Starting a business is easier than ever – with the Internet to help, there are numerous avenues you can take to start a business, depending on your idea and your initial budget. 

However, while starting a business might be easier than ever, actually running a business requires a lot of knowledge, just like always and perhaps even more so, considering the level of competition and innovation. 

Even if it’s a small business idea, in an industry that you’re very familiar with, the actual ins-and-outs of running a business can get overwhelming very fast: from handling supplies and manufacturers, to managing employees and to running successful marketing campaigns, there are numerous aspects that you need to get a good handle on before you start. 

Put simply, your business has the best chance of success when you have the right knowledge and apply it. So what are some of the best ways you can acquire knowledge to grow your business?

• Books: many successful business owners and investors have distilled years of knowledge about running businesses into books. By reading these books, you can get vital tips to apply to different areas of your business
• Websites/Blogs: the internet has made information readily available to entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs. By following these types of sites regularly, you can learn from people who are running businesses successfully
• Conferences: business conferences are avenues to learn more about business operations from experts. Furthermore, it’s an opportunity to build relationships with other entrepreneurs and investors 
• Games: simulating some situations on games can provide needed experience before you execute those steps in the real world. And the beauty of games is that there’s no risk of losing money even if you fail. That’s why I want to tell you about Odoo Scale-Up! – it’s a super fun and effective way to learn what it takes to run a business before you get started

In this guide, I’ll show you how to prepare to be an entrepreneur and business by leveraging Odoo Scale-Up!  

What is Odoo Scale-Up?

This is a game that helps you to gain experience without the risk of losing money. Whether you’re just planning to start a business or you’ve started one, Odoo Scale-Up! will provide knowledge about different scenarios while running your business.

To cover all the bases, the business game has 7 business cases that players can play to test their knowledge about that aspect of a business. For each scenario, there are 8 to 10 cards that represent tasks for each business case.

The 7 business cases are:

• 1. Buy & Sell
• 2. Run a Store
• 3. Sell Services
• 4. Manufacture
• 5. Use Barcodes
• 6. Sell Online
• 7. Create your App

From the list, you’ll see that no matter the type of business you run, there are beneficial cases for your business.

The business game rules

With the 7 business cases and 8 to 10 cards each for the tasks, how do you calculate your score for the game?

First, you’ll have to read the task on each card. Then, you’ll execute these tasks online on www.odoo.com. Once you’re done, you’ll check the back of each card to see if your solution tallies with Odoo’s.

If your solution tallies, you’ll place the front side of the card up. Otherwise, you’ll place the back side of the card up. The number of points you have is the number of stars at the bottom right corner of the card.

At the end of the game, you can add up your scores to get the total score. Look at this example of a task:

All you have to do is execute these tasks online without checking the back of your card. After the task, check the back of the card:

Here, there’s an additional point if you executed the tasks in a particular way.  

Buy & Sell

If you’re going to sell specific products to your customers, then buying and selling are vital actions. First, you have to buy the best products at the best prices possible and sell to your customers at profitable prices. 

The Scale-up! game is using MyOffice Inc., a furniture company, as a case study you can learn from.

In this scenario, there are 9 activities which include:

• Create a product
• Purchase large desks
• Receive products
• Control the bill
• Sell products
• Deliver to customer
• Invoice customer
• Record payment
• Analyze profits

To simulate the Buy & Sell business case (or any other business case), you’ll have to register your company’s database on Odoo. Then, you’ll select relevant apps to execute the tasks.

In this case, these apps are purchase, sales, accounting, and inventory. Once you select these apps, you can start to configure them for your game. 

If you want to buy and sell, one of the most important steps is to source for products to buy. How well can you find the right suppliers? Furthermore, which supplier will give you the best deal?

By making the right decisions here, you can purchase your products at the lowest cost possible. Beyond that, you need to decide your stock level based on how many products you can sell.

When you receive your product, you need to sell and deliver your products to customers. Also, you need to invoice them and analyze your profits after sales.

How well can you do these? By the end of the tasks, you’ll find out.

Run a Store

While buying and selling through your sales catalogue is good for a start, you can grow your business by running a store. This way, you’ll have your products on display for prospects who need to check your products before making a purchase.

For this business case, you’ll have to perform 8 tasks which are:

• Import products
• Sell 3 LED lamps
• Close session
• Configure cash control
• Sell with an invoice
• Return 1 LED lamp
• Control cash
• Analyze the PoS Sales

To run a store, you’ll have to undergo some processes. Are you aware of these processes and how well can you execute them?

For instance, you have to manage more products on-site when you import them from the manufacturers. How do you accept payments? How do you prepare an invoice for your customers?

Another important issue you have to deal with is product returns. When a customer returns a product, you need to balance your account. Going through this business case will provide valuable knowledge if you’re planning to sell through a store.

Sell services

What if your prospects need your expertise to achieve some results for them? In this case, a customer might need your expertise as a furniture maker to help them furnish their new office.

Apart from this, there are businesses that offer just services to their customers. To play the game for this business case, you’ll have to perform the following tasks:

• Set up a project
• Create a task
• Perform the job
• Configure a product
• Sell the design service
• Record timesheet
• Invoice customer

Before you can perform these tasks, you’ll need to install Odoo apps such as project, timesheets, and sales to track these activities. With these tasks, you’ll learn how to present your services, carry out the job, record timesheet, and invoice your customer.

Manufacture

So your business is booming and your products are flying off the shelves. This creates a new opportunity for your business. Rather than continue to operate at thin margins, you can cut costs by manufacturing your products in-house.

However, you’ll need new skills to execute the vital tasks to make manufacturing successful. The tasks for manufacturing include:

• Define the bill of materials
• Purchase raw materials
• Receive products
• Manufacture 3 tables
• Set up routings and work centers
• Plan a manufacturing order
• Add a quality check
• Check your quality test
• Control cost

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