What are start your own business courses?
Start-up businesses have offered something of a lifeline to the Irish economy in recent years and the best way to learn is to enrol in a start your own business course. As unemployment figures grew, so too did the pool of talented and industrious individuals who suddenly found themselves out of work. The solution for many whether recent graduates, experienced professionals or trades people was to adapt their skills, knowledge and ingenuity to their enforced circumstances and find new ways of creating and delivering their own business ,novel new products and services.
Of course it is only natural that anyone starting their own business will make mistakes as they go along, but that is part of the learning curve. What a part-time course in Starting Your Own Business will do is to teach you how to avoid such mistakes, reduce risks, progress your ideas and maximise rewards.
What do start your own business courses involve?
They say that in business, learning comes before earning. This is surely true as no business can successfully compete on the marketplace without operating off sound business principles.
It’s one thing to have an interesting and original business idea, but implementing a strategy that will turn that idea into a reality is another matter. All start-up businesses and entrepreneurs must consider a number of key questions before they can set the wheels going on their venture: Is it better to operate as a sole trader, partnership or limited company What kind of start-up capital is required Is there support and funding available Is there a market for the product or service on offer How will you network and promote your business What kind of bookkeeping needs to be done
With so many aspects demanding consideration, the prospect of setting up a business can be quite intimidating; but it needn’t be. Most part-time courses for entrepreneurs and start your own business courses will systematically guide you through the major issues involved in planning, starting and running your business. And to make sure that you firmly understand the areas under discussion, many start your own business courses will provide real-life experience in investigating and evaluating a business idea.
Of course as cash flow is central to developing any business venture, prudent financial planning is essential. While most business courses will outline the next steps to take when trying to secure investment capital, a programme such as Self-Employed Accounts and Taxation is specifically designed to help students understand how to manage business finances (i. e. record-keeping and making returns). Not only is this necessary for the long-term survival and growth of a business, it is also important because a business with its accounts in order will be looked upon more favourably when making an approach to a bank for financial assistance. In addition, such courses will examine important areas such as tax allowances in some detail.
For prospective entrepreneurs who may not be available to attend classes in person, distance learning is another route to explore, with courses covering everything from developing a business plan and budgeting to customer acquisition and insurance.
Why enrol in a start your own business course?
Some suggest that the best time to start a business is during a recession: office rents and supplies are cheaper, there are larger resources of qualified personal to choose from, and advertising rates are lower. Even still, setting up a new business can be a risky undertaking unless you have the right preparation, strategy and implementation.
No matter how ingenious your ideas and how innovative your product, there will always be obstacles to overcome. However, if you believe in the potential of your product or service, then devoting time to learning how to run and grow a new business might well prove to be the best move you ever made. A starting your own business course will help you negotiate your way through the maze of options you will encounter on your journey towards entrepreneurial success.
What comes next
Where you choose to go next with your business idea is what makes such ventures exciting. Most courses will have shown you the potential ways of sourcing funding, further advice and support. Your first move should be to drop down to your local city or county enterprise board to discuss your options. As the government is now actively encouraging quality entrepreneurship as a means of investing in the future, there are plenty of agencies that will offer guidance. It is also possible to apply for start-up capital from government bodies such as Enterprise Ireland. Indeed, if your business idea is deemed to be a High Potential Start-Up (for businesses that are likely to employ 10 people and make export sales of 1 million or more within 3 or 4 years), you may even qualify for a much higher level of government investment.
At a glance
A general start your own business course will run for between 10 and 12 weeks and will cost between 100 and 250.
A diploma in Self-Employed Accounts and Taxation takes between 6 and 9 months to complete, with fees of around 600.
Online start your own business courses can be completed in around 100 hours. Fees are generally in the region of 325.
