Business Foundations Certificate Programme
A practical nine-month programme designed for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to build solid financial skills and business acumen. Starting September 2025.
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What You'll Actually Learn
This isn't about get-rich-quick schemes. We focus on the fundamentals that matter when you're running a small business or thinking about starting one.
You'll work through real scenarios — things like understanding cash flow, reading financial statements without panicking, and making decisions when money is tight. We built this programme after talking to dozens of small business owners about what they wish they'd known before they started.
Classes run Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings at our Southampton location. You'll have time to apply what you learn to your own business ideas throughout the week.
Programme Structure
Six core modules spread across nine months, with practical assignments between sessions
Financial Literacy Basics
Understanding the numbers that actually matter in business. We cover profit versus revenue, expenses that surprise new business owners, and how to track what's coming in and going out.
Business Planning
Creating a plan that helps you make decisions, not just something to show investors. You'll build a simple financial model and test different scenarios to see what might happen.
Pricing and Cost Management
How to figure out what to charge without undervaluing your work or pricing yourself out of the market. We look at real examples from various industries.
Tax and Legal Essentials
The practical side of staying compliant in the UK. What records to keep, when to register for VAT, and how to work with an accountant effectively.
Cash Flow Management
Why profitable businesses sometimes run out of money, and how to avoid that situation. You'll create cash flow projections and learn when to worry about the numbers.
Growth and Funding Options
When it makes sense to grow your business, and what funding options exist beyond traditional bank loans. We cover bootstrapping, grants, and what investors actually look for.
Who Teaches This Programme
Our instructors run their own businesses or have spent years helping others start theirs. They bring real experiences, including the mistakes they made along the way.
Casper Thornfield
Small Business Finance
Spent fifteen years as an accountant for startups before launching his own consultancy. He focuses on making financial concepts accessible without dumbing them down.
Delilah Verne
Business Strategy
Runs a successful marketing agency and teaches the planning and pricing modules. She's particularly good at helping people figure out what their time is actually worth.
Saffron Blackwood
Operations and Growth
Former operations director who now advises small businesses on scaling sensibly. She covers the cash flow and growth modules with a focus on avoiding common pitfalls.
September 2025 Intake
We're accepting applications for our autumn programme through May 2025. Classes begin the second week of September and run through late May 2026.
Programme Fee: £1,850 (includes all materials and access to our online resources)
Schedule: Tuesday evenings 6:30-9pm and alternate Saturday mornings 9am-12pm
Location: 491-493 Bitterne Rd. E, Bitterne Village, Southampton SO18 5EQ