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Learn the trade, then build on it

Twenty Start-Up Fundamental Courses. Each one teaches you a trade properly and then guides you through starting a business of your own with it.

An old post-medieval printing tile and stamp from a working press
A trade is a set of decisions somebody already made. That is what a course gives you.

Twenty courses. Basic ₹5,999 for 2 months. Advance from ₹15,000 to ₹35,000 over six months.

Two ways to take it

Basic is the course on its own, two months of it. Advance runs six months in all: the course, a two month internship, and then either placement help or start-up guidance. The last one is your choice.

2 months

Basic

₹5,999₹9,99940% off

₹5,999 across all courses

The course on its own. The trade taught properly, the business around it, and a ninety day plan with dates on it.

  • The full course, two months, taught live by a mentor
  • The trade itself, and the business built around it
  • Unit economics, registration and pricing guidance
  • A ninety day plan for getting to the first ten customers
  • A numbered certificate on completion

6 months in total

Advance

From₹15,000₹24,99940% off

₹15,000 to ₹35,000 depending on course

Six months in all. Two months of course, two months of internship, and two months of placement help or start-up guidance. You pick the last one.

  • Everything in Basic, at the same standard
  • A two month internship on a track, worth ₹2,499 on its own
  • Placement help, or start-up guidance and support from a mentor
  • Whichever of the two you would rather have
  • A numbered certificate on completion

The twenty courses

Every course is the same shape: the trade itself, then the business around it, then a plan for the first ninety days. Basic is the course on its own, and Advance adds an internship and six months of support.

Digital marketing

Digital

Run ad accounts and retainers for local and regional brands instead of selling one-off campaigns.

₹5,999₹9,99940% offBasic, two months

₹35,000₹59,99942% offAdvance, six months

What you learn

Ad account structure, campaign planning, offer design, proposal writing, reporting and the rate card that makes the numbers work.

What you get to build on

A proposal template, a rate card you can raise every quarter, a client onboarding process and the first three clients on a retainer.

The first ninety days

  • Write the proposal template and the rate card
  • Win and deliver three pilot campaigns
  • Move two of them onto a monthly retainer

Bakery and confectionery

Food

An artisanal baking business with the boring parts already handled: costing, licensing and delivery channels.

₹5,999₹9,99940% offBasic, two months

₹35,000₹59,99942% offAdvance, six months

What you learn

Recipe development, costing per unit, food safety, shelf life, packaging and presentation that survives a delivery box.

What you get to build on

FSSAI licensing guidance, a costed product list, wholesale and packaging sourcing, and a plan for Swiggy, Zomato or a local counter.

The first ninety days

  • Cost every item to the rupee and drop the losers
  • Lock two packaging and delivery partners
  • Open a pre-order channel and take a hundred paid orders

Beauty and wellness

Lifestyle

A salon, studio or skincare label built on repeat bookings rather than one-off footfall.

₹5,999₹9,99940% offBasic, two months

₹35,000₹59,99942% offAdvance, six months

What you learn

Service design, product knowledge, treatment protocol, hygiene standards and how to make a client come back on a schedule.

What you get to build on

A priced service menu, room economics, booking and reminder software, product sourcing, and a local launch campaign that fills the first month.

The first ninety days

  • Price the six services that actually make money
  • Set up booking and reminders that run without you
  • Fill the first month of appointments

Fashion and tailoring

Lifestyle

Boutique apparel, made-to-measure tailoring and bridal work with a supply line that does not surprise you.

₹5,999₹9,99940% offBasic, two months

₹35,000₹59,99942% offAdvance, six months

What you learn

Pattern drafting, fabric handling, measurement and fitting, quality control and a catalogue that photographs well.

What you get to build on

A fabric and trims vendor list, a costing sheet per garment, an atelier layout, and an order pipeline for bridal and bulk work.

The first ninety days

  • Build the fabric and trims vendor list
  • Cost a bridal order from cloth to finished garment
  • Take five made-to-measure orders end to end

Photography and video production

Media

A commercial studio selling product shoots, corporate video and event coverage, not unpaid hours.

₹5,999₹9,99940% offBasic, two months

₹35,000₹59,99942% offAdvance, six months

What you learn

Lighting, camera work, colour, editing, sound, a shot list, a day-rate shoot plan and how to direct a client on the day.

What you get to build on

Equipment kits by budget, a commercial pitch deck, day-rate pricing, a delivery workflow and a showreel that sells.

