Turn your passion into profit

12-weeks / # hours per week / 3 credits

  • Business Fundamentals

    Teaches business fundamentals like budgeting, marketing, bookkeeping, and financing.

  • Hands-on

    Our experiential learning design and built-in community features will give you the opportunity to apply your knowledge and work with your peers.

  • Bilingual

    Classes are taught in both English and Spanish.

Bonus material

Include additional content to your course curriculum to provide further value to your students.

  • Group Coaching

    Explain the value your additional content will bring to a student’s overall learning experience. Use this opportunity to sell potential students on the extra benefits your bonus material provides.

  • One-To-One Coaching

    Explain the value your additional content will bring to a student’s overall learning experience. Use this opportunity to sell potential students on the extra benefits your bonus material provides.

  • Learning Community

    Explain the value your additional content will bring to a student’s overall learning experience. Use this opportunity to sell potential students on the extra benefits your bonus material provides.

Meet Your Instructors

We're here to help

CBA Instructor

Simeko Hartley

Simeko Hartley is an award-winning entrepreneur, a licensed cosmetologist in NJ & NY, a master trainer, and a business coach who has managed and owned several successful salon businesses over the course of her career. With over 25 years of passion, dedication, knowledge, and experience in the natural hair care industry, Simeko has come to be known and loved as one of the top experts in her field. Her work has been featured worldwide on various media platforms, including Essence Magazine, Sophistic Black Hair Care & Walmart ad campaigns.

Course curriculum

  1. 1

    • Navigating our Learning System

    • Welcome to the Community Business Academy!

    • Meet Your Instructor

    • Getting Help

    • Preparing for Learning

    • Using the Discussion

    • Checking Your Understanding

    • Communicating with Your Instructors

    • Upload Practice

    • Getting Ready to Zoom

    • Zoom Invitations
  2. 2

    • Resource - 1
  3. 3

    • Welcome to the Community Business Academy!

    • THINGS TO KNOW: The Design of the Class

    • THINGS TO KNOW: Business is all about relationships!

    • Your Commitment: Student Handbook (Download)

    • Your Commitment: Student Handbook (Commitment)

    • Pre-survey (Form)

    • Getting To Know You

    • Getting to Know Your Business

    • NEW CONCEPT: You – The Entrepreneur

    • ASSESSMENT: Self-Evaluation

    • NEW CONCEPT: The Business Idea

    • DISCUSSION: What Makes a Good Product or Service?

    • Check Your Understanding

    • DEFINITION: Business Plan Outline

    • The Executive Summary Contest

    • CHECK-IN: How are you doing?

    • NEXT STEPS: Our LIVE class is coming up!

    • Before we start: Get ready to Zoom

    • Before we start: What to bring

    • Welcome to our LIVE class (Zoom)

    • HOMEWORK 1: Introduction

    • CHECK-IN: How are you doing?

    • UP NEXT: Looking Ahead to Week 2
  4. 4

    • Welcome back!

    • THE GAME: Purpose

    • GAME CONTEXT: Location

    • GAME CONTEXT: Target Customer

    • GAME CONTEXT: Your Role

    • TOOLS REVIEW: Business Cycle Calendar

    • TOOLS REVIEW: Daily Record Keeping Journal

    • TOOLS REVIEW: Weekly Sales Journal

    • TOOLS REVIEW: Weekly Expense Journal

    • NEXT STEPS: Our LIVE class is coming up!

    • Before we start: Get ready to Zoom

    • Before we start: What to bring

    • Welcome to our LIVE class (Zoom)

    • HOMEWORK 2: Business Simulation I

    • CHECK-IN: How did it go?

    • CHECK-IN: How is it going?

    • UP NEXT: Looking Ahead to Week 3
  5. 5

    • Welcome Back

    • Managing Your Personal Expenses and Income

    • Personal Budget

    • NEW CONCEPT: Personal Expense Categories

    • DEFINITION: Personal Income

    • APPLYING YOUR LEARNING: Personal Income and Expenses

    • THINGS TO KNOW: Savings

    • THINGS TO KNOW: Understanding Your Credit

    • DEFINITION: Interest

    • Check Your Understanding

    • THINGS TO KNOW: Why is Having Good Credit Important?

    • THINGS TO KNOW: How to Correct Errors in a Credit Report

    • THINGS TO KNOW: Negative Information in your Credit Report

    • NEXT STEPS: Our LIVE class is coming up!

