Feasibility Studies and Business Planning Course
Across the Gulf, Africa and Asia, entrepreneurs and business professionals invest significant time and money into ventures that a rigorous feasibility study would have revealed were not viable, or viable but requiring a different approach than originally planned. This course trains participants to conduct the market, financial, technical and operational analysis that determines whether a business idea is worth pursuing, and then to translate viable ideas into credible business plans that satisfy investors, banks and business partners. The content is built around the specific business environments of the Gulf, Africa and Asia, not generic entrepreneurship models developed for Western markets.
The business planning and feasibility challenges participants bring to this course:
- You have a business idea and enormous enthusiasm but no systematic way to assess whether it is actually viable before investing your savings or your family's money
- You have been asked by a bank or investor for a business plan and you have written something that looks like a business plan but is actually an extended description of your idea
- Your financial projections are optimistic assumptions presented in spreadsheet format, not a realistic model of how the business will actually perform
- You have conducted a market analysis by reading industry reports and searching Google, not by understanding the specific market conditions in your city or country
- You are applying for support from Monshaat, the Saudi SME Authority, or a similar programme and you do not know what the application process actually requires
This course builds the analytical skills and business planning framework to address every one of these challenges.
Who Should Attend
Aspiring Entrepreneurs
People with business ideas who want to assess viability rigorously before committing resources.
Existing Business Owners
Business owners expanding into new markets or products who want a rigorous approach to the decision.
Government and Development Organisation Staff
Staff reviewing or approving business proposals and investment applications who want to assess them more rigorously.
Finance and Banking Professionals
Loan officers and investment analysts who review business plans and want a stronger analytical framework.
NGO and Development Programme Staff
Staff in enterprise development and livelihoods programmes who assess and support business plans.
Business and Management Students
Students and recent graduates wanting a practical applied complement to their academic business education.
What You Will Leave With
A complete feasibility and business planning toolkit applied to your specific business idea or context.
Programme Outline
Why this module matters: A feasibility study that does not understand the actual market the business will enter is not a feasibility study, it is an optimistic assumption documented in a structured format. Module 1 builds the market analysis skills that make feasibility assessment real.
- What a feasibility study is and what it is for: the difference between assessing viability and planning for success
- The four dimensions of feasibility: market, financial, technical, operational
- Market analysis in GCC, African and Asian contexts: primary and secondary research approaches
- Understanding your target customer in the Gulf and Africa: behaviour, purchasing patterns, price sensitivity
- Competitive analysis: who else is doing this, how well, and what gap your business fills
- Workshop: participants begin the market analysis for their own business idea
Why this module matters: Financial projections that are optimistic assumptions dressed as analysis deceive lenders and investors and, most expensively, the entrepreneur themselves. Module 2 builds the financial modelling skills for honest, realistic financial feasibility assessment.
- Revenue modelling: how to project revenue honestly rather than optimistically
- Cost structure: fixed and variable costs, the costs most first-time entrepreneurs underestimate
- Cash flow projection: the most important financial analysis for any new business
- Break-even analysis: when does this business become financially viable?
- Sensitivity analysis: what happens to the financial projections if key assumptions are wrong?
- Workshop: participants build the financial model for their business idea
Why this module matters: A business that is financially viable but operationally impossible will fail. Module 3 covers technical and operational feasibility and then builds the risk assessment that identifies what could go wrong before it does.
- Technical feasibility: can this product or service actually be produced or delivered to the required standard?
- Operational feasibility: location, staffing, supply chain, licensing, regulatory requirements in Gulf, African and Asian contexts
- Technology requirements and costs
- Risk identification: what are the most significant risks to this business?
- Risk mitigation planning: how to reduce the likelihood and impact of each key risk
- Regulatory environment: legal structure, licensing, tax, employment law in your specific country
Why this module matters: A feasibility study that says proceed needs to be translated into a business plan that guides execution and satisfies lenders and investors. Module 4 builds the business plan, using the feasibility work already done.
- What a business plan is for and who reads it: the bank, the investor, and the business owner herself
- Business plan structure: executive summary, company overview, market analysis, products and services, marketing and sales, operations, team, financial projections
- Writing an executive summary that makes the reader want to read the rest
- Marketing and sales strategy: how you will acquire and retain customers
- Operations plan: how the business will actually function day to day
- Workshop: participants build their business plan structure using the feasibility work from previous sessions
Why this module matters: A strong feasibility study and business plan are worth nothing if you cannot use them to access the finance your business needs. Module 5 covers the Gulf and African finance landscape, pitching skills and implementation planning.
- The finance landscape in the Gulf: Monshaat, Kafalah, Saudi Vision 2030 MSME programmes, bank SME products, angel investment
- The finance landscape in Africa: development finance institutions, impact investors, microfinance, savings cooperatives, mobile lending
- What banks and investors actually want to see in a business plan, and what immediately disqualifies one
- The investor pitch: presenting your business in 10 minutes to a room of people who will challenge everything
- Implementation planning: translating the business plan into the first 90 days of action
Common Questions
Do I need a specific business idea to attend?
Having a business idea you want to assess makes the course significantly more valuable, you will produce a real feasibility study and business plan draft during the course rather than generic examples. If you do not have an idea yet, you can work through the frameworks using a provided case study instead.
Is this relevant for businesses already operating?
Yes. Feasibility analysis is equally important for new product launches, market expansions and significant business pivots by existing businesses. The frameworks apply to any significant business decision, not only new business starts.
Related Courses
Know Whether Your Business Idea Is Worth Pursuing Before You Bet Your Savings on It.
Join entrepreneurs and business professionals from across the Gulf, Africa and Asia who have built the analytical skills to assess viability honestly and build business plans that open doors.
We run this course as a private programme for organisations. Bespoke dates, tailored content, group pricing.
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