Start and Run a Small Business
Turn a good idea into a simple, well-run small business, with practical examples from Kenya.
Taught by Zalika Africa Faculty · Updated 30 Sep 2026
What you will learn
- Identify a real customer problem and a business idea that fits your skills
- Test demand for an idea cheaply before you invest
- Write a one-page business plan with costs, prices and first goals
- Set a price using cost plus margin and calculate profit
- Separate business and personal money and keep simple daily records
- Explain cash flow, and plan savings and reinvestment
- Serve customers well, market on WhatsApp and Facebook, and describe the steps to register a business in Kenya
Course content
3 modules · 9 lessons · 1h 42m
1. From Idea to Plan3 lessons
- Spotting a real problemPreview10m
- Testing demand cheaply10m
- A one-page business plan12m
- Quiz: From Idea to Plan5 questions
2. Money3 lessons
- Pricing: cost plus margin12m
- Separating business and personal money, and keeping records13m
- Cash flow, saving and reinvesting12m
- Quiz: Money5 questions
3. Customers and Growth3 lessons
- Customer service and repeat customers10m
- Marketing on WhatsApp, Facebook and by word of mouth11m
- Registering, managing risk and avoiding common mistakes12m
- Quiz: Customers and Growth5 questions
About this course
This course is for anyone who wants to start a small business, or to make an existing one stronger. Perhaps you want to sell food, run a salon, open a small shop, sew clothes, offer cleaning services or sell online. You do not need a business degree. You need an idea, a little time and a willingness to keep simple records.
You will learn how to find a real problem worth solving, test demand without spending much, and write a one-page business plan. You will practise setting prices, separating business and personal money, keeping records, understanding cash flow and saving to grow. You will also learn how to treat customers well, market on WhatsApp and Facebook, think about registration in Kenya, and avoid common mistakes.
A small business can be an extra income at home, a plan for when you return from working abroad, or a way to use your skills. This course gives you practical tools and KES examples. It does not promise profit, because every business carries risk. Registration rules, taxes and fees change, so always check the official sources named in the lessons.
What you need
- A phone, tablet or computer with internet access
- Basic reading and arithmetic skills (adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing)
- A notebook or a spreadsheet app for the exercises
Who this is for
- Young people who want to start a small business
- Small traders and self-employed people who want to improve their business
- People who plan to start a business after working abroad
- Anyone who wants extra income from a skill or a side business
Your certificate
Complete every lesson and pass the assessments with 70% or more to earn a Zalika Africa certificate of completion with a QR code employers can verify online. The certificate is included at no extra cost.
Your instructor
Zalika Africa Faculty
Teaching team, Zalika Africa Institute
Courses from the Zalika Africa Institute teaching team — the trainers behind our on-campus caregiver, home-management and housekeeping programmes in Westlands, Nairobi.
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