Caveat Academy course · Grades 9 to 12

Small Business Management

How a small business runs after the doors open: the plan and legal structure, bookkeeping and financial statements, pricing and break-even, cash flow, funding and taxes, customers and marketing, operations and inventory, hiring and leading a team, and managing risk and growth. Six modules at your own pace, with real decisions and the arithmetic worked step by step.

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$19one-time · every device you sign in on
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Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Career and trades courses, $79 for 18 items.

6 modules · 18 lessonsabout 13 hours$19

Six modules, eighteen lessons

Each module ends with a practice set that tracks mastery, an explain-it-back prompt, a short written response and a module exam. The final opens when every module is proficient; passing it earns a certificate with a verification code.

  1. Module 1: Planning and setting up a small business

    Apply the four management functions, outline a business plan with a SWOT analysis, and compare legal structures by liability and taxation.

    • What makes a business small, and why it matters
    • The business plan
    • Legal structure, licenses and registration
    about 2.1 h

  2. Module 2: Money: records, statements and pricing

    Compute profit, gross margin, markup, margin and break-even, and read an income statement and balance sheet.

    • Bookkeeping basics
    • Reading financial statements
    • Pricing and break-even analysis
    about 2.1 h

  3. Module 3: Cash flow, funding and taxes

    Build a cash flow forecast, fix a predicted shortfall, compare debt and equity funding, and plan for business taxes.

    • Managing cash flow
    • Funding a small business
    • Taxes and recordkeeping obligations
    about 2.1 h

  4. Module 4: Customers and marketing

    Define a target market and marketing mix, and evaluate marketing with conversion rate, acquisition cost and customer lifetime value.

    • Target markets and the marketing mix
    • Customer service and keeping customers
    • Promotion and digital marketing
    about 2.1 h

  5. Module 5: Operations and inventory

    Analyze a process for its bottleneck, compute reorder points and inventory turnover, and compare suppliers on total cost.

    • Processes and quality
    • Managing inventory
    • Suppliers, technology and productivity
    about 2.1 h

  6. Module 6: People, risk and growth

    Apply federal wage and hiring rules, give effective feedback, and design a risk response and KPI plan for growth.

    • Hiring and employment basics
    • Leading a small team
    • Managing risk and planning for growth
    about 2.1 h

Try it before you start

This is how every lesson works: step through a worked example at your own pace, then answer a check and get the reason right away. Nothing here is saved; the course keeps your progress.

Module 3 · Managing cash flow

Worked example: spotting and fixing a shortfall

  1. Forecast: the table shows cash falling to −600 dollars in March, before a large April payment arrives.

A lesson check from each module

The checks need JavaScript turned on. The course itself works the same way.

What you get

Vocations · Job Skills$19 · included with the Academy pass and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A finished course in small business management: you can apply the four management functions, write a lean business plan with a SWOT analysis, compare sole proprietorships, partnerships, LLCs and corporations, keep books on a cash or accrual basis, read an income statement and balance sheet, compute margin, markup and break-even, build a cash flow forecast and fix a shortfall, weigh debt against equity, set aside money for taxes, define a target market and marketing mix, judge a campaign by acquisition cost and lifetime value, find a bottleneck, set reorder points, compute overtime pay and plan for risk with KPIs. Passing the final earns a Caveat certificate of completion.
Who it is for
Students in grades 9 to 12 taking or preparing for a business, entrepreneurship or marketing course, students in business clubs and competitions, teens running a side business, and homeschool families who want a complete course on how small businesses are run. It is general business education, not legal, tax or financial advice.
Format
An online self-paced course: 6 modules and 18 lessons with worked examples you reveal step by step, 144 practice and exam items (multiple choice, numeric, fill-in and ordering), an explain-it-back prompt and a rubric-checked short response in every module, module exams with one retake, a 24-question final and a certificate with a verification code. About 13 hours in all; works on a phone or a computer.
Access
$19 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the course opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Career and trades courses ($79) and the Vocations Suite pass ($99), and 1 more bundle. Progress is saved in this browser on this device, and the certificate page lets you download your record.
Where it lives
The Job Skills space in Caveat Vocations.
Support
Access, a receipt, a refund or a correction to the course: team@caveatacademic.com.

How it works

  1. Open the course and start Module 1. Each lesson takes about 25 to 35 minutes; two or three a week finishes the course in about a semester.
  2. Answer the checks as you read. Every answer shows the reason, and a miss links you back to the lesson that covers it.
  3. Finish each module with its practice set and exam. Proficient on every module opens the final; 70 percent passes it.
  4. Print or download your certificate and record from the certificate page.

Start the course

Sources and accuracy

The lessons are original writing by Caveat Academic Services. Facts were checked against these free, open references, which are also good places to read further.

  1. U.S. Small Business Administration, plan, launch, manage and grow your business guides: sba.gov/business-guide
  2. SBA Office of Advocacy, frequently asked questions about small business: advocacy.sba.gov
  3. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Business Employment Dynamics, establishment survival: bls.gov/bdm
  4. Internal Revenue Service, small business and self-employed tax center: irs.gov
  5. U.S. Department of Labor, wages and the Fair Labor Standards Act: dol.gov
  6. U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, guidance for small businesses: eeoc.gov
  7. Federal Trade Commission, advertising and marketing basics and the CAN-SPAM Act: ftc.gov/business-guidance

Small Business Management is a self-paced course from Caveat Academic Services. It is general business education, not legal, tax or financial advice; licensing, tax and employment rules vary by state and city and change over time, so check official sources such as those listed above before acting. Dollar figures in examples are for teaching. It does not replace a school course and awards no credit. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.