New short course
Small Business Foundations
A step-by-step course for anyone starting a small business in Australia. Ten short modules take you from your idea to your ABN, prices, paperwork, website and first customers.
- 10 short modules
- About 6 to 7 hours
- 12 months' access
- Certificate of Completion
Includes a 12-piece Starter Kit
Your Starter Kit
What you'll walk away with
Two online tools, six spreadsheets and four Word templates, ready to fill in for your own business. Tap any one to see what it does.
Enter your business name, what you do, who it's for and where. It writes five versions, from casual to professional, each with a Copy button. Used in Modules 1 and 7.
Add your logo, business name, ABN and line items, then download a PDF or Word invoice. Used in Module 4.
Put in your income goal, your costs and your expected sales, and it works out your minimum price for you. Module 4.
Record three quotes side by side, question by question, so the best fit is easy to spot. Module 3.
Record money in and out, watch the totals add up automatically, and get a heads-up as you near the $75,000 GST threshold. Module 5.
Plan a month of teach, show and invite posts for social media in one sitting. Module 8.
Record who you've met, where you met them and when to follow up, so no one slips through the cracks. Module 9.
Your launch as a four-week checklist, with space for your own dates and notes and a progress bar. Module 10.
Contact details and the questions you need answered before you start work with a new customer. Module 6.
A plain-English agreement covering what's involved, the price and your policies. Module 6.
A short notice explaining what you collect, why, and how customers can see their details. Module 6.
Notice periods, late cancellations, no-shows and what happens if you need to cancel. Module 6.
The 10 modules
From your idea to your first customers
Each module is two or three short pages with clear, step-by-step walkthroughs. Tap a module to see what's in it and the task you'll finish.
Module 1
Your Business Idea and Your Offer
Work out who you help and what you offer, choose one signature offer to start with, and describe your business in a single clear sentence.
- Who You Help and What You Offer
- Your Signature Offer
- Describe Your Business in a Sentence
Module 2
Choose Your Structure and Get Your ABN
Sole trader, company or contractor, explained simply. Then a click-by-click guide to applying for your ABN, and registering a business name if you need one.
- Sole Trader, Company or Contractor
- Apply for Your ABN, Step by Step
- Register Your Business Name
Module 3
Insurance and Professional Memberships
The insurance most small businesses need, in plain terms. How to compare three quotes, and what joining a professional association gives you.
- The Insurance Most Small Businesses Need
- Compare Three Quotes
- Join a Professional Association
Module 4
Pricing and Getting Paid
A simple formula for setting your prices, ways to take bookings and payments, a fair cancellation policy, and what goes on your first invoice.
- Set Your Prices
- Take Bookings and Payments
- Send Your First Invoice
Module 5
Money Basics: Tax, GST and Bookkeeping
How tax works when you work for yourself, the $75,000 GST rule, and a simple bookkeeping routine you can keep up every week.
- How Tax Works When You Work for Yourself
- GST Made Simple
- Simple Bookkeeping
Module 6
Customers and Paperwork
Simple forms that protect you and your customers, and the basics of looking after customer information properly.
- Simple Forms That Protect You
- Looking After Customer Information
Module 7
Your Website and Domain
Register your domain, compare Squarespace, Wix, Shopify, WordPress, Square and Canva, and build the five pages every small business website needs.
- Get Your Domain Name
- Choose a Website Builder
- Build Your Five Pages
Module 8
Social Media and Google
Click-by-click guides to an Instagram professional account, a Facebook Page and a Google Business Profile, plus asking for genuine reviews.
- Set Up Instagram for Your Business
- Create Your Facebook Page
- Get Found on Google
Module 9
Networking and Your First Customers
Networking that feels natural, where to meet people (including LinkedIn and local business groups), and simple ways to win your first customers.
- Networking That Feels Good
- Where to Meet People
- Your First Customers
Module 10
Your 30-Day Launch Plan
Pull everything together into a week-by-week launch plan, plus habits and free support for your first 90 days.
- Your 30-Day Plan
- Keep Going
How it works
Learn a step, do the step, move on
100% online and self-paced, with 12 months' access from the day you enrol.
Read a short module
Two or three pages per module, with screenshots and click-by-click guides for the official sites.
Do it now
Each module ends with a real task, like applying for your ABN, so your business takes shape as you go.
Pass a 5-question quiz
Marked automatically. Get 4 out of 5 to pass, retake as often as you like, and your best score counts.
Get your certificate
Pass all ten quizzes for a Health & Harmony Certificate of Completion. The digital copy is free.
Who it's for
Anyone starting a small business in Australia
Whatever you sell, the first steps are the same: an ABN, insurance, prices, paperwork, a website and your first customers. It works whether you're starting from scratch, building a side hustle or tidying up a business you already run.
- Trades and services
- Makers and creatives
- Retail and markets
- Coaches and consultants
- Beauty and wellness
- Food and hospitality
- Fitness
Want it in writing?
Get the free info pack
We'll email it to you, and you can download it straight away.
- All ten modules and the Do it now tasks
- The full Starter Kit
- How the quizzes and certificate work
- Price and All In Pass details
Request Your Free Info Pack
Questions
Before you enrol
No. It's written for people starting out. It's just as useful if you've already started and want to check you've covered the basics.
No. It's for any small business in Australia, from trades and retail to creative, hospitality, coaching and wellness. Where something applies only to health or wellness work, the course tells you.
About 6 to 7 hours of study across ten short modules, plus the time you spend on each Do it now task. You have 12 months' access and can go at your own pace.
Each module ends with 5 questions that are marked automatically. You need 4 out of 5 to pass, you can retake a quiz as many times as you like, and your best score counts. You can do the modules in any order you like.
Yes. Pass all ten module quizzes and you can request a Health & Harmony Certificate of Completion. The digital certificate is free, and a printed copy is available for $35 plus postage.
Yes. All In Pass members can enrol at no extra cost from their All In Pass dashboard. If you're not a member, it's a single payment of $99 including GST.
Yes. Download the spreadsheets and Word templates, edit them for your business and keep them.
No. It's general information to help you get set up and ask the right questions. For advice on your own situation, talk to a registered tax agent, an accountant or a lawyer.
Enrolment
Start your business this week
Enrol in Small Business Foundations
All ten modules, the full Starter Kit and a Certificate of Completion, with 12 months' access from the day you enrol.
All In Pass
Members enrol at no extra cost from their All In Pass dashboard. The pass gives you this course plus our full library of 40+ courses while you're a member, with no lock-in.