Small Business Entrepreneurship | Gateway Technical College

Gain a real-world look at what it’s like to be an entrepreneur and reach your goals through advice and encouragement from experts.
Gain comprehensive entrepreneurship training in topics such as accounting, business purchasing, marketing, promotions and supervisory tactics that will help you turn your business idea into a career.
Work with peers and mentors to learn how using an entrepreneurial mindset can make you valuable to any organization.
Become an entrepreneur and achieve your goal of owning, planning, developing or managing a small business. Enjoy a career that sparks your passion and makes your community a better place.

Program Credits

61

LOCATION

Online

Financial Aid Eligible

Yes

ESTIMATED PROGRAM COST

Tuition & Fees: $10,407
Books and Supplies: $5,274

Start Dates

Fall

Salary Outlook

$60,029

Career Opportunities:

President, Owner, Managing Director, Business Development Representative, Director

Small Business Entrepreneurship Career Pathway

Career Pathways are designed to help you reach your educational goals and explore college and career options. Pathways are made up of related certificates, diplomas and degrees that build on common skills and knowledge. You can begin at any point on the Career Pathway and customize your pathway to fit your goals. View the pathway for your area of interest.

There are many opportunities, both in high school and through previous college, work, and/or military experience, to earn credit for prior learning at Gateway.

Associate degrees are typically completed in two years by full-time students and combine hands-on technical skills with general education. Associate degree opportunities in this pathway include:

Small Business Entrepreneurship

Prepare to enter your exciting new career, or choose to continue your education with another Gateway program or by transferring your credits to a four-year college or university.

Curriculum Sheet:

10-145-1 Small Business Entrepreneurship Full-Time 2025-26 Curriculum Sheet.pdf

Part Time Curriculum:

10-145-1 Small Business Entrepreneurship Part-Time 2025-26 Curriculum Sheet.pdf

Course Number: 103-143Credits: 3.00

This course introduces students to the use of a PC through hands-on practice. Students explore the fundamentals of using digital technologies to connect, learn, and engage. Students will use the version of Microsoft Office software (MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint) in use at Gateway Technical College. Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to use MS Office applications.

Course Number: 801-136Credits: 3.00

This course is designed for learners to develop knowledge and skills in all aspects of the writing process. Planning, organizing, writing, editing and revising are applied through a variety of activities. Students will analyze audience and purpose, use elements of research, and format documents using standard guidelines. Individuals will develop critical reading skills through analysis of various written documents.

Course Number: 890-155Credits: 1.00

In this course, students explore the Gateway Technical College community. They examine college resources and services, investigate skills that lead to academic success, and identify strategies for achieving educational and personal goals.

Course Number: 145-123Credits: 3.00

In this course, learners evaluate the underlying beliefs and assumptions that drive the behavior enabling entrepreneurs to succeed. Learners apply these techniques in three settings, entrepreneurial, enterprise, and personal. This gives the learner a formula to apply these foundations to enact change in all aspects of their life. Upon the completion of the course, learners will take that knowledge and apply it to the creation, implementation, and evaluation of a self-directed project with a topic of their choosing.

Course Number: 196-191Credits: 3.00

In Supervision, the learner applies the skills and tools necessary to perform the functions of a frontline leader. Each learner will demonstrate the application of strategies and transition to a contemporary supervisory role, including day-to- day operations, analysis, delegation, controlling, staffing, leadership, problem-solving, team skills, motivation, and training.

Course Number: OPTION-ACCT.1ACredits: 3.00

Please complete 101-112 Accounting for Business or 101-114 Accounting Principles. This is for informational purposes only. Once you register for your course, you can delete this block from your timeline.

Course Number: 104-137Credits: 3.00

In this course, learners investigate marketing through digital channels. Using electronic devices, learners investigate mobile applications, email, and web applications. They examine how web design, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and reputation management are applied to digital promotion. Upon completion of the course, learners will be able to initiate, manage, and evaluate digital marketing strategies for a business.

Course Number: 145-119Credits: 3.00

Can your idea be turned into a profitable business? Will power and hard work are not enough to guarantee success. You must first determine the feasibility of your idea. Before you quit your job, invest your life savings or dedicate time to complete a business plan, wouldn't it be nice to know whether business ownership is right for you? In this class, you'll examine your business idea from every angle. Not only will it help you make a decision about starting your business, you will discover whether the life of an entrepreneur is right for you.

