Curriculum
Academy › Courses › Modules › Lessons. Every lesson in an open course has an explanation, a worked example, an exercise on your own business, a knowledge check and a checkpoint.
7 modules · 15 lessons · about 15 hours
1Idea and conceptWhat the business sells, to whom, and why they would pay for it.
- Define the offer in one sentence56 min
Turn a general idea into a specific offer, and size the market from the bottom up.
- The alternatives, and a first price56 min
Map what customers do today and set a first price you can test against your cost.
- Define the offer in one sentence56 min
2Market validationEvidence the demand exists before money is committed to it.
- Talk to customers before you build1 h 48 min
Run conversations that produce evidence rather than encouragement.
- Refine the estimate with real evidence45 min
Replace the guessed share in your market estimate with what customers actually did.
- Talk to customers before you build1 h 48 min
3Startup budgetEvery cost to open, what it costs to run each month, and how the opening is funded.
- List every cost to open1 h 17 min
Build a startup budget line by line, from real quotes, with a contingency.
- Your monthly fixed costs55 min
Everything the business owes each month whether or not it sells anything.
- Fund the opening and the first months56 min
Work out how much money you need in total — not only to open, but to survive the start.
- List every cost to open1 h 17 min
4Pricing and unit economicsWhat each sale contributes once every per-sale cost is counted.
- Margin, markup and the price you setFree preview46 min
Understand the two percentages that describe a price, and stop confusing them.
- What each sale actually leaves you46 min
Subtract the per-sale costs people forget, and find the contribution that pays for everything else.
- Margin, markup and the price you setFree preview46 min
5Cash and break-evenHow much must be sold, and how long the money lasts.
- Break-even: the number on the wall46 min
Turn fixed costs and contribution into the sales you need each month and each day.
- Twelve months of cash1 h 3 min
See how cash moves month by month, and find the lowest point before it happens.
- Break-even: the number on the wall46 min
6Lebanon setupRegistration, tax position and the permits your activity triggers.
- Legal form and registration1 h 18 min
Understand the registration path, prepare the documents, and budget from real professional quotes.
- Your VAT position46 min
Where you stand against Lebanon’s VAT thresholds, and what registering would mean.
- Legal form and registration1 h 18 min
7Launch planThe sequence, the dates and who is responsible for each step.
- Sequence the launch1 h 1 min
Put the steps in order, overlap what can run in parallel, and test the date.
- The first ninety days56 min
Set weekly targets from break-even, and know how long you can last if sales are slow.
- Sequence the launch1 h 1 min
Open
Online Business
7 modules · 14 lessons · about 13 hours
1Offer and positioningWhat you sell, to whom, and why they buy it from you rather than a marketplace.
- A niche you can actually reach57 min
Online, anyone can find you in theory. Choose a niche that realistically will.
- Your own channel or a marketplace?57 min
Compare what an order leaves you when you sell direct and when a platform takes a commission.
- A niche you can actually reach57 min
2Channel and platformWhat being online costs every month, and how your channels turn attention into orders.
- The monthly cost of being online51 min
Add up the subscriptions, apps and services an online business pays every month.
- Selling through social media and messaging1 h 2 min
Measure how people move from seeing a post to placing an order, and fix the weakest step.
- The monthly cost of being online51 min
3Unit economicsPrice against product cost, delivery and payment fees, one order at a time.
- One order, followed to the end58 min
Trace a single order through product cost, delivery and fees to what actually stays with you.
- How many orders to break even46 min
Turn your fixed costs and contribution per order into a monthly and daily order target.
- One order, followed to the end58 min
4Payments and collectionHow customers pay, and when the money actually reaches you.
- How customers pay, and when you receive the money52 min
Cash on delivery, card and transfer each reach you on a different timetable.
- Cash flow when customers pay later46 min
See how payment delays move your lowest cash point.
- How customers pay, and when you receive the money52 min
5Fulfilment and returnsCouriers, delivery policy, refused parcels and the cost of a return.
- What your delivery policy really costs51 min
Free or subsidised delivery is a monthly cost. Size it before you promise it.
- Returns and refused deliveries51 min
Spread the cost of orders that come back across every order, and plan with the result.
- What your delivery policy really costs51 min
6Acquisition and retentionThe most you can pay to win a customer, and why the second order matters more.
- What a customer can cost52 min
Compare what you spend to win a customer with what they contribute.
- Bringing customers back57 min
Repeat orders cost far less to win. Build them into the plan — with consent.
- What a customer can cost52 min
7Policies, invoices and launchCustomer-facing policies, invoices and VAT, and the plan to launch.
- Terms, privacy and refunds1 h 10 min
The three documents an online business shows its customers, and what each must cover.
- Invoices, VAT and your launch plan1 h 10 min
What an invoice must show, where your sales sit against the VAT thresholds, and the plan to launch.
- Terms, privacy and refunds1 h 10 min
In development
Coffee Shop / F&B
7 modules · 16 lessons
1Concept and locationFootfall, neighbourhood and what the street will pay.
- A concept that fits the street
Match the offer, the price level and the hours to the people who actually pass.
- Counting footfall
Count passers-by at the times you would trade, and estimate how many would come in.
- Before you sign the lease
Zoning, use, occupancy and the questions to ask the landlord and the municipality first.