    • Before we start: Get ready to Zoom

    • Before we start: What to bring

    • Welcome to our LIVE class (Zoom)

    • HOMEWORK 3: Monthly Personal Income and Expense Budget

    • CHECK-IN: How did it go?

    • CHECK-IN: How is your learning?

    • UP NEXT: Looking Ahead to Week 4
  6. 6

    • Welcome to Week 4

    • THINGS TO KNOW: Basic Business Structure

    • DEFINITIONS: Business Expenses

    • DISCUSSION: Variable Expenses

    • NEW CONCEPT: Understanding Your Competitors

    • DEFINITION: Your Competitors

    • Things to Know: The Importance of Your Competition

    • Check Your Understanding

    • NEW CONCEPT: Your Target Market

    • DEFINITIONS: Defining Your Target Market

    • Things to Know: Mistakes to Avoid

    • NEXT STEPS: Our LIVE class is coming up!

    • Before we start: Get ready to Zoom

    • Before we start: What to bring

    • Welcome to our LIVE class (Zoom)

    • Homework 4: Competition and Target Marketing

    • CHECK-IN: How did it go?

    • CHECK-IN: How are you doing?

    • UP NEXT: Looking Ahead to Week 5
  7. 7

    • Welcome to Week 5: Business Simulation 2

    • THE GAME: Purpose

    • GAME CONTEXT: Different Product

    • GAME CONTEXT: New Team Role and Vendor

    • TOOLS REVIEW: Business Cycle Calendar

    • TOOLS REVIEW: Daily Record Keeping Journal

    • TOOLS REVIEW: Weekly Sales Journal

    • TOOLS REVIEW: Weekly Expense Journal

    • TOOLS REVIEW: Monthly Report

    • NEXT STEPS: Our LIVE class is coming up!

    • Before we start: Get ready to Zoom

    • Before we start: What to bring

    • Welcome to our LIVE class (Zoom)

    • HOMEWORK 5: Unit of Sale and Gross Profit

    • CHECK-IN: How did it go?

    • CHECK-IN: How are you doing?

    • UP NEXT: Looking Ahead to Week 6
  8. 8

    • Welcome Back

    • NEW CONCEPT: Breakeven

    • DISCUSSION: Breakeven

    • REVIEW: Types of Expenses & Three Types of Business Expenses

    • THINGS TO KNOW: Why Separate Your Expenses?

    • DEFINITIONS: Other Key Terms

    • NEW CONCEPT: Basic Business Cash Flow

    • NEW CONCEPT: Breakeven Formula

    • THINGS TO KNOW: The Profit and Loss Cake

    • Check Your Understanding

    • DEFINITION: Profit Margin

    • NEW CONCEPT: The Three Pricing Strategies

    • NEXT STEPS: Our LIVE class is coming up!

    • Before we start: Get ready to Zoom

    • Before we start: What to bring

    • Welcome to our LIVE class (Zoom)

    • HOMEWORK 6: Breakeven and Pricing

    • CHECK-IN: How did it go?

    • CHECK-IN: How are you doing?

    • UP NEXT: Looking Ahead to Week 7
  9. 9

    • Welcome Back!

    • NEW CONCEPT: Cash is King!

    • DEFINITIONS: Cash Flow Terms

    • THINGS TO KNOW: Cash Flow Planning

    • NEW CONCEPT: Cash Flow Crisis

    • THINGS TO KNOW: Managing Cash Flow

    • THINGS TO KNOW: Managing Cash Flow

    • DISCUSSION: Cash Flow Crisis

    • NEXT STEPS: Our LIVE class is coming up!

    • Before we start: Get ready to Zoom

    • Before we start: What to bring

    • Welcome to our LIVE class (Zoom)

    • HOMEWORK 7: Cash Flow

    • CHECK-IN: How did it go?

    • CHECK-IN: How are you doing?

    • UP NEXT: Looking Ahead to Week 8
  10. 10

    • Welcome to Week 8: Business Simulation 3

    • THE GAME: Purpose

    • GAME CONTEXT: Target Customer

    • GAME CONTEXT: Your Role

    • TOOLS REVIEW: Business Cycle Calendar

    • TOOLS REVIEW: Daily Record Keeping Journal

    • TOOLS REVIEW: Weekly Sales Journal

    • TOOLS REVIEW: Weekly Expense Journal

    • TOOLS REVIEW: Monthly Report

    • NEXT STEPS: Our LIVE class is coming up!

