MAM - Community Business Academy (CBA) ENGLISH

MAM - Community Business Academy (CBA) ENGLISH –7 FALL 2025

This 12-week course offers hands-on training in business planning and management. Teaches business fundamentals like budgeting, marketing, bookkeeping, and financing.

Turn your passion into profit

12-weeks / 6 Credits

As entrepreneurs, you can expect to learn and share a lot in the Community Business Academy. The success of our program relies on your talents and contributions.

In this course, you will be building strong fundamental business skills like budgeting, marketing, bookkeeping, and financing.

Our experiential methodology embeds direct curriculum application so you are able to work on your business as you learn!

How It Works

Your learning experience.

1. Learn

Watch Video Lessons Before Your Live Sessions: These short video lessons are designed to introduce topics and get you thinking about your own business and questions you have. You can ask questions or share your thoughts in on-lesson discussions, take self-assessment quizzes and come back to these videos to review concepts whenever you'd like!
2. Engage

Participate in the Live Session: This is where the concepts you learned in the video lessons come alive. You'll discuss concepts, practice using these concepts through engaging exercises and connect what you learned to your own businesses. This is the community of the Community Business Academy!
3. Apply

Complete Homework: Each week for nine weeks you will have homework. This homework is designed to be your opportunity to apply what you learned to your own business. As entrepreneurs we spend a lot of time running our businesses. This is the time for you to think and plan for your business. Take the time and stay on top of your homework! We are here to support you through it all!

Our Instructors

Experts that care.

