Business Essentials
⏱ 6 hoursBusiness Essentials turns business from confusing to readable. Across three self-paced modules you'll learn to name a company's goals and stakeholders, run a strategy gap analysis, and read its financial statements and key ratios — then pull it all into a one-page Business Snapshot. Built for beginners in plain language, it teaches you to use AI as your analyst for the fast work while you keep the judgment that only a person can make. Finish the capstone at a READY verdict and earn the AI-Powered Business Essentials badge. A single running case study — Riverstone Coffee, a small roaster and café — threads through all three modules so every idea is shown in action before you apply it to your own business.
Enroll NowCourse curriculum
- Get Started
Orientation: how the class works, the V.I.B.E. map, and how to use the AI Tools.
- Get Started
- Course Book
The full self-guided Course Book and Workbook for Business Essentials.
- Business Essentials — Course Book
- Business Essentials — Workbook
- Module 1: Business Fundamentals
Goals, stakeholders, and how a business creates value — with the Riverstone Coffee case and a knowledge check.
- Module 1 — Content Page
- AI-1: Business Acumen Coach
- Module 1 — Knowledge Check
- Module 1 — Workbook Reflection
- Module 2: Business Strategy
Gap analysis, SWOT, PESTEL, and SMART goals — with the Riverstone case and a knowledge check.
- Module 2 — Content Page
- AI-2: Strategy Sounding Board
- Module 2 — Knowledge Check
- Module 2 — Workbook Reflection
- Module 3: Business Finance
Statements, margins, and liquidity — with the Riverstone case, a knowledge check, and the capstone.
- Module 3 — Content Page
- AI-3: Business Snapshot Evaluator
- Module 3 — Knowledge Check
- Module 3 — Workbook Reflection
- Course Materials & Capstone
Assemble your one-page Business Snapshot and collect your completion materials.
- Your Capstone — the Business Snapshot
- Certificate of Completion
- Course Wrap-Up
Where you go from here — journey recap, what you can do now, and your next steps.
- Where You Go From Here