    • Before we start: Get ready to Zoom

    • Before we start: What to bring

    • Welcome to our LIVE class (Zoom)

    • HOMEWORK 8: My Target Customers and Market Analysis

    • CHECK-IN: How did it go?

    • CHECK-IN: How is it going?

    • UP NEXT: Looking Ahead to Week 9
  11. 11

    • Welcome Back!

    • NEW CONCEPT: Bookkeeping

    • THINGS TO KNOW: Setting up a Recordkeeping System

    • DISCUSSION: Setting up a Bookkeeping System

    • DEFINITION: Sources of Income

    • THINGS TO KNOW: Sales Records

    • DEFINITION: Sources of Expenses

    • THINGS TO KNOW: Expense Records

    • Check Your Understanding

    • THINGS TO KNOW: Types of Bookkeeping Systems

    • THINGS TO KNOW: Types of Taxes to File

    • Check Your Understanding: Identify the Type of Tax

    • NEXT STEPS: Our LIVE class is coming up!

    • Before we start: Get ready to Zoom

    • Before we start: What to bring

    • Welcome to our LIVE class (Zoom)

    • HOMEWORK 9: Executive Summary

    • CHECK-IN: How did it go?

    • CHECK-IN: How are you doing?

    • UP NEXT: Looking Ahead to Week 10
  12. 12

    • Welcome to Week 10

    • NEW CONCEPT: Marketing

    • REVIEW: What Makes a Good Product or Service?

    • THINGS TO KNOW: Your Unique Selling Proposition

    • REVIEW: Your Target Market

    • THINGS TO KNOW: Place

    • REVIEW: Pricing Strategies

    • THINGS TO KNOW: Promotion

    • THINGS TO KNOW: Social Media

    • THINGS TO KNOW: Business Names

    • THINGS TO KNOW: Press Release Content Basics

    • NEXT STEPS: Our LIVE class is coming up!

    • Before we start: Get ready to Zoom

    • Before we start: What to bring

    • Welcome to our LIVE class (Zoom)

    • HOMEWORK 10: Marketing Plan

    • CHECK-IN: How did it go?

    • CHECK-IN: How are you doing?

    • UP NEXT: Looking Ahead to Week 11
  13. 13

    • Welcome to Week 11

    • NEW CONCEPT: Business Financing

    • THINGS TO KNOW: Where Will This Money Come From?

    • THINGS TO KNOW: How Lenders Evaluate You

    • THINGS TO KNOW: What You’ll Need To Get Financing

    • NEW CONCEPT: Structuring Your Business

    • THINGS TO KNOW: Sole Proprietorship

    • THINGS TO KNOW: General Partnership

    • THINGS TO KNOW: Types of Corporations

    • Check Your Understanding

    • Your Next Step After the CBA: Business Acceleration Services (BAS)

    • NEXT STEPS: Our LIVE class is coming up!

    • Before we start: Get ready to Zoom

    • Before we start: What to bring

    • Welcome to our LIVE class (Zoom)

    • CHECK-IN: How did it go?

    • CHECK-IN: How are you doing?

    • UP NEXT: Looking Ahead to Week 12
  14. 14

    • Welcome Back!

    • NEW CONCEPT: Three Types of Intellectual Property Protection

    • NEW CONCEPT: Business Insurance

    • NEXT STEPS: Our LIVE class is coming up!

    • Before we start: Get ready to Zoom

    • Before we start: What to bring

    • Welcome to our LIVE class (Zoom)

    • CHECK-IN: How did it go?

    • CLOSING: You did it and thank you

    • CONGRATULATIONS: Get your CBA Certificate here!
  15. 15

    • More resources

FAQ

  • What's the cost?

    Tuition for The Community Business Academy is valued at $3,000 per student. Thanks to our generous supporters and donors, tuition is waived for every student accepted into the program. All participants, however, must pay a small materials and registration fee towards the course. Based on your household income, your fees are calculated on a sliding scale ranging from $150 to $375. Additional financial aid is available for those who qualify.

  • What will I learn?

    The homework assigned in class is designed to help you gather the basic information required in a business plan. You work actively on planning for your own business by learning how to answer the most important questions: [EDIT]

  • Who are the instructors?

    Our instructors all actively own or run small businesses, and have been through a one-year intensive training program geared towards maximizing their experience as entrepreneurs in teaching small business concepts.

  • What do students receive?

    Entrepreneurs who complete the program receive: [EDIT]