Right at the end of 2020 we released two online business planning courses through AgriLife Learn. I’m so excited to introduce these courses to current and future small business owners and community groups. It may be helpful to briefly explain the target audience and outcomes for each course. I’m including the course link (hyperlink from the course title) and the AgriLife Learn description in regular text and then making my own notes below in italics.
Business Planning Basics for Farm and Food Enterprises: Learn how to write a business plan for a farm or food business with real-world business plan examples included. This course will introduce you to business planning basics for farm and food enterprises in order to help you develop your business plan.
Naturally, the basics course comes first. If you are in the early stages of making your plan or if you have given your business some thought, start here. The course walks you though using the brochure-style early planning tool. I love the brochure because it is designed to throw on the dashboard of the car truck, or tractor and think and talk through it on your own time. The basics course will take you through the thought processes needed to start talking with others about your business idea. It will also provide you the basic material for a full business plan if you choose to write one (which I very much recommend if you plan to pursue your business. But if you decide your business idea may not work right now, you aren’t out much effort. You can print another copy of the brochure planning tool and think through a different business.
There is also an enterprise track within the course for community groups that are interested in taking on a new project. It includes a few unique elements regarding the collaboration of various public, quasi-public, and/or private partners. Either the business or the enterprise tracks within the basics course is also great for youth and youth groups.
Business Planning and Analysis for Farm and Food Enterprises: Take this course and learn how to create a business vision and plan that will help you achieve your goals! The goal of this course is to help you evaluate the feasibility of your business and improve your chances of success.
This course really dives into the details. If you have a strong grasp of where you plan to take your business, you may be ready to dive into the full planning process. Each element of a typical business plan is discussed in the course modules, not just the text but analysis of the numbers as well. We provide templates for the business plan itself as well as for market and financial analyses. Example documents, text, and videos describe the information using practical examples. You can just fill in the templates with your own information. The course itself only takes a few hours, but you’ll like spend several days crafting your plan. You’ll end the course with a plan you can really use to guide your business and to appeal to your banker or investors.
But first…you can send me you finished plan,! As part of the course activities, I”ll review your plan and provide some feedback on a 1:1 web call. Your business information remains confidential and will not be stored or shared with others.
Want a bit more information or a preview of Basics material from previous videos and materials from past in-person activities? Check out my Rural Business & Enterprise Planning page.