Course Number: 804-134Credits: 3.00

All college students, regardless of their college major, need to be able to make reasonable decisions about fiscal, environmental, and health issues that require quantitative reasoning skills. An activity based approach is used to explore numerical relationships, graphs, proportional relationships, algebraic reasoning, and problem solving using linear, exponential and other mathematical models. Students will develop conceptual and procedural tools that support the use of key mathematical concepts in a variety of contexts.

Course Number: OPTION-COMM.1ACredits: 3.00

Please complete 801-196 Oral/Interpersonal Communication or 801-198 Speech. This is for informational purposes only. Once you register for your course, you can delete this block from your timeline.

Course Number: 809-198Credits: 3.00

This course introduces students to some of the major theories and topics of psychology, including the physiological basis of behavior, personality and learning theories, memory, states of consciousness, stress, research methods, intelligence, human development, psychopathology, and social behavior.

Course Number: 101-128Credits: 3.00

In this course, learners investigate Intuit's cloud-based software. They set up a business and record customer, vendor, inventory, banking, credit card, general ledger, and payroll transactions. Learners generate financial statements and other financial accounting related reports. Upon completion of the course, learners are able to pursue the Intuit QuickBooks Certified User exam.

Course Number: 102-160Credits: 3.00

Business Law is a survey course which introduces the student to relevant legal issues that affect business today. Students will learn the fundamentals of law from the U.S. Constitution to the Uniform Commercial Code, from Contract Law to Property Law, and will be able to identify the legal basis of various business activities.

Course Number: 145-120Credits: 3.00

Regardless if you need financing or not, a business plan is essential for the entrepreneur to be successful. This course will take a comprehensive look at your prospective business. Looking at key components that will include evaluating and developing your product/service offering, marketing plan, financial plan and growth plan. At the end of class you will develop a business plan for your proposed business.

Course Number: 145-106Credits: 3.00

This course covers the aspect of effectively managing the resources of a small business. Covering the topics of managing finances, staff, marketing and technology. The student will work on projects that will be focused on their specific business needs and will assist the student in planning how to handle their day to day operations.

Course Number: 196-193Credits: 3.00

This course establishes a foundation for development of employee effectiveness by focusing on the supervisor's role in understanding, communicating, and implementing organizational policies. The organizational topics covered include: employee hiring, training, performance management, contract compliance, employment law, employee assistance programs, and related topics that affect the supervisor's work group.

Course Number: 104-133Credits: 3.00

In this course, learners explore social media marketing and determine how these media are revolutionizing the marketing landscape today. Learners integrate social media to increase brand awareness, identify key audiences, and generate leads. Upon successful completion of the course, learners will be able to use social media strategies to build meaningful relationships with customers.

Course Number: OPTION-ECON.4ACredits: 3.00

Please complete 809-143 Microeconomics or 809-195 Economics. This is for informational purposes only. Once you register for your course, you can delete this block from your timeline.

Course Number: 145-122Credits: 3.00

In this course, learners explore the role financial reporting has on the decisionmaking process within an organization. Learners explain the structure and content of financial statements, how to analyze financial statements, and explore the role these statements have on an organization. Upon completion of the course, learners will develop financial projections for their proposed business/concept.

Course Number: 104-104Credits: 3.00

Principles of Selling provide the student with a basic understanding of the consultative selling process. This course will build a solid understanding of the steps in the professional sales process, examining the characteristics of a successful salesperson, buyer behavior, communication styles, and ethics. Class discussions of actual selling problems will be encouraged in addition to solving case problems, scenario role plays, and student's sales presentations.

Course Number: 145-121Credits: 3.00

This course goes beyond the business plan and students will have the opportunity to start their own business. Students will combine classroom experience with the management of their business. To make this happen students will be assigned a mentor that will help them through the process. The goal of the course is to assist students in implementing their businesses in an ethical and socially responsible manner that ultimately enhances the local business community.

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Application for Admission & Application Fee
Students must meet one of the following multiple measures: earned a technical diploma or higher,* earned a minimum high school GPA of 2.6, earned a minimum college GPA of 2.0 or submit ACT or Accuplacer test scores. Submit any needed transcripts or test scores. *Please note short term technical diplomas do not fulfill Multiple Measures. These programs include Nursing Assistant, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Advanced EMT, and Truck Driving.