The first ninety days

  • Sign three local brands on a retainer
  • Cut a sixty second showreel that sells
  • Publish a rate card the market accepts

Graphic design

Creative

Branding, packaging and design systems sold to businesses that need to look credible by Friday.

₹5,999₹9,99940% offBasic, two months

₹35,000₹59,99942% offAdvance, six months

What you learn

Typography, layout, colour, brand systems, file preparation for print and screen, and presenting work to a client who will decide.

What you get to build on

A brand identity framework, a proposal kit, an agency rate card, an onboarding process and a portfolio of three strong directions.

The first ninety days

  • Rebuild one local brand identity end to end
  • Publish a portfolio of three strong directions
  • Close two clients on a monthly design retainer

Interior design and architecture

Built

Interior consultancy and execution where the estimate matches the bill at handover.

₹5,999₹9,99940% offBasic, two months

₹35,000₹59,99942% offAdvance, six months

What you learn

Space planning, materials and finishes, 2D drawings and simple 3D views, site measurement and how to present a concept that sells.

What you get to build on

Modular estimation sheets, a vendor and contractor network, site supervision checklists and milestone billing so the project pays on time.

The first ninety days

  • Price one live project from drawing to handover
  • Sign ten vendors on agreed rates
  • Bill a milestone correctly and on time

Agriculture and farming

Land

Modern farming as a business: protected cultivation, cold chain and the subsidy paperwork nobody enjoys.

₹5,999₹9,99940% offBasic, two months

₹35,000₹59,99942% offAdvance, six months

What you learn

Crop selection, soil and water, protected growing, yield planning, post-harvest handling and honest unit economics per acre.

What you get to build on

Subsidy and claim support, a crop and unit economics model, cold chain planning, and a buyer agreement signed before the harvest.

The first ninety days

  • Model yield and cost for one crop cycle
  • Submit the first subsidy or claim application
  • Sign a buyer agreement before the harvest

Fashion designing

Apparel & Design

Boutique apparel, custom tailoring and designer collections with a dependable fabric and production pipeline.

₹5,999₹9,99940% offBasic, two months

₹30,000₹49,99940% offAdvance, six months

What you learn

Pattern drafting, garment construction, fabric selection, body measurements, fitting corrections, fashion sketching, and catalogue presentation.

What you get to build on

A vendor network for fabrics and trims, per-garment costing sheets, boutique studio setup, and an order pipeline for custom and bridal orders.

The first ninety days

  • Finalise the fabric, trims, and production vendor list
  • Cost three sample designer garments from raw fabric to finished piece
  • Secure and deliver five made-to-measure client orders

Beautician

Beauty & Wellness

A professional salon, studio or bridal beauty business built on repeat bookings rather than one-off footfall.

₹5,999₹9,99940% offBasic, two months

₹30,000₹49,99940% offAdvance, six months

What you learn

Skin anatomy, bridal and party makeup, hair styling and treatments, facial techniques, nail aesthetics, hygiene standards, and client consultation.

What you get to build on

A high-margin priced service menu, salon consumable sourcing, booking and reminder workflows, bridal package pricing, and local launch promotions.

The first ninety days

  • Price the six core services and three bridal packages that drive profit
  • Set up booking and reminder workflows that run smoothly
  • Fill the first month of appointments with local clients

Bakery

Food & Confectionery

Artisanal baked goods, custom celebration cakes and cafe confectionery with batch costing, food safety and delivery packaging sorted.

₹5,999₹9,99940% offBasic, two months

₹25,000₹39,99937% offAdvance, six months

What you learn

Recipe formulation, scaling per unit, artisan breads, celebration cakes, food safety, shelf-life management, and transit-safe packaging.

What you get to build on

FSSAI licensing guidance, recipe costing sheets, wholesale ingredient and box sourcing, and plans for Swiggy, Zomato, or counter sales.

The first ninety days

  • Cost every menu item to the rupee and eliminate low-margin items
  • Lock in two dependable packaging and ingredient suppliers
  • Open a pre-order channel and take one hundred paid orders

Mashroom cultivation

Agri-Business

Commercial oyster, button and milky mushroom farming in climate-controlled rooms with regular harvest cycles and direct sales channels.

₹5,999₹9,99940% offBasic, two months

₹15,000₹24,99940% offAdvance, six months

What you learn

Spawn selection, substrate preparation, sterilization, temperature and humidity control, harvest timing, contamination management, and drying.

