What are must-take online courses for entrepreneurs?
I'm always looking to expand my knowledge on how to be a better entrepreneur and love taking online courses. I've bookmarked a few on skillshare.com (such as intro to photoshop and unorthodox marketing strategies), but I'd love to hear suggestions on great online courses I should be taking!
I'd prefer courses that have to do with marketing, branding, or general business, but all suggestions are welcome.
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Dec 17, 2013
It's not officially available until the middle of next month, but I'm willing to share the sneak preview with the MosaicHUB community:
New Elevator Pitch Home Study Course
You're already good at what you do.
Learn to
Share your passion
In a way that
Inspires people to call you.
http://improvandy.com/new-home-study-course/
Dec 13, 2013
http://sssmarketinguniversity.com/members/go.php?r=53
Without a doubt, the best course and series I've taken.
Dec 11, 2013
Hi Kimberly. I have worked with my small company about a year now. My advice is to spend a lot of time out there among customers, partners, potential customers etc. Build your network, if possible try to find a partner. Get to know the business by listening to the customers requirements. Ask some people with opinion for lunch to listen to their stories. If possible look for a senior entrepreneur as mentor.
Five good reasons for being an entrepreneur. You can:
+ sleep when you want
+ work when and where you want
+ say what you want
+ wear what you want and
you do not have to go to school..
Dec 11, 2013
Hi Kimberly. I would strongly recommend to read the free material Google offers about their advertising platform Google AdWords. They have some pretty good stuff that could be useful to get an understanding of their online marketing world.
Dec 10, 2013
I would check out the courses offered on http://www.creativelive.com/ They have a variety of presenters and a very active and informative group of attendees. If you have not had the opportunity to experience Lewis Howes definitely check out his website at http://lewishowes.com/ Through Lewis you can make connections to various other entrepreneurs who all cover differing topics with different approaches. A few others to check out would be: Laura Roeder at http://lkrsocialmedia.com/ Marie Forleo at http://www.marieforleo.com/ Brendan Burchard at http://brendonburchard.com/ Hopefully this starts you down the path you are looking to follow.
Dec 9, 2013
That's a great question Kimberly, if I were to take online classes and I was not trying to obtain a degree of some kind; I would look at (under30ceo.com) they offer free courses. Things like, How to build a start-up, 21 critical lessons for entrepreneurs and foundation of business strategy, to name a few.
There are also some Colleges and University that offer free online courses; Capilano College, Kutztown University and (MIT).
In my personal opinion sites like (INC.com) an (Entrepreneur.com) is a great source for any entrepreneurial needs, from marketing to logo's. I have found those two sites help me make great decision and gave me innovative ideas.
Dec 9, 2013
Thanks Bobby, I've never heard of under30ceo.com but I'm already liking the looks of it! I definitely frequent inc & entrepreneur.com already, both are great resources with interesting, quick reads.
Dec 9, 2013
Hello Kimberly,
I completely agree with what has been said already but I have a feeling you are about to book a couple of online courses anyway :) So allow me to share my opinion as well.
You should have a basic idea of everything regarding how to run a business, that obviously includes marketing, branding, and other topics. What's more important though is that you have a core competency or area of expertise and that you are the best you can possibly be. So if you'd have to choose, I would recommend taking a course that expands your knowledge in your area of expertise.
Wishing you success, money, and happiness,
Christina Mendel
Business Success Coach, Entrepreneur, Speaker
Dec 8, 2013
Dear Kimberly:
Having recently completed my third book, The Future of You! Creating Your Enduring Brand, I decided to create a video conference series on Udemy. The request from my many clients was to provide a more personal training; a fireside chat atmosphere where the content could be understood and applicable to different situations.. As an entrepreneur, one does not have the luxury of sending out mixed messages. He or she must manage their reputation and become their best PR Manager. This course will help you to re-assess how you are marketing your personal brand and provide best practices and real-life situations to guide you.
I sincerely hope you invest in this course and look forward to hearing back about your experience. It's important to be open to learning and I wanted to commend you on your determination. Cheers, Roz
https://www.udemy.com/the-future-of-you-creating-your-enduring-brand/
Dec 7, 2013
I have real problems with the question. If you want to gain better business skills then there are countless courses that will help you to do that. However, there is a real danger that you will lose the essence of entrepreneurship which is that creative spark; that ability to innovate and to think outside the box.
None of these things are ones that can be taught sitting at a monitor taking courses. None of the countless entrepreneurs that I have worked derived their solutions from a course or courses.
I recently published an article on here about preparing for entrepreneurship, and I believe that activities such as creating a meal from whatever is in the refrigerator without using a recipe is much more use than an online course on cashflow forecasts!
Dec 7, 2013
Dear Kimberly,
The free courses here https://www.coursera.org/
are very good I found the accounting one particularly useful.
Dec 7, 2013
That depends on what your goals are. If your goals are to go out an learn something new - then it can be anything. If your goal is toward growing your business, then look at the areas of your business that you know the least about and challenge yourself to improve in those areas. The one caution I would state is that as a business owner you can't be an expert at everything - learn enough to get by and hire people smarter than you in specific areas to leverage that expertise into your business model.
If you can't afford to hire then the course you need to take is on sales, because without sales you won't be able to learn from your customers or grow your business.
Dec 7, 2013
Unfortunately, entrepreneurs don't like accounting, but there are some critical maxims: (1) you can't manage what you don't know, and (2) what gets measured gets managed. Business is about numbers so you need to take a course on accounting. Business is also about customers so you need to take a course on marketing, too. Any other questions - let me know.
Dec 7, 2013
Hi Kimberly
The most important asset you have as an entrepreneur is you. You will experience failures and success. Your mindset is very important. Skills are easy to learn but having the right mindset is harder. Get a coach or a mentor this will help you in the areas that count.
Best of Luck
Rich
Dec 7, 2013
For entrepreneurs I would suggest the online course by Steve Blank called How to Build a Startup. Its provided on https://www.udacity.com/course/ep245
If your business is already stable I have found great tips about online marketing in Hubspot videos and blog posts.
My favourite is the Twitter Holy Grail Guide
Dec 6, 2013
I just completed a course in globalization from the University of Austin/Texas through www.edx.org. That site offers outstanding classes, many directed to business, and I would highly recommend any of them.
Here's the difference-
It lays out action steps, has "done for you" resources that you can easily customize for your own use, and has weekly call-in availability for questions. Plus, I like the way you can choose different areas for resources- In other words, if you have clients that are dentists, there's an area for dentists. Lawyers, banks, etc. very extensive resource.