Who is it for?

The qualification is intended for anyone who wants to set up their own business.

Content

The qualification consists of six elements:

• Analyze entrepreneurial and market potential
• Build the business idea
• Plan the marketing approach
• Plan the operations
• Plan the budget
• Create the business plan and pitch

Entry Requirements

There are no entry requirements, although you should have a reasonable level of English and Mathematics.

What is included?

• The units are taught through our Teaching Zone by a mixture of recorded and live lectures coupled with essential reading texts and exercises. You will have a personal tutor who is a subject expert whom you can contact if you have any questions.
• As it is delivered through our Teaching Zone you also gain free access to our Manager’s tool kit and effective learning skills sections along with entry to the student lounge discussion forum.
• ABE initial registration and examination fees are included. Please note that if you do not complete the qualification within one year, you will need to renew your student membership with ABE at your own expense. Resist, appeals or other examination charges are not included.

Aims

Analyse entrepreneurial and market potential

• Analyse entrepreneurial and market potential
• Assess your own capability against the needs of the proposed business venture

Build the business idea

• Scoping and refining a business idea – what it might look like, feel like, act like and be like and researching the market to make sure the business idea is of interest to your customers

Plan the marketing approach

• Build the unique selling proposition, knowing who the customer and market is and how, creating the scope of the product and/or service, pricing it, promoting it, selling it, servicing it and building brand recognition.

Plan the operations

• Able to identify the need for the right legal set-up for the new business venture, while identifying the right people, operational processes and resources for the new business start-up Plan the budget
• Develop a funding and operational budget for the new business start-up, including a daily cash flow along with setting key business performance indicators to monitor performance

Create the business plan and pitch

• Developing a business plan that incorporates all of the above
• The ability to pitch and present effectively for business funding from a range of sources

How do I study and how long does it take?

There are six elements in total and each one should take 60 guided learning hours which is the total time you are likely to spend studying including all your time spent on listening to the lectures, reading the online information, reading the required texts, undertaking the exercises, discussions with other students and completing the assessment. The qualification is taught online, so you can start at any time as you are not restricted by term times. You will receive your log in and password for the Teaching Zone as soon as we have received payment. All you need is Internet access!

The time it takes in practice is up to you, and will vary depending on your commitment and how easy you find it to study. 360 hours is roughly:

Over twelve months – 1 hour per day or 7 hours per week or 30 hours per month
Over six months – 2 hours per day or 14 hours per week or 60 hours per month

How is it assessed?

The six elements are designed to build into a business plan that will give a good start to any new business venture. The plan is then submitted for external moderation by ABE.