Entrepreneurship: Start-Up and Business Owner Management (Voucher Included)

Entrepreneurs need more than a strong idea to build a sustainable business. This course provides a practical foundation in entrepreneurship and small business management, covering the process from recognizing a viable opportunity through planning, launching, operating, and growing a venture. You will explore business structures, funding, ethics, human capital, intellectual property, operations, marketing, advertising, financial statements, and cash flow management while developing a business...

9 Months / 200 Course Hrs

Open Enrollment

Offered in partnership with your preferred school

Fairfax County Public Schools Adult and Community Education (FCPS ACE)

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Learning method

Instructor-led

$2,999USD

Self-paced. Study on your own schedule

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Details + Objectives

Course code: GES439

What you will learn

Assess entrepreneurial opportunities, including market demand, value propositions, risks, and benefits
Determine appropriate business structures, licenses, regulations, funding sources, and intellectual property considerations
Plan essential business operations, human-capital needs, ethical practices, and strategies for sustainable growth
Develop marketing and advertising approaches that support customer acquisition, retention, and venture visibility
Use financial statements, break-even analysis, and cash flow concepts to evaluate business performance and develop a business plan
Use generative AI to support customer research, business planning, and pitch development while evaluating and validating AI-generated information

How you will benefit

Leave the course with a structured business plan that can be updated as your venture, market, and financial assumptions evolve
Make more informed start-up and operating decisions by evaluating legal, financial, staffing, marketing, and operational considerations together
Improve your ability to communicate a business concept to potential partners, lenders, investors, employees, and other stakeholders
Build practical business-management skills that can support launching your own venture or contributing to an established small business
Prepare to sit for the Entrepreneurship and Small Business (ESB) Certification Exam and demonstrate foundational entrepreneurial knowledge

How the course is taught

Self-paced, online course
9 Months to complete
Open enrollment, begin anytime
200 course hours

Outline

Entrepreneurship: Start-Up and Business Owner Management

Lesson 1: The Entrepreneur and the Idea

Entrepreneurial characteristics and mindset
Benefits, risks, opportunities, and drawbacks of entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurial decision-making and venture goals

Lesson 2: Understanding the Market

Idea generation and opportunity assessment
Market demand and customer needs
Value proposition and opportunity viability

Lesson 3: Testing Your Business Assumptions

Identifying assumptions behind the idea
Understanding how business creates value
Distinguishing assumptions from evidence
Recognizing risks

Lesson 4: Learning from Potential Customers

Customer discovery
Writing effective interview questions
Conducting customer interviews
Learning instead of selling
AI Highlight: Refining customer interviews with AI

Lesson 5: Making Sense of Customer Feedback

Identifying patterns in customer responses
The difference between feedback and evidence
Revising assumptions based on insights
Identifying emerging risks and concerns

Lesson 6: Exploring Business Idea Viability

Evaluating business idea viability
Supporting vs. contradictory evidence
Making a Go, Pivot, or Stop decision
Midterm Exam

Lesson 7: Understanding What the Business Requires

Operational needs and responses
Defining outsourcing and support services
Comparing funding options
Recognizing operational constraints

Lesson 8: Explaining Your Business and Its Value

Defining target customer
Explaining the customer problem
Communicating the value proposition
Getting and keeping customers

Lesson 9: Choosing Your Business Structure and Understanding Costs

Comparing legal structures, intellectual property, and regulations
Understanding fixed and variable costs
Estimating startup and operating costs
Understanding pricing decisions
Recognizing financial risks and constraints

Lesson 10: Projecting Revenue Costs and Potential Risks

Understanding financial projections
Building your revenue and cost estimates
Building and reading the pro forma

Lesson 11: Building the Business Plan

Organizing the business plan structure
Common pitfalls in a finished plan
Reviewing your business plan
Evaluating the overall business plan
AI Highlight: Improving business plan writing with AI support

Lesson 12: Presenting the Business Idea Clearly

Understanding the pitch
Building the pitch deck
Turning your plan into a pitch
The problem and the solution
Presenting risks and key decisions
AI Highlight: Recognizing where AI can and cannot support pitch development
Final Exam

Lesson 13: Preparing for a Certification Exam

Understanding the exam
Picking your study tools
Improving your memory
Creating your plan
AI Highlight: Leveraging AI chatbots as a study resource

Project: Business Plan

Develop and refine a business plan, then submit the completed plan as a PDF for evaluation.
Apply concepts from opportunity assessment, operations, marketing, funding, and financial planning.

