Business Strategy and Planning

By the end, you can analyse an industry and a business using common tools (SWOT, Porter's Five Forces, the Business Model Canvas) and write a short, realistic business plan with clear goals and numbers.

Job-ready skillAbout 50 hours3 stagesFree

0%complete

Lessons play here, from free YouTube courses.

Choose a lessonOpen on YouTube

Business strategy is deciding where a business will compete and how it will win, and business planning turns those decisions into goals, budgets and actions. These skills help South African entrepreneurs, small businesses and employees make better decisions and apply for funding.

Turn on JavaScript to track your progress. The lessons are:FoundationsUnderstand how businesses are started and run: customers, value, costs, competition and growth.Task: Choose a real small business in your area (for example a salon, tuck shop or car wash). Complete a Business Model Canvas for it (free template from Strategyzer) and write one sentence explaining each of the nine boxes.Core skillsUse strategy tools to analyse an industry and a business's position in it.Task: For the same business, do a SWOT analysis and a Porter's Five Forces analysis of its industry in your area. Rate each force as low, medium or high and explain why. Write three strategic options that follow from your analysis.Applied practiceSee the Five Forces applied to real industries and turn your analysis into a practical plan.Task: Write a 2–3 page business plan for the business or your own idea: the problem and customer, your strategy, a 12-month action plan with three measurable goals, a simple budget and cash flow forecast in Google Sheets, and the main risks. Present it to someone in business and record their feedback.

Your plan

My weekly pace

Study streak: 0 days

Ask a friend to hold me to it

Want a mentor to check in each week? Join check-ins.

What competent looks like

Can complete a Business Model Canvas for a real business
Can do a SWOT and Porter's Five Forces analysis and draw conclusions from them
Can set clear, measurable goals and link them to actions and a budget
Can build a simple 12-month cash flow forecast
Can present a business plan clearly and respond to questions

The South African route

Business strategy is not a regulated profession. You can prove the skill with a portfolio of analyses and business plans, and grow it through a business management certificate, diploma or degree; government agencies such as Seda support small business planning.

Free resources

The Business Model Canvas (free template)
Strategyzer
Small business planning, training and support
Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda)

These links go to free courses and sites run by other organisations. We chose them in October 2026 but do not run them, so check costs, dates and entry requirements on their site. Broken link? Tell us.

Jobs it can lead to

Business development assistant
Junior business analyst
Strategy or planning assistant
Small business owner or co-founder
Enterprise development programme assistant