Small Business and Entrepreneurship Courses | Madison College Apps

small business owner and coffee shop employee

Upcoming Courses and Training

Start-Up and Operations Courses

Crowdfunding is an accessible fundraising strategy for start-ups, inventors, business ventures, non-profits, and individuals. Crowdfunding requests relatively small donations from a large group of donors/investors – your crowd. In this course you will learn about the types of crowdfunding and leading platforms, review other projects, learn how to plan for a campaign, strategize, and pitch and budget for a project. Crowdfunding has become a prominent mechanism of generating revenue, with billions of dollars raised each year in North America. Learn if crowdfunding is for you or your organization and what running a successful campaign involves.

#11968, Online, 7/9-7/30 Instructor: Kara Vogel

Start Your Own Small Business | $129

Learn how to transform your passion and talent into a viable small business. This course will teach you about financing, marketing techniques, employee management, policy writing, and time management - everything you need to know to start your very own small business.

Instructor-Moderated (Asynchronous)

Creating a Successful Business Plan | $135

Turn your business ideas into a solid plan for financing and long-term success. Committing your idea to paper in the form of a business plan not only increases your chances of obtaining financing, but also in keeping your business strategically focused. You will work through all the major components of writing a business plan and emerge with your first draft in hand. Most importantly, you will have completed the first—and most difficult—step on the path to small business success.

Instructor Moderated or Self-Guided

Accounting and Finance Courses

Accounting with QuickBooks Online Suites | $480

This comprehensive course will teach you the basics of accounting with QuickBooks Online, the most widely used accounting software for small business owners. You'll master the basics double-entry bookkeeping and get hands-on experience handling accounts receivable, accounts payable, sales taxes and other common financial activities. Course offered in partnership with Ed2Go.

Individual courses available as on-demand, self-paced tutorials: Accounting Fundamentals, Accounting Fundamentals ll, Introduction to QuickBooks Online, and Intermediate QuickBooks Online

Finance for Non-Financial Managers | $99

This course will cover financial concepts that will help non-financial managers understand financial statements and how financial statements are used. Material that will be covered includes Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), transaction analysis, capital investments, cost-volume-profit, financial ratios, and more. Anyone in business who uses financial statements will benefit from this information.

Future offerings will be posted here.

Marketing Courses

Social Media Business Strategy | $69

Learn the fundamental differences between the top social media platforms, and how to identify the best ones for your business. Learn how to create an effective social media strategy and content, including running social media ads. Students will go through the process to create their own impactful social media plan.

#62936, Online Live, 4/13, Saturday, 9 AM-1 PM Instructor: Kara Hanninen

Food, Beverage and Catering Courses

Beer Brewing and Serving Essentials | $329

Covers beer and brewing history, ingredients, styles and flavor evaluation with emphasis placed upon comprehensive knowledge of classic beer styles and flavor attributes. The course also covers serving practices, touches on beer and food pairings, and prepares students for the first level of Cicerone Certification. Students must be aged 21 or over.
Future offerings will be posted here.

Becoming a Foodpreneur

Let Madison College help you create a plan to operate and manage an independent foodservice business! This program addresses mobile and stationary service models for entrepreneurs planning a food truck, cafe, catering service, coffee shop, popup restaurant, on-site culinary services, or festival vending. Foodpreneurs get in the kitchen to develop products and work through kitchen logistics. Receive hands-on training to practice appropriate kitchen conduct that optimizes efficiency and food safety. Students will conduct a market analysis, identify equipment and logistics needs, develop products and services, and create financial projections; all in the process of creating a business plan for a small business.

Classroom lectures are combined with hands-on practices and interactions with subject matter experts, to provide students ample opportunities to integrate theories with experience. This seven-week two-part program provides the flexibility of live remote class sessions during four of the weeks and in-person kitchen time during three of the weeks.

person inside a food truck giving food to customer

Becoming a Foodpreneur - Part 1 | $299 | #62930

Night 1-2, 3-6 PM, Online live - startup content, Instructor: Kay-Tee Olds - 2/27 and 2/29
Night 3-4, 3-6 PM in kitchen, Instructor: Christine Ameigh - 3/5 and 3/7
Night 5-6, 3-6 PM, Online live - startup content, Instructor: Kay-Tee Olds, 3/12 and 3/14
Night 7, 3-6 PM in kitchen, Instructor: Christine Ameigh - 3/19

Becoming a Foodpreneur - Part 2 | $299 | #62956

Night 8, 3-6 PM in kitchen, Instructor: Christine Ameigh - 3/21
Night 9-10, 3-6 PM, Online live - management content, Instructor: Kay-Tee Olds - 3/26 and 3/28
Night 11-12, 3-6 PM in kitchen, Instructor: Christine Ameigh - 4/2 and 4/4
Night 13-14, 3-6 PM, Online live - management content, Instructor: Kay-Tee Olds - 4/9 and 4/11

Three Ways to Register for Noncredit Courses

1. Register by Phone

Call us at 608.258.2301, Option 2

2. Express Registration

Complete our online registration form

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Center for Entrepreneurship

See how the Madison College Center for Entrepreneurship strengthens communities through education, innovation and collaboration.

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