Course curriculum

1. Navigate our Learning System
2. Meet Your Online Instructor
3. Maximize the Course: Your Business and Time
4. Communicate with Your Instructors
5. Understand Our Process
6. LEARN: Complete and Continue
7. LEARN: Check Your Understanding
8. ENGAGE: On-Lesson Discussion
9. APPLY: Homework Tips
10. APPLY: Homework Practice 1
11. APPLY: Homework Practice 2
12. UPLOAD: Your Profile Image
13. DISCUSS (Getting Started): How did it go?
14. CHECK-IN (Getting Started): How are you doing?
15. REMEMBER: Graduation Requirements
1. Welcome to the Community Business Academy!
2. THINGS TO KNOW: The Design of the Class
3. DISCUSSION: Business is all about relationships!
4. REVIEW: Student Handbook (Download)
5. YOUR COMMITMENT: Student Handbook
6. FILL-IN: Pre-Survey
7. DISCUSSION: Getting To Know You
8. NEW CONCEPT: You – The Entrepreneur
9. ASSESSMENT: Self-Evaluation
10. NEW CONCEPT: The Business Idea
11. DISCUSSION: What Makes a Good Product or Service?
12. DEFINITION: Business Plan Outline
13. The Executive Summary Contest
14. FILL-IN: Check Your Understanding
15. NEXT STEPS: Our class is coming up!
16. BEFORE WE START: What to bring
17. HOMEWORK 1: Introduction
18. HOMEWORK 1: EXAMPLE
19. DISCUSSION (Week 1): How are you doing?
20. CHECK-IN (Week 1): How are you doing?
21. UP NEXT: Looking ahead to Week 2
22. REMEMBER: Graduation Requirements
1. Welcome back!
2. THE GAME: Purpose
3. GAME CONTEXT: Location
4. GAME CONTEXT: Target Customer
5. GAME CONTEXT: Your Role
6. TOOLS REVIEW: Business Cycle Calendar
7. TOOLS REVIEW: Daily Record Keeping Journal
8. TOOLS REVIEW: Weekly Sales Journal
9. TOOLS REVIEW: Weekly Expense Journal
10. NEXT STEPS: Our class is coming up!
11. BEFORE WE START: What to bring
12. HOMEWORK 2: Business Simulation I
13. HOMEWORK 2: EXAMPLE
14. DISCUSSION (Week 2): How did it go?
15. CHECK-IN (Week 2): How are you doing?
16. UP NEXT: Looking ahead to Week 3
17. REMEMBER: Graduation Requirements
1. Welcome Back
2. Managing Your Personal Expenses and Income
3. Personal Budget
4. NEW CONCEPT: Personal Expense Categories
5. DEFINITION: Personal Income
6. APPLYING YOUR LEARNING: Personal Income and Expenses
7. THINGS TO KNOW: Savings
8. THINGS TO KNOW: Understanding Your Credit
9. DEFINITION: Interest
10. FILL-IN: Check Your Understanding
11. THINGS TO KNOW: Why is Having Good Credit Important?
12. THINGS TO KNOW: How to Correct Errors in a Credit Report
13. THINGS TO KNOW: Negative Information in your Credit Report
14. RESOURCE: Example Credit Report
15. NEXT STEPS: Our class is coming up!
16. BEFORE WE START: What to bring
17. HOMEWORK 3: Monthly Personal Income and Expense Budget
18. HOMEWORK 3: EXAMPLE
19. DISCUSSION (Week 3): How did it go?
20. CHECK-IN (Week 3): How is your learning?
21. UP NEXT: Looking ahead to Week 4
22. REMINDER: Importance of Financial Coaching
23. REMEMBER: Graduation Requirements
1. Welcome to Week 4
2. THINGS TO KNOW: Basic Business Structure
3. DEFINITION: Variable Expenses
4. NEW CONCEPT: Understanding Your Competitors
5. DISCUSSION: Your Competitors
6. THINGS TO KNOW: The Importance of Your Competition
7. FILL-IN: Check Your Understanding (Competition)
8. NEW CONCEPT: Your Target Market
9. DISCUSSION: Defining Your Target Market
10. THINGS TO KNOW: Mistakes to Avoid
11. FILL-IN: Check Your Understanding (Target Market)
12. NEXT STEPS: Our class is coming up!
13. BEFORE WE START: What to bring
14. HOMEWORK 4: Competition and Target Marketing
15. HOMEWORK 4: EXAMPLE
16. DISCUSSION (Week 4): How did it go?
17. CHECK-IN (Week 4): How are you doing?
18. UP NEXT: Looking ahead to Week 5
19. REMEMBER: Graduation Requirements
1. Welcome to Week 5: Business Simulation 2
2. THE GAME: Purpose
3. GAME CONTEXT: Different Product
4. GAME CONTEXT: New Team Role and Vendor
5. TOOLS REVIEW: Business Cycle Calendar
6. TOOLS REVIEW: Daily Record Keeping Journal
7. TOOLS REVIEW: Weekly Sales Journal
8. TOOLS REVIEW: Weekly Expense Journal
9. TOOLS REVIEW: Monthly Report
10. NEXT STEPS: Our class is coming up!
11. BEFORE WE START: What to bring
12. HOMEWORK 5: Unit of Sale and Gross Profit
13. HOMEWORK 5: EXAMPLE
14. DISCUSSION (Week 5): How did it go?
15. CHECK-IN (Week 5): How are you doing?
16. UP NEXT: Looking ahead to Week 6
17. REMEMBER: Graduation Requirements
1. Welcome Back
2. NEW CONCEPT: Breakeven
3. DISCUSSION: Breakeven
4. REVIEW: Types of Expenses & Three Types of Business Expenses
5. THINGS TO KNOW: Why Separate Your Expenses?
6. DEFINITIONS: Other Key Terms
7. NEW CONCEPT: Basic Business Cash Flow
8. NEW CONCEPT: Breakeven Formula
9. THINGS TO KNOW: The Profit and Loss Cake
10. FILL-IN: Check Your Understanding
11. DISCUSSION Profit Margin
12. NEW CONCEPT: The Three Pricing Strategies
13. NEXT STEPS: Our class is coming up!
14. BEFORE WE START: What to bring
15. WELCOME: Our Class
16. HOMEWORK 6: Breakeven and Pricing
17. HOMEWORK 6: EXAMPLE
18. DISCUSSION (Week 6): How did it go?
19. CHECK-IN (Week 6): How are you doing?
20. UP NEXT: Looking ahead to Week 7
21. REMEMBER: Graduation Requirements
1. Welcome Back!
2. NEW CONCEPT: Cash is King!
