Any many simply can't afford to get help from an accountant.

The end result, she said, can be devastating.

Ms Collins ran South East Access in Ulladulla for 12 years and has spent the past three years helping micro and small business owners across the state.

She is now encouraging local business people to take advantage of a course that is being offered through the Illawarra Institute of TAFE's Ulladulla and Shoalhaven campuses.

The Certificate IV in Small Business Management will be offered for 12 months from July.

Ms Collins will be the teacher in Ulladulla and Angeline Bove will be the teacher in Nowra.

The cost will be $456 per half-yearly semester or $50 per year for those students entitled to a Commonwealth benefit or allowance.

Ms Collins said the course was ideal not only for people already in small business but those interested in starting a business or who work in management roles.

She said it would cover a range of different subjects including business planning, marketing, finance and human resources.

Students will learn how to maximise profits, get the most from their staff, find and keep more customers and understand and manage their finances.

Ms Collins said the course would be delivered in a flexible fashion for the benefit of those people running a business.

It will be delivered through a combination of face-to-face workshop sessions at the Ulladulla and Shoalhaven campuses, through self-paced learning using resources over the Internet and through live web chat sessions with teachers and fellow students.

There will also be one-on-one workplace visits.

Ms Collins said the course would help students take control of their businesses rather than relying on other people for help.

One of the positive offshoots, she said, would be the creation of a support network for those business owners taking part.

Illawarra Institute of TAFE's Head Teacher - Business Services, Grant Prowse, is confident the flexibility of the course will prove popular with small business owners.

He said it was a course that TAFE would continue to run, regardless of enrolments this year, because of its obvious value to those people in the Shoalhaven lacking the skills to run their businesses successfully.

More information about the course is available from Mr Prowse on 4448 0842 or via email at grant.prowse@det.nsw.edu.au.