Risky Business: Beginners' Guide to Planning a New Business

So here you are- you have a business idea you want to pursue. You want to be your own boss and you've got the gumption to follow through on it. Congratulations! That takes a lot of courage and dedication. But before you jump down the rabbit hole too far, it is important to realize that a majority of new business ventures fail within a few years, often due to poor planning. Now, we believe everyone can find success with the right planning, but the emphasis on that statement falls on the last two words: 'right planning'.

As Benjamin Franklin once said, "If you fail to plan, you're planning to fail."

When starting a business, it is important to write an efficient business plan. This allows you to take an objective look at your business from various angles to increase familiarity and awareness of every aspect of your strategy, which is integral for success. This course explains the most fundamental aspects of a business plan, including the executive summary, market analysis, and organizational structure sections. Plus, this course covers how to develop an efficient elevator speech (and explains why it's important); and teaches what SWOT and MOST analyses are, and how to use them to strengthen the efficacy of your business strategy. This allows you to analyze the strengths and weaknesses inherent within your company as well as within your business plan itself.

We offer this class in the hope that the information within it will help orient you in the right direction and inspire you to follow through on your entrepreneurial dream, whatever it may be. As the philosopher Lao Tzu once said, "The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step."

Perhaps clicking onto this page was that first step...