The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section is for you. We address common concerns and questions that you may have. This section deals with the specifics. It's the go-to destination for finding answers to specific questions about your future business operation. Spending time with our FAQ section will benefit you.
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Yes, online courses at My Own Business Institute (MOBI) are offered for FREE to everyone! MOBI is here to help you determine if you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur before you make a financial or emotional commitment. The courses come with an exam and a certificate at the end, to prove completion.
At MOBI, we give small business owners what they need: practical advice that's easy to understand, based on what works. Since 1992, we’ve teamed up with successful small business owners to summarize the essential lessons that every entrepreneur must know. This means that our coursework is directly designed by academics and proven business leaders who have pursued their own road to entrepreneurship.
Many students do not take the courses in their entirety. There are pitfalls explained throughout the Starting a Business, Business Expansion, and Quick Starter Entrepreneur courses that a serious entrepreneur needs to know in order to be fully prepared for decision-making success or moving on to the next level.
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You can access our courses on your mobile device through our main MOBI website at www.scu.edu/mobi/. Our courses are also enabled to be accessed on mobile devices through the Moodle app. Once the app is downloaded, you can enter our URL: courses.myownbusiness.org to access MOBI's courses.
After you create an account with MOBI, then you will receive an email that contains a link to confirm your account. This is to ensure that we have the correct email address for you. You will click on the link in the email and be taken to a webpage that notifies you that your account has been confirmed. On the screen, you will have the option to press the "Continue" button, which will take you right into your MOBI account. From there, you select either Starting a Business, Business Expansion, Quick Start Entrepreneur, or Sales & Marketing Badge Short Course and begin! Click How to Confirm Your Account Guide to view images with instructions.
Any serious entrepreneur who plans to risk savings and personal assets in a business should take all the sessions, all the quizzes, and complete all the suggested activities. The Starting A Business and Business Expansion courses are each compromised of 15 sessions, the Quick Start Entrepreneur course is made up of 10 sessions and 6 bonus sessions, and the Sales & Marketing Badge short course includes 7 sessions. Each session can take 1 to 4 hours to complete to obtain a reasonable level of understanding in each topic. We recommended investing time in the lessons.
Since this is a self-paced course, we do not monitor students' time. However, we do recommend about 1 to 4 hours for each session. This would make each program equivalent to a 15-hour course.
As non-credit bearing courses, MOBI does not issue letters to verify participation or completion. Students, however, can access their gradesheets and quiz scores through their online account. In some instances, a print out of the Outline Report or Complete Report will satisfy the requesting party (e.g., employment agency, potential employer).
I am participating in the Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEAP) in New York, does the MOBI program meet the requirements?
Yes, the MOBI Starting a Business and Business Expansion courses meet the New York Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEAP) requirement for 20 hours of entrepreneurial training.
I am participating in the Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEAP) in New York, which MOBI course should I take?
MOBI offers two courses: Starting a Business and Business Expansion. Most students begin with Starting a Business. After you create and confirm your account, select the Starting a Business course with the current calendar year in the course name, such as “Starting a Business 2020.” The New York SEAP will accept your MOBI Certificate of Completion as proof of your achievement in meeting the 20 hours of entrepreneurial training requirement.
Can I get proof of 20 entrepreneurial training hours or have an instructor sign my paperwork for my New York Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEAP)?
The New York SEAP will accept the MOBI Certificate of Completion for either the Starting a Business course or the Business Expansion course as proof that you have spent the amount of time for entrepreneurial training required by their program. No additional documentation, verification letters, or reports are required.
Does MOBI fulfill the 20 hours of entrepreneurial training required by the Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEAP) in the state of New York?
Yes, New York’s SEAP recognizes the MOBI Starting a Business course and Business Expansion course as entrepreneurial training that meets the requirement. The New York SEAP will accept your MOBI Certificate of Completion as proof of achievement of this requirement. No other documentation is required.
I am filling out the forms for the New York Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEAP) and they are asking what the training dates are and number of hours. How do I answer these questions if I am taking the MOBI Starting a Business course or the Business Expansion course?
The MOBI courses are accessible online anytime, and they are entirely self-paced. There are not set training dates, since you can take the course anytime you like. For the purposes of the New York SEAP form, you can enter the date you begin your course. First you create an account, then you receive an email to confirm your account. Once your account is confirmed, you can select your course and begin! Regarding the number of hours, New York SEAP accepts the MOBI Certificate of Completion as proof participants have met their requirement for 20 hours of entrepreneurial training. So it is acceptable to include 20 hours on the New York SEAP enrollment forms.
The New York SEAP asks for a progress report mid-way through our training. What should I provide from the MOBI course for this?
There are several options to report your progress. When you log into your account and select your course, you will see several report options on the right side of your screen (as shown below). The Outline Report shows the sessions and resources you have viewed as well as your quiz grades, and the days and times for each of these events. The Grade Overview shows your quiz grades. The Complete Report shows the days and times you have logged into your account, the sessions you have viewed or not viewed, and your quiz attempts and results.
None of the reports track the duration you spend within your course. Each MOBI course has 15 sessions. Provide one of these reports when you are approximately half-way (Session 7 or 8) as a progress report for your program. When printing, you can select to Save as PDF as your Destination rather than choosing a printer (as shown in the image). This creates a PDF document on your Desktop or in your Downloads that you can email.
Everyone learns at his/her own pace. Take as much time as you need.
Students are urged to take the final exam very seriously. This knowledge is essential to your business. If you do badly on the first attempt, you may take it again, but make sure to learn the material thoroughly.
The certificate proves that you have mastered the content of the course. It shows that you have a very good understanding of business principles and have the tools you need to start or grow a small business. This is important information for partners, lenders, and customers who put their faith and their money in your business.
Upon completion of the final exam with a score of 80% or higher, you will immediately be able to download and print your Certificate of Completion from your account. The Starting a Business course also requires students to complete a brief Student Survey at the end of the course prior to gaining access to their Certificate.
Once you have earned an 80% or better on the final exam AND have completed the Student Survey at the end of the course, your Certificate of Completion will be available for download. Click to open Downloading Your Certificate.pdf for steps:
1) Once you log in, select the course you took, scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click on the link for the Final Exam.
2) As long as both the Final Exam and the Student Survey have check marks to confirm completion, the Certificate link will be activated. Click on the Get Certificate link. (Only Starting a Business requires the Student Survey. For the Business Expansion course, students need only to pass the final with a score of 80% or higher to download their Certificates.)
3) A PDF of your Certificate will download once you click on the Get Certificate button and you can then print it.
Congratulations on earning your MOBI Certificate!
MOBI is honored to offer our students a digital badge when they successfully complete a course. Digital badges can be added to social media profiles, websites, and other communications to demonstrate your achievement.
To earn a digital badge, students must pass the final exam with a score of 80% or higher and submit the feedback survey (for full courses), or pass all quizzes with scores of 80% or higher and submit the feedback survey (for badge short courses). To download a PDF with instructions click here: How to Access Your Digital Badge. Or click the button to the right to access the same document.
If you would like to set up a Badgr account to manage and store your digital badges, here is a YouTube video that can help.
Yes. Many of our students come from outside the United States.
Some legal aspects will be different. But, for the most part, the business principles taught are universal. All around the world, small business owners face the same challenges of Marketing, Managing Employees, Finance, Accounting, Business Expansion, etc.