3. DEFINITIONS: Cash Flow Terms
4. THINGS TO KNOW: Cash Flow Planning
5. NEW CONCEPT: Cash Flow Crisis
6. DISCUSSION: Cash Flow Crisis
7. THINGS TO KNOW: Managing Cash Flow
8. FILL-IN: Check Your Understanding
9. NEXT STEPS: Our class is coming up!
10. BEFORE WE START: What to bring
11. WELCOME: Our Class
12. HOMEWORK 7: Cash Flow
13. HOMEWORK 7: EXAMPLE
14. DISCUSSION (Week 7): How did it go?
15. CHECK-IN (Week 7): How are you doing?
16. UP NEXT: Looking ahead to Week 8
17. REMEMBER: Graduation Requirements
1. Welcome to Week 8: Business Simulation 3
2. THE GAME: Purpose
3. GAME CONTEXT: Target Customer
4. GAME CONTEXT: Your Role
5. TOOLS REVIEW: Business Cycle Calendar
6. TOOLS REVIEW: Daily Record Keeping Journal
7. TOOLS REVIEW: Weekly Sales Journal
8. TOOLS REVIEW: Weekly Expense Journal
9. TOOLS REVIEW: Monthly Report
10. RESOURCE: Game Files
11. NEXT STEPS: Our class is coming up!
12. BEFORE WE START: What to bring
13. HOMEWORK 8: My Target Customers and Market Analysis
14. HOMEWORK 8: EXAMPLE
15. DISCUSSION (Week 8): How did it go?
16. CHECK-IN (Week 8): How are you doing?
17. UP NEXT: Looking ahead to Week 9
18. REMEMBER: Graduation Requirements
1. Welcome Back!
2. NEW CONCEPT: Bookkeeping
3. THINGS TO KNOW: Setting up a Recordkeeping System
4. DISCUSSION: Setting up a Bookkeeping System
5. DEFINITION: Sources of Income
6. THINGS TO KNOW: Sales Records
7. DEFINITION: Sources of Expenses
8. THINGS TO KNOW: Expense Records
9. FILL-IN: Check Your Understanding
10. THINGS TO KNOW: Types of Bookkeeping Systems
11. THINGS TO KNOW: Types of Taxes to File
12. FILL-IN: Check Your Understanding 2
13. RESOURCE: Tax Forms and References
14. NEXT STEPS: Our class is coming up!
15. REMINDER: The Executive Summary Contest
16. HOMEWORK 9: Executive Summary
17. HOMEWORK 9: EXAMPLE
18. DISCUSSION (Week 9): How did it go?
19. CHECK-IN (Week 9): How are you doing?
20. UP NEXT: Looking ahead to Week 10
21. REMEMBER: Graduation Requirements
1. Welcome to Week 10
2. NEW CONCEPT: Marketing
3. REVIEW: What Makes a Good Product or Service?
4. DISCUSSION: Your Unique Selling Proposition
5. REVIEW: Your Target Market
6. THINGS TO KNOW: Place
7. REVIEW: Pricing Strategies
8. THINGS TO KNOW: Promotion
9. THINGS TO KNOW: Social Media
10. THINGS TO KNOW: Business Names
11. FILL-IN: Check Your Understanding
12. THINGS TO KNOW: Press Release Content Basics
13. NEXT STEPS: Our class is coming up!
14. BEFORE WE START: What to bring
15. HOMEWORK 10: Marketing Plan
16. HOMEWORK 10: EXAMPLE
17. RESOURCES: Going Forward with Business Acceleration Services (BAS)
18. FILL-IN: Go Forward Form
19. DISCUSSION (WEEK 10): How did it go?
20. CHECK-IN (Week 10): How are you doing?
21. UP NEXT: Looking ahead to Week 11
22. REMEMBER: Graduation Requirements
1. Welcome to Week 11
2. NEW CONCEPT: Business Financing
3. THINGS TO KNOW: Where Will This Money Come From?
4. THINGS TO KNOW: How Lenders Evaluate You
5. THINGS TO KNOW: What You’ll Need To Get Financing
6. NEW CONCEPT: Structuring Your Business
7. DISCUSSION: Consider Your Business Financing Needs
8. THINGS TO KNOW: Sole Proprietorship
9. THINGS TO KNOW: General Partnership
10. THINGS TO KNOW: Types of Corporations
11. FILL-IN: Check Your Understanding
12. RESOURCE: Crowdfunding Matrix
13. RESOURCE: Lending Partner Matrix
14. RESOURCE: Grameen America
15. RESOURCE: Kiva
16. Your Next Step After the CBA
17. NEXT STEPS: Our class is coming up!
18. BEFORE WE START: What to bring
19. DISCUSSION (Week 11): How did it go?
20. CHECK-IN (Week 11): How are you doing?
21. UP NEXT: Looking ahead to Week 12
22. REMEMBER: Graduation Requirements
1. Welcome Back!
2. NEW CONCEPT: Three Types of Intellectual Property Protection
3. NEW CONCEPT: Business Insurance
4. RESOURCE: Patents, Trademarks & Copyrights Guide
5. RESOURCE: How to Register a NJ Business
6. RESOURCE: School of Professional and Continuing Studies (SPCS) at Saint Peter’s University
7. NEXT STEPS: Our class is coming up!
8. BEFORE WE START: What to bring
9. FILL-IN: CBA Evaluation Form
10. ALMOST THERE: You did it and thank you
11. DISCUSSION (Week 12): How did it go?
12. CHECK-IN (Week 12): How are you doing?
13. REMEMBER: Graduation Requirements
1. CONGRATULATIONS: Get your CBA Certificate here!

About this course

Free
248 lessons
3 hours of video content

FAQ

What's the cost?

Tuition for The Community Business Academy is valued at $3,000 per student. Thanks to our generous supporters and donors, tuition is waived for every student accepted into the program. All participants, however, must pay a small materials and registration fee. Based on your household income, your fees are calculated on a sliding scale ranging from $150 to $375. Additional financial aid is available for those who qualify.
Who are the instructors?

Our instructors all actively own or run small businesses, and have been through a one-year intensive training program geared towards maximizing their experience as entrepreneurs in teaching small business concepts.
How do I apply?

Introduce yourself by filling out our program inquiry form here and we will walk you through next steps.