Starting a Business 3: Customers and Competitors (FutureLearn)

Whether you have an idea for a future venture or you already have a side-line business whilst studying, this course will help you to recognise and understand your target market. It will give you the time to plan and help you to start documenting your thoughts in a structured business plan while allowing you to share your ideas with others.

This course is the third in a series of six about ‘starting a business’.

What topics will you cover?

- Define a market: identifying customers and competitors

- The theory of understanding markets: the differences between a market and an industry

- Analyse a market: the market size and its potential

- How to determine a business’ target market

- Competitor analysis

- How to target specific customers

- The business plan: customers and competitors

Learning on this course

You can take this self-guided course and learn at your own pace. On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

- Assess the importance of understanding customers and competitors when starting a business.

- Discuss the difference between a market and an industry to help define the market and the product or service to offer to that market.

- Evaluate the entrepreneur’s business challenge: Which markets should Ashleigh target for her product?

- Explore the market for a business plan.

- Discuss the size, scale and characteristics of your market.

- Summarise your key competitors or those of another business by performing a competitor analysis.

Who is the course for?

This course is part of the Going to University collection which has been specifically designed for students at schools and colleges. They provide a taster of undergraduate study at the University of Leeds and help students to decide which subject to study at university.

Completion of the courses will also enhance students’ university applications.

The courses can also be used as a teachers’ classroom enrichment resource.

Courses in this collection are also great for people that want an introduction in the specific subjects discussed in each course.