Welcome to Leading Learners's Free Business Basics Course!
We are glad to have you here for this free, concise, informative, and skill-building certificate course!
While the E-learning team and Leading Learners will provide you with support during the our time together, you can always reach out at www.leadlearners.ca/contact to get in touch, if there are any issues! Have fun!
Answering some FAQs before we dive in!
Before we begin,
Let's review some helpful tips.

For many of you, this may be your first experience with an online business course, learning with supporting videos and comprehensive follow-up. Online courses provide a different way to study and place different skills for students. You will find that, as an online learner, self motivation and discipline are paramount. Although this is a certificate course, with an approximate 1-hour for completion, it is expected you stay active on your electronic device to save your progress. As there are multiple guiding video clips throughout this course, please ensure your device is updated with the newest version of Abode Flash (or a preferred equivalent). The best medium to test this, is by successfully playing a video by YouTube or Vimeo.
Ready? Great!
Here are topics to be covered:
- Key starting points when planning a business (Start Up Research)
- Insight and Statistics on successful entrepreneurs
- Marketing in business
- Presenting the concept
And throughout the course, you will receive follow-up tips and words of advice from leading Canadian business owners!
- Key starting points when planning a business (Start Up Research)
- Insight and Statistics on successful entrepreneurs
- Marketing in business
- Presenting the concept
Including Guiding Features From Leaders at...
Who is taking this course, and why?
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INTRODUCTION
Did you know?
Business failure statistics show that approximately 96% of small businesses (1–99 employees) entering the market survive for a full year, 85% survive for three years and 70% survive for five years (Key Small Business Statistics). Each year in Canada, about 7,000 companies go bankrupt. (Innovation, Science & Economic Development Canada statistics).
Now, the statistics above are not meant to worry you, but give a change in perspective you might have had coming in. Again, those statistics were only for Canada alone 😮, so know that there are businesses around the world either trying to start up, fulfill demand, or deal with some bumps along the way.
SECTION 1
Start up Research
New research from the Collective Learning group and Harvard describes how different types of knowledge contribute to the growth of new industries. In this video, MIT Media Lab touches upon the importance of the people.
Questions while Watching
Speaking of people, here is Rukshana Hassalani.
Rukshana is a 3-time Founder based in Vancouver, Canada. She believes in gamifying soft skills for career-readiness! Rukshana currently works as the COO of SoftServe, which is a game-based learning platform that teaches and tracks soft skill development; examples being empathy and personal development.
Click the button below for her pieces of advice, to you students!
What I've learnt:
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As Rukshana had mentioned, don't worry too much about your initial product you've trying to sell or company you are working with. Get informed by those with more market or industry experience when getting started. It truly helps!
One large takeaway from Rukshana's advising words were to 'not be afraid to get your product in front of your user.'
This is important because, despite how much research you are doing into your industry and market, if you are not taking action, you will not see input or success in return.
*Never underestimate market research. Many successful new companies experience durability because their owners perform frequent market research in order to recognize their target market, identify customer or user concerns and identify competitors.
For entrepreneurs, increasing your opportunities for business is the easiest way to keep up with industry trends and retain a competitive advantage. Always offer opportunities for involvement!
Market research may be conducted at various points of a company life cycle, from pre-launch to beyond. From the very beginning, having a clear understanding of your marketplace will allow you to develop a sound business plan to build and expand your brand into one that is better than the competition.
Remember:
- Identify your audience and potential users/customers
- Get insight on market and industry by researching online or through mentors
- Keep in mind the saying of "building a bridge" —you want to be able to identify a need, and target audience in need of this concept or idea of yours. We know, in our day and age, this concept can be practically anything!
SECTION 2
Business Insight & Statistics
Let's get into the nitty gritty. If you know anything about business, you know it can be quite difficult to manage a team, fulfill demands, and ensure smooth operation prior to the actual success of a business. We would like to highlight Melanie Perkins, the CEO of Canva, as BlackBird Ventures speaks to Melanie about her overcoming challenges to reach success!