Instructors & Support

David Harkins

David Harkins is a business leader with a background in executive coaching and consulting. His work focuses on entrepreneurial thinking, leadership development, and operational innovation to help businesses and organizations deepen social impact and strengthen performance. His past roles include Vice President of Strategic Services at the Jackson Group, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for software engineering firm Geneer and Vice President of Marketing and Product Development for Nykamp Consulting Group. He earned a Master of Entrepreneurship from Western Carolina University and a BBA in entrepreneurial and small business management from American Public University.

Requirements

Prerequisites:

You should have basic keyboarding and computer skills and be comfortable navigating the Internet. You must also have an understanding of a word-processing computer program (Microsoft Word is recommended) and have email capabilities. This course is intended for anyone interested in developing their business management skills, whether you want to start your own business or gain a better understanding of how to operate an established business.

Certification Requirements: Candidates should be 18 years of age or older and have at least 150 hours of instruction or hands-on experience in entrepreneurship and small business topics before taking the Entrepreneurship and Small Business (ESB) v.2 Certification Exam. This 200-hour course meets the recommended instructional requirement and includes an exam voucher and one retake. There are no state-specific licensing requirements associated with this course.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook device.

Software Requirements:

PC: Windows 10 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox is preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Microsoft Word Online.
Microsoft Excel Online
Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online. The following digital textbook for the Entrepreneurship course is accessed via links in the course lessons:

Entrepreneurship: Theory, Process, Practice, 12th Edition (eBook)

FAQ

Entrepreneurship is the process of identifying a business opportunity and turning it into a product, service, or company that creates value for customers. It involves planning, launching, managing, and growing a business while taking responsibility for its financial risks and results. Entrepreneurs turn ideas into businesses. They identify opportunities, develop products or services, attract customers, manage finances and operations, and make the strategic decisions needed to launch, operate, and grow a successful business.

According to Indeed, the average base salary of an entrepreneur is $77,591, but top earners can exceed $171,000 depending on their experience, industry, location, and other key factors. Entrepreneur and small-business owner income varies widely based on the type of business, experience, location, and business performance. ZipRecruiter reports average U.S. business-owner earnings of approximately $128,000 annually, with significant potential variation.

Yes. This business owner course prepares you to sit for the Entrepreneurship and Small Business (ESB) Certification Exam.

This course is self-paced and open enrollment, so you can start when you want and finish at your own pace. When you register, you'll receive nine (9) months to complete the course.

This course is open enrollment, so you can register and start the course as soon as you are ready. Access to your course can take 24-48 business hours.

The time allotted for course completion has been calculated based on the number of course hours. However, if you are unable to complete the course, contact the student advising team to see what options you may have available to work out a suitable completion date. Please note that an extension fee may be charged.

Our courses are designed to accommodate various learning preferences. Depending on the course structure, you may get different forms of support. Self-paced courses are designed to be user-friendly and independent, minimizing the need for external support. In courses with instructors, our direct platform support feature includes opportunities for questions, discussions, and remediation, with email and phone support available for select courses. Our student advising team is available to guide you on program requirements and administrative requests, but they do not provide assistance with course content. Our goal is to provide you with the necessary support for success, whether it's through self-paced exploration, direct communication, or guidance from our advising team.

Upon successful completion of the course, you will be awarded a Certificate of Completion.

This course will provide you with the skills you need to obtain an entry-level position in most cases. Potential students should always do research on the job market in their area before registering.

This course is non-credit, so it does not qualify for federal aid, FAFSA and Pell Grant. In some states, vocational rehab or workforce development boards will pay for qualified students to take our courses. Additionally, some students may qualify for financial assistance when they enroll, if they meet certain requirements. Financing is available from select schools. Learn more about financial assistance.

If you have questions that are not answered on our website, representatives are available via LIVE chat. You can also call us at 1-877-221-5151 during regular business hours to have your questions promptly answered. If you are visiting us during non-business hours, please send us a question using the "Contact Us" form.

Entrepreneurship: Start-Up and Business Owner Management (Voucher Included)

Fairfax County Public Schools Adult and Community Education (FCPS ACE)