What you get to build on

Shed setup economics, spawn vendor contacts, fresh produce packaging, wholesale mandi and restaurant buyer tie-ups, and dried mushroom value-addition.

The first ninety days

  • Set up the climate-controlled growing shed and complete the first substrate batch
  • Harvest the first trial crop and calculate the daily yield per bag
  • Sign supply agreements with five local grocers, restaurants, or distributors

Vermicompost production

Organic Agriculture

Premium organic worm-cast fertilizer production from agricultural waste and cattle dung for nurseries, farms and urban landscapers.

₹5,999₹9,99940% offBasic, two months

₹15,000₹24,99940% offAdvance, six months

What you learn

Earthworm species selection (Eisenia fetida), composting bed design, moisture and temperature monitoring, feeding cycles, separation, and vermiwash.

What you get to build on

Raw biomass and dung sourcing, composting bed layout, sieving machinery, moisture-proof packaging, nursery distribution channels, and lab testing.

The first ninety days

  • Construct five starter beds and introduce parent earthworm cultures
  • Harvest and sieve the first batch of nutrient-rich organic compost
  • Supply trial 50kg bags to ten nurseries, landscapers, or progressive farmers

Fruit/vegetable processing

Food Processing

Value-added preservation for jams, pickles, juices, purees, and dehydrated produce with extended shelf-life and FSSAI standards.

₹5,999₹9,99940% offBasic, two months

₹25,000₹39,99937% offAdvance, six months

What you learn

Thermal processing, preservation methods, acidity/sugar ratios, dehydration, vacuum packaging, nutritional labelling, and food hygiene protocols.

What you get to build on

Farm-gate seasonal produce sourcing, FSSAI manufacturing compliance, glass jar and pouch supply chains, retail margins, and distributor tie-ups.

The first ninety days

  • Formulate and lab-test three core preserved products with verified 6-month shelf life
  • Source food-grade tamper-evident packaging and design barcode labels
  • Place trial batches across fifteen local retail stores and specialty grocers

Small dairy unit

Dairy & Livestock

Micro-dairy enterprise covering 2 to 10 cattle, hygienic milk production, cattle nutrition, and direct-to-home milk subscriptions.

₹5,999₹9,99940% offBasic, two months

₹15,000₹24,99940% offAdvance, six months

What you learn

Breed selection (cows and buffaloes), cattle housing, green fodder cultivation, total mixed ration nutrition, disease prevention, and milk testing.

What you get to build on

NABARD dairy entrepreneurship subsidy schemes, shed layout, veterinary tie-ups, doorstep subscription delivery model, and value-added paneer/ghee margins.

The first ninety days

  • Plan the shed layout, water infrastructure, and feed ration schedule
  • Establish daily milk testing for fat/SNF and hygienic bottling
  • Acquire thirty daily household milk subscription customers

Flower plantation

Floriculture

Commercial flower farming of marigolds, roses, gerberas or tuberose aligned with temple demand, weddings, events and mandi markets.

₹5,999₹9,99940% offBasic, two months

₹25,000₹39,99937% offAdvance, six months

What you learn

Commercial flower varieties, drip irrigation, pest and fungus control, pruning, flowering synchronisation with festival dates, and stem harvest grading.

What you get to build on

Seasonality and festival pricing calendars, mandi commission agent contacts, direct event decorator contracts, cold-chain transport, and per-acre return models.

The first ninety days

  • Prepare the plantation beds with soil enrichment and drip line setup
  • Synchronise planting schedules with upcoming local wedding and festival dates
  • Contract with three event decorators and two wholesale flower mandi stalls

Fish farming

Aquaculture

Freshwater aquaculture and pond management for Indian major carps and high-demand fish with high survival rates and rapid feed-to-weight conversion.

₹5,999₹9,99940% offBasic, two months

₹25,000₹39,99937% offAdvance, six months

What you learn

Pond construction and liming, water parameter testing (pH, dissolved oxygen, ammonia), fingerling stocking densities, floating feed regimes, and disease prevention.

What you get to build on

Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) subsidy guidance, hatchery fingerling supply lines, harvest logistics, and live fish market distribution.

The first ninety days

  • Condition the pond water parameters and stock verified healthy fingerlings
  • Implement a strict daily feeding chart and bi-weekly sample weight tracking
  • Establish harvest-day pre-booking with wholesale fish vendors and restaurants

Goat Farming

Animal Husbandry

Stall-fed commercial goat rearing for meat breeds like Sirohi, Boer, and Barbari, structured around disease prevention and seasonal market peaks.