- A concept that fits the street
2Capacity and seat turnSeats, hours and how many times a table turns.
- Seats, hours and the ceiling on sales
The most customers your space can serve in a day, and why that is a hard limit.
- How often a table turns
Estimating turns at breakfast, lunch and evening, and what takeaway adds.
- Seats, hours and the ceiling on sales
3Menu engineeringFood cost per item, and the mix that sets your average ticket.
- Costing a recipe
Every ingredient and consumable, per portion, including the cup and the napkin.
- Food cost as a share of price
The number a kitchen is run on, and how to set prices from it.
- The mix and the average ticket
Why the average customer spends near your cheapest popular item.
- Costing a recipe
4Suppliers and stockBeans, dairy and consumables: terms, minimums and waste.
- Choosing suppliers
Comparing on quality, reliability, terms and minimum orders — not only price.
- Waste and shelf life
Ordering for perishables, and pricing the waste you cannot avoid.
- Choosing suppliers
5Staffing and the rotaOpening hours against the hours you can afford to staff.
- From opening hours to staff hours
How many people you need at each hour, and what that costs a month.
- Employer steps before hiring
NSSF and payroll steps to confirm directly with the authority before your first hire.
- From opening hours to staff hours
6Permits and approvalsMinistry of Tourism, the municipality and the order they come in.
- Ministry of Tourism licensing
Classification, first-stage approval and the investment licence, and what each needs.
- Municipal approval
Occupancy, signage, outdoor seating, waste and hours — confirmed with your municipality.
- Ministry of Tourism licensing
7Opening controlsCash handling, stock counts and the daily numbers.
- The daily numbers
Covers, average ticket, sales against target — checked every day from week one.
- Cash and stock controls
Till reconciliation, stock counts and the controls that stop leakage.
- The daily numbers
In development
Trading & Importing
7 modules · 14 lessons
1Product and classificationThe HS code decides the duty and the regulator.
- Finding the HS code
Classifying a product, and why a wrong code costs money at the border.
- Controlled goods and prior licences
Which products need a prior licence, and how to confirm it before ordering.
- Finding the HS code
2Supplier sourcingComparing suppliers on landed cost, minimum order and reliability.
- Comparing suppliers properly
Landed cost, not unit price. Minimum order quantities and payment terms.
- Samples, checks and trust
Reducing the risk of a first order with a supplier you have not met.
- Comparing suppliers properly
3Landed costEvery cost between the factory gate and your shelf.
- Building a landed cost
Freight, insurance, clearance, duty and inland delivery, spread across the units.
- Import VAT: cost or not?
Why reclaimable VAT stays out of your unit cost, and when it does not.
- Building a landed cost
4Pricing by channelWholesale, retail and online margins from the same landed cost.
- Wholesale and retail prices
Leaving room for the retailer’s margin as well as your own.
- Margin by product
Which products carry the business, and which only look busy.
- Wholesale and retail prices
5Inventory fundingHow much cash a shipment ties up, and for how long.
- Cash tied up in stock
Paying before shipping, selling after landing — and financing the gap.
- How fast stock turns
Why slow-moving stock is more expensive than it looks.
- Cash tied up in stock
6The import processDocuments, clearance and the order they come in.
- Documents and clearance
The paperwork a shipment needs, confirmed with Customs for your product.
- Importers and VAT registration
Why a qualifying importer may have to register regardless of turnover.
- Documents and clearance
7Reorder and stock controlWhen to order so you never run out mid-lead-time.
- The reorder point
Lead time, daily sales and safety stock.
- Counting and reconciling stock
Regular counts, and what a difference between the count and the books means.
- The reorder point
In development
Events Business
7 modules · 14 lessons
1Concept and formatWho it is for, what they pay for, and what brings them back.
- Audience and format
Matching the format, the price and the date to the people you can sell to.
- One-off or series
Why a repeat event is usually easier to make profitable.
- Audience and format
2Venue and capacityThe size of the room against the audience you can realistically sell to.
- Sizing the room
Required occupancy, and why a smaller full room beats a larger empty one.
- Venue contracts
Deposits, cancellation terms and who carries the risk.
- Sizing the room
3Ticket pricing and forecastPrice tiers, early-bird sales and the occupancy you need.
- Ticket break-even
Fixed costs, per-head costs, ticketing fees and the tickets you must sell.
- Tiers and early-bird pricing
Using early sales to test demand before the big costs are committed.
- Ticket break-even
4SponsorshipSizing the gap before you pitch.
- The sponsorship gap
The amount a full room still leaves uncovered — the number to ask for.
- What sponsors get
Building a package worth what you are asking.
- The sponsorship gap
5Suppliers and contractsSound, light, catering and security.
- The supplier schedule
Who delivers what, when, and what happens if they do not.
- Deposits and cancellation
Your exposure if the event is postponed or cancelled.
- The supplier schedule
6Permits and safetyVenue, municipality and the licences your activity triggers.
- Event permits
What to confirm with the municipality and the venue for each event.
- Temporary events and entertainment tax
The Ministry of Finance forms for temporary parties and entertainment tax, and when they apply.
- Event permits
7ReconciliationWhat the event actually made, against the plan.
- After the event
Actual income and costs, the variance to plan, and profit per attendee.
- Lessons for next time
Turning one event’s numbers into a better plan for the next.
- After the event