Free entrepreneurship training for over-50s

As people strive for a greater work life balance, working part time and focusing on turning an idea, interest side-hussle or even a hobby into a fully-fledged business can seem appealing.

Now the University of Salford is offering a free course to these so called ‘laterpreneurs’ to help them both explore potential business ideas and develop their business skills in areas such as finance, online strategy and networking.

The course is designed for over-50s who want to learn all about running a successful business. It can be done around a day job and completed almost entirely online.

Course leader Hazel Squire said: “The world has changed since covid, with people now re-evaluating their lives. For those in mid-life and after there may be opportunities to develop a business idea and this course is perfect to help people get their idea off the ground. It is designed for people who are new to running their own business and to those who have never started their own business but are thinking about doing so.”

As part of the course students will look at the following aspects of running a business;

• Understanding your business idea: the validity of your business idea, pricing, your target market and what potential there might be for success.
• Branding and Value Proposition: This session is all about building a brand around your business idea including defining your values, mission and the purpose of your enterprise.
• Building an online strategy: Development of an online strategy, marketing ideas and practical marketing options. 
• Designing a business operation plan: Aligning your business operation to support and deliver on the marketing promise. Process flows and capacity management. This session is all about how you can make your business idea work in reality.
• Finances: We will look at everything you need to start, develop and manage your day to day finances including overheads, personal survival plan, how to set targets and make sales.
• Networking event: Time to make connections with already existing successful businesses within Greater Manchester and learn from best practices shared.
• Business start-up (check-in clinic): This session will bring together all the previous elements, to check in with your progress and understanding but also think about what you need personally to take the next steps of starting up your business.

We are also looking for existing `older` business people to network and support those on the training, so if you feel you are able to support then please get in touch.

The course starts in September with other start dates later in the year.