Running a Small Business
Learn the core mechanics of operating a profitable, resilient business from the ground up. Master the essentials of customer acquisition, financial tracking, team leadership, and standard operational systems.
Like Duolingo, but for Running a Small Business. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
22 levels across 4 sections, about 44 minutes end to end, roughly 9 days at five minutes a day. It moves through Attracting Customers and Generating Sales; Mastering Profit, Loss, and Cash Flow; Hiring and Leading a Productive Team; and Building Sustainable Operations. It starts from scratch.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in Running a Small Business
- A compelling value proposition explicitly identifies who the service is for and what problem it removes
- Listing equipment or features describes what the business uses, not why a customer buys
- Vague descriptors like 'affordable' and 'reliable' fail to differentiate the offer from competitors
- Warm contacts already trust you enough to give immediate, honest answers about their willingness to pay
- Paid advertising requires spending cash on testing audiences, copy, and creative before knowing whether the offer resonates
- Direct conversations reveal why someone will or will not buy in real time
- Value-based pricing sets rates based on the money, time, or hassle saved for the client rather than the hours spent
- Cost-plus pricing artificially caps revenue on high-impact work that takes little time to complete
- Clients happily pay higher prices when the fee is still significantly lower than the return they receive
- Leaving the ball in the customer's court with open-ended phrases leads to indefinite delays
- A strong close proposes a specific date, action, or deadline tied to an outcome the customer wants
- Serving early customers directly reveals where they get confused, delayed, or dissatisfied
- Fixing operational bottlenecks must happen before driving large numbers of new buyers into a flawed process
- Scaling marketing while delivery has friction multiplies complaints, refunds, and negative reviews
- Customer acquisition cost is the total marketing money spent to win a single paying customer
- Customer lifetime value is the total profit a customer brings across their entire relationship with your business
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives Running a Small Business the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
What does a clear value proposition tell a potential customer?
Get it right to open this lesson and 21 more in the app.
How to learn Running a Small Business, step by step
Go in order. 22 short levels across 4 sections, about 44 minutes in all, five minutes a day.
- 1
Attracting Customers and Generating Sales
- Winning Your First Paying Customers
- Building a Repeatable Customer Acquisition Engine
- 2
Mastering Profit, Loss, and Cash Flow
- Calculating Profit and Reading a P&L
- Managing Cash Flow and Financial Runway
- 3
Hiring and Leading a Productive Team
- Hiring for Measurable Capabilities
- Managing Everyday Team Performance
- 4
Building Sustainable Operations
- Creating Systems That Run Reliably
4 sections · 7 units · 22 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
Questions about Running a Small Business
How do I learn Running a Small Business?
Go in order: start with Attracting Customers and Generating Sales, then Mastering Profit, Loss, and Cash Flow, then Hiring and Leading a Productive Team, then Building Sustainable Operations. On Tomo that's 22 short levels, about 44 minutes in all, played five minutes a day. Start free and play the first level in under a minute.
Is there a Duolingo-style app for Running a Small Business?
Yes. Tomo works like Duolingo: short daily lessons, streaks and quick quizzes. Running a Small Business is one of its free courses, and you can type any other topic to get a course of your own.
Is the Running a Small Business course free?
Yes. Running a Small Business is playable on Tomo's free plan, which doesn't expire. No credit card, no waitlist. Download the app and start your first lesson.
How long does it take to learn Running a Small Business?
22 levels across 4 sections, about 44 minutes of play in total. It's built for five minutes a day, so you finish it a little at a time instead of all at once.
Do I need any background to start Running a Small Business?
No. It's pitched at a beginner level, so it starts where you are and builds up. If you can tap a phone, you can start.
Tomo is in ChatGPT
Tomo is also a ChatGPT plugin: the same playable courses, built and played inside your chat.
Add Tomo to ChatGPT- What to ask
- “Make me a Tomo course on black holes.” “Turn this chat into a Tomo course.”
- What you get
- Quick questions with instant feedback, hearts and stars, ready to play in about a minute.
- Where it goes
- No sign-up to start. Connect your Tomo account and your streak carries on in the app.
You pick the voice
Running a Small Business is taught in the Professor style: clear, structured, thorough. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start Running a Small Business today.
Download Tomo, search Running a Small Business, and play your first lesson in under a minute.