Business Planning
About the Level 2 Business Planning Certificate
A business plan is a formal provision of measurable business goals with the clear tactics to achieve them. Business plans are needed to request financing for a business idea, or to justify major business changes to a board of investors. They are typically worked out on a time frame of 3 to 5 years. This distance learning course will provide you with an insight into analysis, strategy and planning, with a very practical application of tools and techniques that would allow you to put together a compelling business plan.
This online course does not need any prior qualifications. It can be completed by anyone, taking as little or as long as they need. Although there is an indicative 100 hours of home study, referenced for your convenience, we understand each student is different. There will never be any pressure from Stonebridge Associated Colleges to finish your course work if you’re not feeling prepared enough.
Who should study this course?
Business plans are decision-making tools that anyone in the business world could benefit from. Entrepreneurs typically need to create one to request investment, or a bank loan. A non-profit organisation may need it to justify their organisation mission. Even government agencies need business plans for external stakeholders such as tax-payers or international lending bodies.
Anyone could need to write a business plan, regardless of their work experience or qualifications. As with all our courses you do not need any qualifications to embark on this course.
What happens after the course?
Upon completing this home learning course, you will have gained a new understanding in business structures, market research, marketing and finance. Ideally you would draw up your business plan at the same time as taking the course, but the decision is entirely up to you.
There is no career path following a business plan course. However, the skills it offers are at a strategic and planning level, favouring the operations side of a business. Knowing how to draft a business plan can be equally helpful to business advisors or grant consultants, as well as the people setting up a business. Some options you can choose after the business planning course:
- Business coach
- Entrepreneur
- Funding consultant
For more information about this course, give us a call on this number: 0121 392 8288
On completion of your course, you will receive two certificates:
Certificate 1 is issued by Stonebridge Associated Colleges: Business Planning Certificate
Business Planning Certificate issued by Stonebridge Associated Colleges, to view a sample of the college’s award, please click here.
Certificate 2 is issued by ABC Awards: Level 2 Business Planning Certificate of Achievement
At the end of this course successful learners will receive a Certificate of Achievement from ABC Awards and Certa Awards and a Learner Unit Summary (which lists the components the learner has completed as part of the course).
The course has been endorsed under the ABC Awards and Certa Awards Quality Licence Scheme. This means that Stonebridge Associated Colleges has undergone an external quality check to ensure that the organisation and the courses it offers, meet defined quality criteria. The completion of this course alone does not lead to a regulated qualification* but may be used as evidence of knowledge and skills gained. The Learner Unit Summary may be used as evidence towards Recognition of Prior Learning if you wish to progress your studies in this subject. To this end the learning outcomes of the course have been benchmarked at Level 2 against level descriptors published by Ofqual, to indicate the depth of study and level of demand/complexity involved in successful completion by the learner.
The course itself has been designed by Stonebridge Associated Colleges to meet specific learners’ and/or employers’ requirements which cannot be satisfied through current regulated qualifications. ABC Awards & Certa Awards endorsement involves robust and rigorous quality audits by external auditors to ensure quality is continually met. A review of courses is carried out as part of the endorsement process.
*Regulated qualification refers to those qualifications that are regulated by Ofqual / CCEA / Qualification Wales
To view a sample of the ABC Certificate of Achievement, please click here.
Requirements for Entry
There is no experience or previous qualifications required for enrolment on this course. It is available to all students, of all academic backgrounds.
Who are ABC Awards and Certa Awards
![ABC Awards and Certa Awards]()
ABC Awards and Certa Awards have long-established reputations for providing high quality vocational qualifications across a wide range of industries. ABC Awards and Certa Awards combine over 180 years of expertise combined with a responsive, flexible and innovative approach to the needs of our customers.
Renowned for excellent customer service, and quality standards, ABC Awards and Certa Awards also offer regulated qualifications for all ages and abilities post-14; all are developed with the support of relevant stakeholders to ensure that they meet the needs and standards of employers across the UK.
Professional Membership
On completion of this course you will be eligible to join the following Professional Associations(s):
Anyone who is studying for or has completed a course endorsed by an Ofqual approved awarding body is eligible to join Qualifications Register. The Qualifications Register (QR) is an independent register that aims to serve both members of the public and those professionals who hold recognised qualifications.
QR's primary aim is to provide transparency to members of the public and employers. The QR is a searchable database that allows them to find a practitioner and view the relevant qualification and endorsements the practitioner holds. The member of the public is then able to make an informed decision in relation to the suitability of the practitioner. QR also tracks whether practitioners have insurance, again something that is useful for members of the public. QR can also help professionals gain insurance or find professional indemnity cover. Click here to find out more.
Members of the public can check an independent source with complete confidence that the practitioner has the qualification(s) they claim to have and that any additional CPD the practitioner has, is verified and quality assured to make sure that the CPD is being done on a regular basis. QR tracks a practitioners endorsed CPD (in unison with our CPD accreditation partner Lifetime Awarding) and other key signals to help members of the public and employers to come to a more informed decision about the professional they intend to use. This is an enormously valuable signal that's increasingly important as business becomes more deregulated and privatised.
For practitioners QR helps you market your skills, endorsements and feedback transparently to a wider audience. It also gives you access to a community to help make you more able to progress and succeed in your field of expertise. Click here to find out more.
Module A: Planning to succeed
- Personal profiling & self-assessment
- Evaluating your business idea
- Writing a business plan
- Business structures
- Basic accounting requirements
Module B: Market Research
- Types of Research
- Survey methods
- Questionnaires
- Secondary research
- Market research analysis
Module C: Effective Marketing
- The marketing cycle
- Marketing plans
- The cost per sale formula
- Target customers
- Business generation
- The Marketing mix
- Product life cycles
Module D: Finance
- Financial planning & control
- A personal survival budget
- Start up budget
- The meaning of profit
- Direct an fixed costs
- Break even analysis
- Costing & pricing
- Sales forecasting and adjustments
- Cash flow forecasting
- Profit & loss forecasting
- Capital requirements
Assessment Method
After each lesson there will be a question paper, which needs to be completed and submitted to your personal tutor for marking. This method of continual assessment ensures that your personal tutor can consistently monitor your progress and provide you with assistance throughout the duration of the course.
What's Included
- All study materials
- Study Guide
- Full Tutor and Admin support
What's Included
- All study materials
- Study Guide
- Full Tutor and Admin support
