That book is going right next to the most important book in my
life."
"This is a very useful course. I have been in business for
one year and struggled with putting a business plan together until now."
"This was a great course and as a business owner, I had an
opportunity to see how I could have approached my business differently
- do more research about the business and funding."
"This was a great experience and it got me past the barrier of "doing" the business plan."
"This was a great way to open ones eyes to the realities of
becoming an entrepreneur. No one should go into a new business without
going through something similar to what this course has to offer. Thank
you very much."
"This was an excellent course with wonderful resources.
Carol's knowledge and expertise was apparent throughout the course. The
addition of guests was beneficial in giving another perspective on the
lesson subject."
"To me, if you are not having fun at what you are doing, it
shows. Carol really knew her stuff and injected some humor into the
course. I loved it. I would recommend this to anyone looking to
strengthen their thinking abilities when developing themselves. I was
surprised at the different ways she made me think. I had a really good
time with this class."
"What a great class. I have not been in any classes for
thirty five years, since high school, and I really wondered if I could
grasp the information. You did an excellent job of presenting the
class. I am determined to start my own business and feel very confident
because of this class."
"What I valued most from the course were the supplemental links. They opened up a whole new avenue to learn from."
"With all those years in school (yes, college too) I have
never had a more useful, practical course before. And everything I do
from this point will be built on this foundation. It wasn't easy and
I'm not finished with the business plan, but I know what to do now and
where to look when I run into a snag."
"Wow! I cannot begin to tell you how much I learned from
this course. This was my first online course, and I didn’t know what to
expect. The depth and breadth of the content was farther reaching than
I imagined. And, there is more to a business plan than I expected!"
To purchase this course, click the Enroll Now button below:
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Turn
your business ideas into a solid plan for financing and long-term
success. Committing your idea to paper in the form of a business plan
not only increases your chances of obtaining financing, but also in
keeping your business strategically focused. With the support of your
instructor and a network of like-minded students, you'll work through
all of the major components of a business plan and emerge with your
first draft in hand. And most importantly, you will have completed the
first--and most difficult--step on the path to small business success.