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A start a business course gives a new business owner the practical skills to go from an idea to trading: testing the idea, working out what it will cost, pricing, keeping the books, finding customers and winning work. At BOTI you can build those skills one stage at a time with short, practical courses, or take the accredited QCTO Occupational Certificate: Entrepreneur, which covers the start-up stage. This guide maps each stage to a course so that you train for the step you are on.
It is for individuals looking for a start a business course online or starting a business classes near them, and for employers, enterprise and supplier development (ESD) managers and HR teams who want to take staff, young people or small suppliers from an idea to a trading business.
From idea to trading: the stages and a course for each
Most new owners need the same skills in roughly the same order. Start with the stage you are on:
| Stage | What you do | BOTI course |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Idea and opportunity | Learn what starting and running a business takes, and test whether the gap is real | Entrepreneurship Training Course (1 day) |
| 2. Viability and funding | Decide whether the idea is viable, work out what the venture needs financially and prepare a funding proposal | Occupational Certificate: Entrepreneur (accredited, 10 contact days plus work experience modules) |
| 3. Cost and price | Work out your costs, set a price and check the margin | Costing and Pricing Training for a Business Venture (3 days) |
| 4. Keep the books | Record transactions, keep the ledger and read simple budgets and reports | Basic Bookkeeping Course (2 days); Sage Pastel Introduction to Bookkeeping Fundamentals (2 days); Budgets and Financial Reports Course (1 day) |
| 5. Market and sell | Find customers, including online, and close the sale | Marketing Fundamentals Training (1 day); Internet Marketing Fundamentals Course (1 day); Sales Skills: Basic Training (1 day) |
| 6. Win contracts | Find tenders, cost and price a bid and write the response | Tender for Business or Work in a New Venture (2 days); Tender Training Course: Secure Business for a New Venture (3 days); Proposal and Tender Writing Training (2 days) |
| 7. Run and grow | Plan production and operations, and plan strategically as the business grows | Plan and Manage Production and Operations in a New Venture (3 days); Plan Strategically to Improve New Venture Performance (3 days) |
Registering the business and dealing with tax are steps you take yourself along the way. The courses here do not replace advice from an accountant or a tax practitioner on your own situation.
What each course gives a new owner
- Entrepreneurship Training Course: the tools and habits needed to start and run a business of your own, in one day.
- Costing and Pricing Training for a Business Venture: set a pricing policy, work out costs and check that the margin justifies launching a product or venture.
- Basic Bookkeeping Course: record transactions, keep the general ledger and balance the books, for beginners and small-business teams. The Sage Pastel course covers VAT, source documents, journals and reconciliations for owners who use that software.
- Internet Marketing Fundamentals Course: market research, target markets and a workable online marketing campaign.
- Sales Skills: Basic Training covers basic sales skills for people new to selling.
- Tender courses: find and review tender documents, reduce risk, cost and price a bid, and write a compliant response that shows your value.
- Plan and Manage Production and Operations in a New Venture: plan and run production and operations in a new business.
These courses are not accredited. They are delivered as professional skills programmes, and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.
Where to start: three common situations
- You have an idea but have not started. The one-day Entrepreneurship Training Course gives you a grounding. If you want to test viability properly, cost the venture and write a funding proposal, with a QCTO certificate at the end, take the Occupational Certificate: Entrepreneur.
- You are already trading informally. Costing and pricing, basic bookkeeping and sales skills are a practical place to start: they show whether each sale makes money and give you records you can rely on.
- You want to sell to larger companies or the public sector. Take a tender course and proposal writing, and get your costing and pricing right first.
Is there an accredited start a business course?
Yes. The Occupational Certificate: Entrepreneur (SAQA ID 124485) is a QCTO part-qualification at NQF Level 3 with 63 credits[1]. It covers the start-up stage: a self-assessment, generating viable business ideas, market requirements, competitive analysis, goals for a business plan, the financial requirements of a new venture and sourcing funding. Its two work experience modules take the learner through developing a business concept and a funding proposal. It does not cover the day-to-day management of an established business, which is where the short courses above come in.
