Start Your Own Business Course

Are you starting your own business? Thinking about it but not sure how to progress? This course takes you through all of the paperwork and key tasks of starting a business. Think of this as a business in a box it tells you everything you need to know as well as developing your skills.

Distance Learning Support

At Start Learning we pride ourselves on our friendly and supportive tutors. Your tutor support will start as soon as you receive your course and will be valid for 12 months. All our tutors are highly qualified with extensive experience in supporting distance learning students. You contact your tutor via email and they are responsible for marking assignments answering your questions and guiding you through the course.

Home Study Entry Requirements 

At Start Learning we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to expand their knowledge and study further, so we try to keep our entry requirements to a minimum.      

Recommended Hours of Study

We recommended you spend approximately 110 hours of your time studying for the Starting Your Own Business course. The pace of study is completely up to you. To give an example, if you dedicate 2 hours a week to the course it would take you a year to complete but if you could spare 4 hours a week you could complete it in six months. 

Course Contents

Unit One - Starting your own business: The benefits and problems of starting a business - Practical aspects of setting up in business - The qualities you will need to succeed

Unit Two - Ways of starting a business: The legal aspects of setting up a business - The different possible ways of buying an existing business - Franchise and multi-level marketing operations - The difference between multi-level marketing and pyramid selling - How best to protect and exploit an original invention

Unit Three - Recruiting Staff: When you need to take on staff - The problems and advantages of working with people you know - Understanding the recruitment process - Write a Job Description and Person Specification - Select employees successfully by interview - What to put in a contract

Unit Four - Dealing with staff: Determine appropriate pay rates and methods for staff - Look at providing benefits - The importance of obeying the law on employment - The issues of discrimination and trade unions

Unit Five - Fraud and theft: Spot whether your business is vulnerable to fraud - Prevent employees having the opportunity to commit fraud - Set up financial controls - Prevent theft of stock and equipment - Protect intellectually property - Promote your business

Unit Six - Marketing: What is meant by marketing - Analyse your market - Understand market research procedures - Develop, price and package your product - Work out a marketing plan

Unit Seven - Advertising: Know what advertising is? - Recognise different types of advertising - Know the rules governing advertising

Unit Eight - The Business Plan: Understand the function of business planning – List several reasons for developing a business plan - Identify sources to get help in developing a business plan - Identify the type of information to include in a business plan - Prepare an outline of a business plan

Qualification

At the end of this course successful learners will receive Level 3 Award in Starting your own Business from NCFE

Awarding Body Information

NCFE is recognised as an awarding body by the qualification regulators ('regulators') for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The regulators are the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (Ofqual) in England, the Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS) in Wales and the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) in Northern Ireland

Assessment

This course is marked through a process of continuous assessment guided by your tutor following NCFE guidelines. This means that your qualification will be awarded according to your performance on assessments rather than by taking an exam.

Language of Course

English