Earn · Online small business basics
First 30 Days: how to start a small business with AI
Six lessons: choose an idea, test demand, price it, set up properly, keep records and know the tax thresholds, and win first customers honestly. Australia, UK and US. Self-paced, not an accredited qualification.
About this course
start a small business with AI.
Starter · About 1 hour of learning · 6 lessons · 12 quick checks · 1 download
Who it's for
Employees, parents and career changers in Australia, the UK, the US and elsewhere testing a side hustle or small business.
How it works
6 guided lessons in your browser, with worked examples, exercises and a quick check after each lesson. Progress is saved in this browser only, and you can restart at any time. You start with just your first name and email, and you can take one whole course that way. After that, a free account lets you continue past lesson 1.
Sources we rely on
17 published sources, mostly regulators and official bodies, listed below so you can check the original guidance yourself.
By the end you can
- Choose one idea to test using your skills, time and budget
- Run a small, cheap demand test
- Set a price that covers costs and your time
- Identify set-up, records and tax-registration steps for your country
- Win first customers honestly and avoid small-business scams
Downloads
- Side hustle 30-day planner .xlsxIdea scorecard, demand-test log, price floor and break-even calculator, set-up checklist, money log and 30-day plan, with Tomás’s example.
Rules by country
Learning time
About 1 hour of learning. May count towards your CPD or professional development; check your professional body's rules. Estimated from reading time, exercises, quick checks and downloads.
Go further
Ready to run it alongside your job?
Start a Side Hustle: From Idea to Execution, With AI as Your Co-Pilot. When your 30-day test says go, the premium course takes the same idea further: twelve modules from a go/no-go check to a 90-day launch plan, with AI as your co-pilot at every step and US, UK and Australia panels in every module.
Sources
Check the originals.
How these courses are made. Spotted an error or out-of-date rule? Send a correction.
Education only. We make no earnings or income claims: results depend on your skills, effort, market and many other factors, and most new ventures earn little at first. We don't teach investing, crypto trading, network marketing or dropshipping schemes, and we don't use affiliate links.
- Bogus business opportunities · Federal Trade Commission, Business Guidance (US)
- FTC announces crackdown on deceptive AI claims and schemes (Operation AI Comply, 25 September 2024) · Federal Trade Commission (US)
- Multi-level marketing businesses and pyramid schemes · Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Advice (US)
- False or misleading claims · Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)
- Advertising FAQ’s: a guide for small business · Federal Trade Commission, Business Guidance (US)
- Choose a business structure · U.S. Small Business Administration
- Applying for an ABN · Australian Business Register (Australian Government)
- Registering a business name · Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC)
- Become a sole trader · GOV.UK
- Tax-free allowances on property and trading income · HM Revenue & Customs, GOV.UK
- Here’s how to tell the difference between a hobby and a business for tax purposes · Internal Revenue Service (US)
- Self-employed individuals tax center · Internal Revenue Service (US)
- Registering for GST · Australian Taxation Office
- Register for VAT · HM Revenue & Customs, GOV.UK
- Online reviews for products and services · ACCC (Australia)
- FTC announces final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials (14 August 2024) · Federal Trade Commission (US)
- Report Fraud: the place to report, prevent and learn about cyber crime and fraud · Report Fraud, City of London Police (UK)
Publisher
Who publishes this course.
Published by trainyourself.org, a trading name of Combine TRS Pty Ltd (ABN 42 112 983 678), Brisbane, Australia.
How it's made: researched from published official, regulator and platform guidance, then run through automated quality checks against our course depth standard and automated source checks that match each rule to its official source, listed above. Read how these courses are made.
Last updated:
General information, not tax, accounting, legal or professional advice. Spotted an error or an out-of-date rule? Send us a correction.
Keep going
More in Online small business basics.
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Bookkeeping course for small business and the self-employed: set up books, invoices and records, US sales tax, UK VAT and AU GST basics, and month-end checks.
Start learning
Pick a course and start today.
Every open course starts with just your first name and email. Want to go further? Premium courses are open for enrollment now.