Questions To Respond While Watching (in order)
Learn to work with what you have. Not everyone starts at the top, you slowly build up!
Take Action For Input
Pictured: Susan Wojcicki outside the garage where Google was founded. | Source: Incomediary
The largest takeaway from Melanie Perkins's talk with BlackBird Ventures is that, in order to get moving, you need to take the first leap. There is no action without input, and wherever you start does not define you. It is only a building block! Ironically enough, some of the largest corporations you may know, started in a basement or garage! Including, but not limited to,
Amazon, Disney, Microsoft, Apple, and Google!
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Take a look at these Starting Statistics...
Febreeze
Procter & Gamble
P&G almost did not offer a second chance to their latest Febreeze product in the mid-1990s, when sales took a drastic nosedive after a limited wave of sales.
Febreeze Air Freshener Spray/ Procter & Gamble
Jeff Bezos
CEO of Amazon
When starting off, Book sellers required retailers to order 10 books at a time, and Amazon still didn't have that much inventory (or that much money).
Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos. Chip Somodevilla/Getty
Mark Zuckerberg
Back in the early days of FB, when still in college, faced a lot of scrutiny for having the blame of a rival product to Harvard Connections, for students.
Mark Zuckerberg Headshot/Califnornia Museum
"It's not optional. We believe in failing early and iterating until we get it right."— Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon
Life can often be extremely challenging. It can trap you in and beat you down, leaving you with a feeling of not having any doors open. Even though nobody ever said life was going to be straightforward and simple, many of us are still ill-prepared for how complicated things could get. As we go through constant mistakes and losses it can seem like a fairytale dream to get through the difficult times of life.
Getting good coping mechanisms at those times will make a big difference. Of course, in tough circumstances, exercising, reflecting on your spiritual life and having enough rest – and all the other many resources – can be fantastic supports. Although it can be difficult to manage, try your best to find
balance.
SECTION 3
Marketing in Business
When it comes to Marketing, everyone starts having little or no experience on getting their concept out there. And the truth it, it is not easy. It takes time to first learn the market, acknowledge the mediums of getting your service out there, and fulfilling demand (whether that be for posting schedules, areas served, among other factors). In this video, Jordan Cash, the Owner of Cartems Donuts,
highlights important starting words for students. Especially when you have no experience, overthinking can be damaging. Watch Jordan's action-focused words, and respond to the questions below.
Questions To Respond While Watching (in order)
Start with a little bit of uncertainty, and an open mindset.
As Jordan had mentioned, as an entrepreneur, 'you can never be 100% sure.'
Something you initially believed would be a success can go wrong with one minor inconvenience; which might even be out of your control. Take that first leap into the right direction.
When beginning to market your business, first plan the content you will be producing (with value), start at an easily accessible platform, such as Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter, and begin! Try your best not to overthink.
Content can be curated by taking photos on your mobile device, or simple research into design platforms with the option to be minimalist yet impact. Try Canva!
SECTION 4 (Final Section!)
Presenting your Concept
Presenting your concept can take forms in many ways. From starting to talk about the idea to your peers, advising directors, to then going onto curating a pitch deck and presenting it (most likely, more than 1-3 times).
Questions in helping to understand Yourself
Listen to pieces of advice from students and newly graduated business owners
On the left, we have Annie Lo. Annie is the Founder of Boss Lady Collective (www.shopbosslady.co) is a chic, stylish clothing brand that adds a modern twist to the traditional workplace apparel for women to wear both in and outside of the office environment.
To your right, you have Palak Agarwal, a high school senior who came up with JOT'M, a JA company sponsored by Scotiabank. She has sold over several copies of her journal 'Serenity' and donated her profits to the Canadian Mental Health Association.
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Congratulations!
You've made it to the end!
Something great is about to happen, and we are confident you will take the lead in your future endeavours.
Let us know who to send the completion certificate to!
Completed Business Basics Course
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