With a dream of opening a themed café in the South East suburb of Opawa in Christchurch, Ruth Mitchell knew the first step towards making this a reality was to develop her foundational business skills.
After conducting some research online, Ruth enrolled to study fulltime with eCampus NZ and set out to complete the New Zealand Certificate in Business (Introduction to Small Business) (Level 3) followed by New Zealand Certificate in Business (Small Business) (Level 4).
Having previously completed a Bachelor degree on campus, Ruth was keen for a different educational experience and eCampus NZ appealed to her. Ruth felt studying online was a great opportunity to learn to manage her own time and a necessary skill to develop as a business owner.
As a fulltime student, Ruth aimed to complete six hours of study a day with breaks in between. With the flexibility that eCampus NZ offers, Ruth studied from home or at the library.
Ruth has been impressed with the variety of resources available on the eCampus NZ learning platform, including articles and videos, and overall has found it interactive and engaging. She has also been really impressed with the tutors during her journey, particularly as she had some health issues along the way.
“The tutors have been really understanding and accommodating and are helpful and supportive.”
Since commencing her study Ruth has been able to start writing a business plan for her café.
“This has been great, as I will be able to show this to potential investors and the bank as I will need to get a loan to help fund my idea.”
The Certificate in Business Level 3 and 4 has also taught Ruth about basic business terminology including what a stakeholder is and how to interact with them. It has also expanded her knowledge of different resources that are available for business owners, such as HR software and Xero. Ruth sees this as being incredibly helpful for when the time comes to opening her business.
“I can’t recommend eCampus NZ enough, I have been really stoked with my experience.”