It ends in an External Integrated Summative Assessment, conducted through the QCTO’s assessment partner, and the QCTO issues the certificate. The entry requirement is an NQF Level 2 qualification with Mathematical Literacy and Communication, or access through recognition of prior learning (RPL). New learners can enrol until 3 June 2031[1].
BOTI also offers the QCTO New Venture Creation skills programme (SP-210401): 32 credits at NQF Level 2, 15 days, with costing, pricing, basic bookkeeping and a basic business plan. It ends in a Final Integrated Supervised Assessment run by BOTI, the QCTO issues the certificate, and new learners can enrol until 25 October 2027. Our guide to the New Venture Creation qualification compares it with the Entrepreneur part-qualification and the legacy certificates, and our page on entrepreneurship courses in South Africa explains what to check before you enrol on any accredited course.
Start a business course online, or classes near you
You do not have to stop trading to train. BOTI runs training in three ways:
- Online with a live facilitator: the answer for anyone looking for an online start your own business course, wherever they are.
- At BOTI’s venue in Sunningdale, Johannesburg: for people in and around Johannesburg searching for starting a business classes near me.
- In-house at your premises: usually the most practical option for an employer or ESD programme training a group.
For a group, contact days can be spread out so that learners keep their businesses running between sessions.
For employers: taking a group from idea to trading
Employers use start a business training in enterprise and supplier development programmes, in community and youth development, and for staff moving into self-employment, including staff facing retrenchment. One way to structure it is the accredited Occupational Certificate: Entrepreneur for the start-up stage, followed by short courses in costing and pricing, bookkeeping and tendering as the businesses start trading. We build the programme around your group and run it in-house or online.
Training can be planned in your Workplace Skills Plan, and skills development spend counts on the B-BBEE scorecard, but your SETA decides on grants and nothing is automatic. If you are planning a learnership, see our guide to the new venture creation learnership and its funding.
How fees work
Fees depend on the course, the number of people and the delivery format. Each course page shows its price, and for a group we quote on your scope. Grants depend on your SETA and your circumstances, so we will not quote a net cost that relies on them.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an accredited start a business course online in South Africa?
Yes. The QCTO Occupational Certificate: Entrepreneur (SAQA ID 124485) is accredited, and BOTI can run its facilitated training online with a live facilitator. It covers the start-up stage and ends in an External Integrated Summative Assessment, after which the QCTO issues the certificate. BOTI’s short start-up courses can also run online, but they are not accredited.
Are these accredited business courses online with certificates?
It depends on the course. The Occupational Certificate: Entrepreneur and the New Venture Creation skills programme are accredited, and the QCTO issues their certificates once a learner is found competent in the final assessment. The short courses on this page are not accredited and lead to a BOTI certificate of attendance.
What are the entry requirements for a start a business course?
For the Occupational Certificate: Entrepreneur, an NQF Level 2 qualification with Mathematical Literacy and Communication, or access through recognition of prior learning (RPL). The New Venture Creation skills programme requires NQF Level 1. Neither requires a degree, an entrance exam or a previous business qualification.
How long does it take to go from idea to trading?
That depends on the business, not only on the course, and no course can promise a date. The training itself is short: each short course takes 1 to 3 days, the New Venture Creation skills programme 15 days, and the Occupational Certificate: Entrepreneur 10 contact days plus two work experience modules.
Are there starting a business classes near me, or only online?
Both. BOTI runs classes at its venue in Sunningdale, Johannesburg, trains groups in-house at their own premises, and runs live online training for people anywhere in South Africa.
Can employers fund a start a business course through the skills levy?
Employers can plan it in their Workplace Skills Plan and report it in their Annual Training Report, and skills development spend counts on the B-BBEE scorecard. Your SETA decides on any grant, so confirm the details with your Skills Development Facilitator, SETA or B-BBEE verification professional.
To plan a start a business course for yourself or a group, start with the stage you are on in the table above, or ask us to recommend a sequence. For the accredited route, see the Occupational Certificate: Entrepreneur (enrol by 3 June 2031[1]). Call BOTI on 011 882 8853 or email [email protected]. Training runs in-house, at BOTI’s venue in Sunningdale, Johannesburg, or online.
Sources
- Occupational Certificate: Entrepreneur (SAQA ID 124485) qualification record – South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), 2026.