"If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it." - William Arthur Ward

AEEI offers an established 3-step Entrepreneurial Certificate Training Program created by the Knowledge Institute to facilitate African small and medium enterprise development, growth and sustainability.

The requirements for success are an ability to read English, a genuine commitment to completing each of the course exercises, and a willingness to spend the time and energy in applying the course lessons to a specific entrepreneurial vision. The following information provides an overview of each of the certificate training program components.

101 ABE: Aspiring Business Entrepreneur

101 ABE assists individuals at the business concept and startup phase of entrepreneurial development. As the first step in the 3-step Entrepreneurial Certificate Training Program, students will participate in an interactive curriculum that will teach them the following:

• How to assess their capacity and competency as an entrepreneur
• How to develop and test the business concept
• How to develop the critical components of a business plan strategy

Upon completion of this portion of the program, students will have a thorough grasp of their venture concept, what will be required of them as the business owner, and what will be involved in launching the venture.

102 BBE: Beginners Business Entrepreneur

102 BBE assists individuals with the process of developing the actual business plan and financial proposal. As the second step in the Entrepreneurial Certificate Training Program, students will create their own business plan and formulate financial projections over a minimum three years. Through step-by-step instruction, worksheets and interactive exercises, students will address the following business plan format:

Business Plan Format

COVER SHEET - Name of business, names of principals, address and phone number of business.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. THE BUSINESS

1. Description of the Business
2. Market
3. Competition
4. Operations
5. Location(s)
6. Management
7. Personnel
8. Application & Expected Effect of Loan/Investment
9. Development Schedule
10. Summary

II. FINANCIAL DATA

1. Sources and Applications of Funding
2. Capital Equipment List
3. Balance Sheet
4. Break-even Analysis
5. Income Projections (Profit and Loss Statements)
   1. Three-year Summary
   2. Detail by Month (First Year)
   3. Detail by Quarter (Second and Third Years)
   4. Notes of Explanation
6. Pro-Forma Cash Flow
   1. Three-year Summary
   2. Detail by Month (First Year)
   3. Detail by Quarter (Second and Third Years)
   4. Notes of Explanation
7. Historical Financial Reports for Existing Business
   1. Balance Sheets for Past Three Years
   2. Income Statements for Past Three Years
   3. Tax Returns

III. SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

Personal resumes, job descriptions, personal financial statements, credit reports, letters of reference, letters of intent, copies of leases, contracts, legal documents, and anything else relevant to the plan.

Upon completion of this portion of the program, students will be prepared to launch their ventures including pursuing different sources of financial support as may be needed.

103 CBE: Certified Business Entrepreneur

103 CBE assists students with the launch of the new venture and facilitates the development and implementation of core business management systems. As the final step in the Entrepreneurial Certificate Training Program, students will focus on three distinct phases of business operation including startup, growth and sustainability through to succession planning, as well as become a certified business entrepreneur having successfully developed knowledge and skills of the following business management disciplinary competencies:

Business Management Systems

Business Life Cycles

Panic - Everything is chaotic. Uncertainty surrounds every issue. Decisions are made 'on the fly' in the hopes that they will be OK. Surprises abound and represent the norm. This is often referred to as the "Entrepreneurial" stage, with Entrepreneurs being those individuals who seem to have a high tolerance for ambiguity and a good ability to make decisions in very uncertain environments.

• Everything needs to be done at once.
• There are no guidelines, signposts or roadmaps.
• You are the gunfighter - standing in the middle of the street.

People - The throes of Startup are past, the demands of the business are starting to exceed the capacity of the founder, and it is now time to add staff. The operative questions here are:

• Who
• Why
• What Will They Do?

Process - The business continues to grow, along with staff and a whole host of related challenges. It is time to put business systems into place with a related administrative management infrastructure. It is time to use more sophisticated tools and techniques, such as MBE (Management by Exception) rules, ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and CRM (Customer Relations Management). The goal is to build a management system that has the capacity to support continued growth and profitability - the business settles down and all systems and activities are in place to support long term success.

• The founder is no longer essential to the operation.
• The business is able to take on a life of its own.

As a result of participating in this portion of the program, students will develop core operational systems, decision making skills, profitability parameters and strategic management objectives, as well as receive formal certification as learned entrepreneurs.

For more information about course scheduling and pricing, contact AEEI.