Owning your own business can be fun and challenging, plus there’s always room to grow and learn. But when you’re the boss, who is teaching you new things?
Taking online classes in your (likely limited) free time can help you expand your knowledge base and infuse new ideas into your business. If you’re thinking of starting a new business, or just want to make sure your current venture is the best it can be, here are a few courses to research.
1. Crafting a Small Business Plan
Where you take the class: Small Biz U
How much it costs: Free!
How long the course is: 10-part course, around 2 to 2.5 hours
What you’ll learn: Your business plan is key to helping you raise money for your company. You’ll learn what questions you need to answer, and the narrative you should tell. This course will help you craft a business plan worthy of the investor money you dream of.
Want a quick read about creating a business plan? Check out our guide.
2. Understanding SWOT Analysis
Where you take the class: UDemy
How much it costs: Free!
How long the course is: 31 minutes of on-demand video
What you’ll learn: SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. You’ll learn in further detail what these mean in relation to your business, how to analyze them to help you succeed, and how to apply this SWOT analysis regardless of where your business is in its life cycle.
Don’t have a half hour to learn about SWOT analysis? Check out our overview.
3. Cashflow Management for Small Businesses
Where you take the class: UDemy
How much it costs: $24.99
How long the course is: 37 minutes of on-demand video
What you’ll learn: Learn how to master cash-flow formulas, understand how taxes work with cash flow, and more.
4. Growth Hacking with Digital Marketing
Where you take the class: UDemy
How much it costs: $194.99
How long the course is: 7.5 hours
What you’ll learn: Through this course, you’ll learn how to integrate the data-driven and adaptive culture of Growth Hacking to improve digital marketing results. You’ll learn about content writing, conversion rates, email lists, and more.
5. The Personal MBA
Where you take the class: Creative Live
How much it costs: $99
How long the course is: 14 video lessons
What you’ll learn: Best-selling author Josh Kaufman will walk you through the basic principles taught in MBA courses across the country. You’ll learn marketing, sales, value delivery, and finance to build a foundation for your own business to thrive.
6. The Lean Startup
Where you take the class: UDemy
How much it costs: $39.99
How long the course is: 2.5 hours
What you’ll learn: You’ll learn the fastest way to streamline your minimum viable product so you can launch it, as well as the value of the Three A’s to make sure all the metrics you’re tracking are “actionable, accessible, and auditable.”
7.The Power of Body Language
Where you take the class: Creative Live
How much it costs: $199
How long the course is: 27 video lessons
What you’ll learn: In this class, you’ll learn to read people by gauging their visual cues, how to use body language to your advantage in meetings, and how to tell if people are lying.
8.The Complete SEO Course – Rank Your Website in Google Easily
Where you take the class: Udemy
How much it costs: $49.99
How long the course is: 11.5 hours
What you’ll learn: Find your target audience, learn the steps to optimizing your web page, and discover how to navigate the Google algorithms and SEO tools to your advantage.
9. Startup Business: How to Raise Seed Capital
Where you take the class: UDemy
How much it costs: $94.99
How long the course is: 2.5 hours
What you’ll learn: This course will help you apply for startup financing—and get it! Understand how investors think, learn how to accelerate your fundraising efforts, and find out how to prepare a fundraising campaign.
10. The Complete Product Management Course
Where you take the class: UDemy
How much it costs: $199.99
How long the course is: 5.5 hours
What you’ll learn: Discover Apple’s method of creating “laser-focused” products, learn how to test your product over the weekend, find out how to build your product portfolio in a way that will elevate your business, and more.