₹5,999₹9,99940% offBasic, two months

₹25,000₹39,99937% offAdvance, six months

What you learn

Breed selection, elevated stall housing design, kid nursery management, deworming and vaccination calendars, silage preparation, and feed conversion.

What you get to build on

National Livestock Mission (NLM) subsidies, livestock insurance, breeding stock acquisition, festival sale timing (Eid/festive demand), and meat trader networks.

The first ninety days

  • Construct an elevated shed with adequate ventilation and feeding troughs
  • Procure vaccinated parent stock with verified veterinary health certificates
  • Formulate a dry and green fodder schedule to maintain targeted weight gains

Chicken Farming

Poultry

Commercial broiler or free-range desi poultry farming with biosecurity protocols, low mortality rates, and scheduled batch rotations.

₹5,999₹9,99940% offBasic, two months

₹25,000₹39,99937% offAdvance, six months

What you learn

Brooding temperature management, chick nutrition, litter management, lighting schedules, water sanitisation, vaccination, and FCR optimization.

What you get to build on

Shed orientation and insulation, day-old chick (DOC) supplier contracts, feed cost management, chicken wholesale mandi sales, and farm-gate buyer agreements.

The first ninety days

  • Sanitise and equip the brooding area with brooders, feeders, and drinkers
  • Successfully raise the first batch of chicks with under 3% mortality
  • Establish weekly wholesale off-take agreements with local chicken retailers

Pig Farming

Livestock

Modern commercial swine production focusing on prolific breeds, hygienic pen management, rapid fattening, and regional pork processing markets.

₹5,999₹9,99940% offBasic, two months

₹25,000₹39,99937% offAdvance, six months

What you learn

Piglet farrowing care, creep feeding, pen drainage and hygiene, waste management, balanced swill/commercial feed ratios, and disease prevention.

What you get to build on

Government livestock subsidy schemes, breeder stock procurement, hygienic transport, direct hotel/butchery supply channels, and commercial pork margins.

The first ninety days

  • Construct partitioned concrete pens with reliable water supply and drainage
  • Source vaccinated breeding gilts and establish a scheduled breeding cycle
  • Secure supply contracts with regional pork processors and butchery networks

What the course covers

Both plans include the course. A course on its own teaches a skill. Starting a company needs about forty other decisions, and those are the ones this is really about.

The trade, taught properly

  • The full craft for your course, taught by someone who does the work
  • Live sessions, the same weekly review and the same standard as every Icadox course
  • One finished piece of work or setup, which becomes the first thing you sell

The business behind it

  • Unit economics worked out for the thing you actually want to sell
  • MSME, GST, and trade-specific licensing guidance (FSSAI, NABARD, Livestock schemes)
  • Pricing, packaging and the first version of what you put in front of a customer

Finding the first ten

  • A written list of who your first ten customers or buyers are, and how to reach them
  • A simple offer, and the pitch or supply agreement that goes with it
  • A ninety day plan with dates on it, so you know what to do on a Tuesday

A mentor afterwards

  • Reviews while the course runs and after it, while the business is running
  • Honest feedback on the price, the offer and the numbers
  • Help when a decision is too big to take alone

The two months of course

Course work and business work run together, because a business you cannot explain is not a business yet. Advance carries on past this with the internship and the support.

Month one

Learn the craft and write the offer

The course runs properly. In parallel we agree what you will sell, who buys it and what it costs to make.

Month two

Build the first version and the paperwork

One working version of the product or service, the registration, the invoice template and the pricing.

After the course

Sell it to ten people

A list of a hundred names or buyers, ten conversations, and paid work or supply orders from at least three of them.

Every month after

Review, adjust, keep going

Monthly reviews with a mentor until the numbers work or you decide the idea was wrong. Both are fine outcomes.

Ask about the start-up courses
An old post-medieval printing tile and stamp photographed on a pale ground
Every trade starts with a tool somebody else figured out first.
A set of wooden letterpress blocks with the alphabet on their faces
Wood type. The oldest way to put a price on a thing.
A plate of hand-drawn calligraphic alphabets from a draughtsman's copybook
A draughtsman's alphabets, drawn by hand for the printing trade.

Tell us which one you want to learn and what you have already tried. We will tell you honestly whether this course is the right next step for you.

Pick the trade

Free, no obligation, and you leave with a written answer about which level fits you.