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.
MOBI has a special agreement with the New York State Self-Employment Assistance Program (NYS SEAP) such that either the Starting a Business course or the Managing a Business course fulfills the program’s requirement for 20 hours of entrepreneurship training. According to this agreement, the Certificate of Completion earned through one of these two courses is the only verification students need to show completion of this entrepreneurship training requirement. Students can earn a Certificate by completing the course, passing the final exam with a score of 80 or higher, and submitting the student survey at the end of the course. Course quizzes and the final can be taken multiple times without penalty.
MOBI offers other courses, such as Growing a Business, the Quick Start Entrepreneur accelerated course, the Small Business Essentials audio and video course (in English with Spanish subtitles) and the Sales and Marketing Badge Course. These shorter courses are not part of MOBI’s agreement with NYS SEAP. Please discuss your interest in these courses with your NYS SEAP representative if you prefer to take them instead. As a matter of MOBI policy, we are not able to sign any documentation verifying the amount of time spent in any of our courses.
For more information, please see the questions and answers under the “NYS Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEAP)” item on this FAQ page.
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 Managing a Business 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 that meet the 20 hours of entrepreneurship training required by New York SEAP: Starting a Business, which covers the fundamental topics of starting a business, and Managing a Business, which covers topics associated with the day-to-day management of a business. Starting a Business is our most popular course. After you create and confirm your account, select the course you would like to take, and then click Enroll Me. You then pursue your course at your own pace. When you finish the course, pass the final exam with a score of 80 or higher, and submit the student survey you will be able to download a Certificate of Completion and digital badge directly from your account. The New York SEAP will accept your MOBI Certificate of Completion from either of these courses 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 Managing a Business 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 either the MOBI Starting a Business course or the Managing a Business 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 Managing a Business course?
The MOBI courses are accessible online anytime, and they are entirely self-paced. There are no 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, click Enroll Me, 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 report options within your MOBI account that may be useful to report your progress. The Outline Report provides an overview of your views of the content and quiz attempts. The Complete Report shows all your logins (day and time you log in, but not the duration of time spent), the activities you’ve seen, and your quiz and final exam attempts and grades. The Grades Overview provides your quiz and final exam scores. Dates the quizzes and exam were taken are not included in this report.
You can access these reports by logging into your account, selecting your Profile, clicking Details, then the course you’d like to view, then Details again (after activating the course), then select the report you’d like to view from the Reports menu box. You can then Save (Windows: Ctrl+s; Mac: ⌘ + s), or Print (Windows: Ctrl+p; Mac: ⌘ + p) your Complete Report. Then follow your normal process to print screen.” You can either select your printer to print it, or choose Save as PDF from the Printer drop down menu to save it. If you Save as a PDF the file will be downloaded to your computer and you will be able to email it, save it, or print it at another time.
To see step-by-step instructions with screenshots, click this View and Print MOBI Course Progress Report pdf.
MOBI On Demand is MOBI’s library of courses that offer curriculum in video, audio, and text formats for greater accessibility and flexibility. Students who take these courses can earn a Certificate of Completion and/or digital badge by fulfilling the course requirements. The introduction of MOBI On Demand includes a new course called Small Business Essentials available in English comprising ten sessions from MOBI’s catalog of 36 business topics.
MOBI On Demand courses, which feature audio and video learning options in addition to our standard text-based experience, are available in English exclusively on our learning management system. Just click Course Login or Enroll Now to either create an account or login to your existing account. Once you are logged in, select MOBI On Demand to see the current listing of courses to choose from. Like all MOBI courses, MOBI On Demand courses are free.
No. Students can view sessions and courses available in a video learning format by visiting our MOBI On Demand web page, or by logging into your MOBI student account (or creating an account) and clicking the MOBI On Demand option. The first MOBI On Demand course, Small Business Essentials, is available in English exclusively through our learning management system. So students will need to have an account to pursue video learning. Like all MOBI courses, MOBI On Demand courses are free.
Small Business Essentials is currently available in audio and video formats in addition to MOBI’s standard text-based learning experience. Small Business Essentials is the first course offered in the MOBI On Demand catalog. It is currently available in English. MOBI On Demand’s Small Business Essentials course is available exclusively through our learning management system. So those interested can create a new account or use an existing account to enroll. Like all MOBI courses, MOBI On Demand courses are free.
Students pursuing the audio or video learning options available through the MOBI On Demand Small Business Essentials course will need to log in and take the quiz for each session online. Quizzes can be taken as you go, all at once, or as you like. Students must pass each quiz with a score of 70% or higher and submit the student survey at the end in order to earn a Certificate of Completion and Digital Badge, which can be downloaded directly from your account. Quizzes can be taken multiple times without penalty. MOBI On Demand and the Small Business Essentials course are currently available in English.
Students enrolled in the Small Business Essentials course will have the option to pursue learning in a audio, video or text format, and they may choose a combination of all three. Since all three options are given for each topic (session), students who complete one of the options and a quiz may only see 50% completion for the session. Don’t worry, this is not your progress in the course! (We provide all options so we can track student preferences.) To see your course progress, click on the arrow in a red semicircle to the left of your course screen.
At this time MOBI On Demand is available in English and not Spanish. We look forward to expanding our library in the future.
At this time Small Business Essentials is available in English and not Spanish. Students can view subtitles in English or Spanish with the video option.
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.
Usernames and passwords are case sensitive. Check the CAPS LOCK key on your keyboard and confirm you are entering in your correct username and password. For more information please contact us.
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).
There are several report options within your MOBI account that may be useful to report your progress. The Outline Report provides an overview of your views of the content and quiz attempts. The Complete Report shows all your logins (day and time you log in, but not the duration of time spent), the activities you’ve seen, and your quiz and final exam attempts and grades. The Grades Overview provides your quiz and final exam scores. Dates the quizzes and exam were taken are not included in this report.
You can access these reports by logging into your account, selecting your Profile, clicking Details, then the course you’d like to view, then Details again (after activating the course), then select the report you’d like to view from the Reports menu box. (should we add the sentence from the Canva file here? You can then Save (Windows: Ctrl+s; Mac: ⌘ + s), or Print (Windows: Ctrl+p; Mac: ⌘ + p) your Complete Report.) Then follow your normal process to print screen.” You can either select your printer to print it, or choose Save as PDF from the Printer drop down menu to save it. If you Save as a PDF the file will be downloaded to your computer and you will be able to email it, save it, or print it at another time.
To see step-by-step instructions with screenshots, click this View and Print MOBI Course Progress Report pdf.
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.