Courses > Start Your Own Business

Click any title below to view a complete course description including a syllabus, instructor biography, prerequisites, and requirements.

Creating a Successful Business Plan
Instructor: Carol Parenzan Smalley

Success in business begins with a plan. By committing your idea to paper, you face tough questions and identify strengths and weaknesses. Business plans are not just for financing purposes; they are working documents to guide your business. For new and established small business owners, the course will start you down the path of small business success.

Learn to Buy and Sell on eBay
Instructor: Kara Gordon and Shirley Muse

Online auctions match buyers with sellers in a global marketplace for almost any item. If you've ever dreamed of working from home or just earning extra income by buying and selling goods online, our experienced instructors will guide you every step of the way. You'll learn how to create titles that get noticed, how to craft advertising copy that sells items quickly and for top dollar, and how to create and upload photos of the items you are selling. You'll also learn how to safely conduct financial transactions, how to accept credit card payments, and how to pack and ship any item hassle-free. If you're a buyer, you'll learn how to value almost any item up for auction, how to get the best possible price, how to protect yourself against fraud, and how to compete effectively against other bidders.

Marketing Your Business on the Internet
Instructor: Lisa Heath

Find out how you can affordably market your business on the Internet from an e-commerce expert. In this practical, hands-on course, you'll learn little-understood secrets about the types of businesses that thrive on the Web. Then, you'll discover proven methods that will help you establish an Internet presence and build an online brand identity. You'll even learn several low-cost promotion strategies that you can use to drive visitors to your site.

Start and Operate your own Home-Based Business
Instructor: Helene Liatsos

Home-based businesses are the hottest business trend of the decade! Learn how to be your own boss and eliminate the stress of having a job. The benefits of working from home are endless! Earn what you deserve, be independent, have tax deductions, do away with traffic, office politics and more! Learn how to develop the entrepreneurial qualities - motivation, discipline, creativity - that you will need to succeed! This class is a great way to start your own business or enhance the one you already have.

Publish It Yourself: How to Start and Operate Your Own Publishing Business
Instructor: Steve Payseur

Convert manuscripts into extra income by starting your own publishing company. Avoid common pitfalls that can slow the growth of your publishing enterprise. Learn how to format your works in a way that will save you hundreds of dollars. Find out everything you need to know to profit from your own publishing company: how to plan and design a cover, select paper, register your works, choose a printer, price your products, acquire barcodes, market your books, establish distribution channels, fulfill orders, and more.

Secrets of the Caterer
Instructor: Dawn Simmons

Do you love to cook and plan parties? Then start your own catering business and make money doing what you love! In this course, you learn foundational skills about catering and the basics of the catering business, including many delicious catering recipes!

Growing Plants for Fun and Profit
Instructor: Mike Harlan

This course is your practical guide to licensing, site preparation, equipment, how and where to find supplies, how to select and produce plants appropriate to your climate zone, how to produce quality material and, most importantly, how to market your product.

Wow, What a Great Event!
Instructor: Cynthia Grzelak

Learn how to create and coordinate successful special events. Develop skills, find resources and gain confidence to plan and produce any size or type of event. Find out what the experts and master planners already know so that you can avoid embarrassing and costly planning errors or production mistakes. After just a few weeks, you will become a knowledgeable event planner poised to produce any type of event.

Start Your Own Consulting Practice
Instructor: William Flood

Do you have training or knowledge that could be useful to others? Have you ever considered becoming a consultant? This course is designed to help those who wish to set up a consulting practice get started. Topics will include skills assessments, pricing policies, contracting, marketing, and more.

Introduction to Braille Transcription
Instructor: Dixie Mahaffie

Prepare for a rewarding career as a Braille transcriber by learning to write and read the tactual language of the blind.

Start Your Own eBay Drop Off Store
Instructor: Steve Payseur

Turn other people’s unwanted items into a lucrative source of income by starting an eBay drop off store. Master the art of setting up a business, writing a marketing plan, taking super photos, creating dynamite listings, and offering great customer service. Thousands of people have transformed their eBay knowledge into profitable second income sources or even full-time jobs. Take your skills to the next level and avoid the common pitfalls that keep amateur sellers from reaching their full potential.

Start Your Own Small Business
Instructor: Kris Solie-Johnson

Learn how to take your dream of starting a business and put it into action. In this class, you'll learn everything you need to know about starting a business including start-up options, proven marketing techniques, unique financing options, and easy employee-management tips. You'll discover the secrets that separate the successful entrepreneurs from the struggling ones.

Business Law for the Small Business Owner
Instructor: Michael Connelly

Learn how to successfully protect your small business and solve most of the legal problems that may arise. You'll discover how to avoid the costly mistakes that many small business owners make in areas such as contracts, employee relations, customer relations, and choosing the right business model. You'll also find out how to deal with government licensing requirements and regulations, as well as problems with tax collectors. And you'll come away knowing how to handle many minor legal disputes on your own and understanding the special considerations of home-based and Internet-based businesses.

Start Your Own Arts and Crafts Business
Instructor: Teri King

If you have an art or a craft and you dream about starting your own home-based or small business, this is the course for you! Learn how to start your own arts and crafts business from a professional artist. Discover how to create a niche in your chosen craft, price your work effectively, find the best craft shows, and market your product to a worldwide Internet customer base.