5 free online courses for every entrepreneur
“Try to learn something about everything, and everything about something.” – Thomas Huxley, English biologist
Whether you’re new to the startup world or you are an experienced business owner, continued education paves a clearer path in your professional journey. Enrolling in an online course gives you access to an ocean of resources, thus improving your knowledge on various subjects. It doesn’t have to be a financial commitment though, since free online courses make it easy and affordable for you to learn something new from the comfort of your home.
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21 Critical Lessons for Entrepreneurs
Only two hours long, this is a course by Jason Nazar, CEO of Docstoc. He breaks down his experiences into video lessons, discussing the steps that are important to run a successful business. In the course, he shares stories and lessons about his journey towards making Docstoc a success. From screening ideas and raising capital from investors to growth and scaling strategies, this course covers it all. Since it comes from a person who’s been there and done that, the insights shared by Nazar become even more valuable to you as an entrepreneur.
Successful Negotiation: Essential Strategies and Skills
Every entrepreneur should become an expert negotiator. Whether it is business contracts, employee contracts, lease agreements or vendor contracts – almost every interaction needs negotiation. This video course on successful negotiation is put together by the University of Michigan and taught by Prof. George Siedel. It provides more than eight hours of practical education on negotiation and sorts the process of negotiation into four parts, explaining each in detail.
Since the lessons teach fundamentals that can be applied to all types of sales scenarios, you can also suggest this course to your sales team to enhance their negotiation skills.
Marketing in a Digital World
A business can be made more successful with a digital footprint. While you can hire a digital marketing company for your needs, it is necessary to have an understanding of the concepts of digital marketing campaigns. This course by Aric Rindfleisch, of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, discusses digital promotion and creation of digital products. Whether you’re a new to the field or a seasoned entrepreneur, you can use the lessons taught in this four-week course to promote your business in the digital world for better visibility and conversions.
Fundamentals of Project Planning and Management
Was the last project you worked on as smooth as you wanted it to be? Or could you have done it better? You might have the best plans and ideas for an upcoming project, but if they are not executed appropriately, the results can be undesirable. This course by the University of Virginia discusses how to plan a project properly and what course of action to take when things don’t go the way planned. Not only should you understand how to execute a plan, it is also important to know how to react when something goes wrong.
Introduction to Web dDevelopment: HTML
Today, a business that doesn’t have an online presence cannot be discovered. This means that it’s better for your business to have a website. Unless you’re someone who can write code in your sleep, it helps to learn the basics of HTML. It’s either that or you pay a high price to outsource making even the smallest changes to your website. Although this course will not make you an outstanding developer, it will give you a thorough understanding of creating simple HTML web pages besides editing and making changes to existing pages.
Taught by people who have run successful businesses, these courses will enhance your knowledge and make you a better entrepreneur, helping you steer your business to success.