10 Of The Best Courses for Business To Set You Up For Success
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Figuring out how to start and manage your own business is a tricky endeavor with lots of details to consider. From planning to project management, you need to learn the ins and outs of business - and there's no better way to do that than with online business courses. The question is: what is the best course for business?
When you feel ready to take the plunge with your new business, these online courses will give you the foundation you need.
10 Best Online Business Courses to Boost Success
Consider which of these courses will give you the business knowledge you need to take your income to the next level.
The Affiliate Lab
Starting an online business has its own unique quirks that you need to be equipped to handle, from digital marketing to ranking your website. Ranking a website requires a detailed business strategy. The Affiliate Lab offers the business strategy course you need to work at your own pace, scale a website, and ultimately flip it.
In addition to search engine optimization (SEO) skills, the online business classes through Affiliate Lab will show you to rank, monetize, and flip your website for 32 to 40 times your average monthly profit. This creates an endless income cycle for you, earning more than you might have thought possible with your online business.
For more information on how to flip a website, you can see our full guide here.
Pricing: Normally $997, but as a Niche Pursuits reader you get a $200 discount.
Business Foundations Specialization
Business Foundations Specialization from Wharton and offered through Coursera is the first online business course that you should consider when opening the doors to a new venture. It focuses on several key areas that will prepare you for the future:
- Marketing
- Accounting
- Operations
- Finance
At the conclusion of the course, you will use all of the skills you learned to create a marketing strategy for a common business challenge. This will help you to solidify the knowledge you gained and makes it one of the online business courses worth its salt.
This is a bit longer than some online business courses, with a recommended completion time of seven months (just two hours per week). When finished, you will get a certificate of completion that you can share with your employer.
Price: Audit for free (will not get the certificate for auditing) or $399 per year for a Coursera subscription
Google Project Management Certification
If you are having a hard time getting your work finished, then it might be time to take the Google Project Management Certification. While it may not seem like the best course for business at first glance, it can really help you to accomplish more.
This online business course boasts that 75 percent of participants have better luck in the job market upon finishing the course.
The goal of the program is to prepare you for an entry-level position in project management. To this end, you will get a quick crash course on all of the skills you will need, from project documentation to problem-solving to Scrum artifacts and roles. It should take you about six months to complete this online business course.
Pricing: Free for 7-day trial, then $399 per year
Plan Your Online Business - SBA
Starting a new business is tricky, regardless of whether it is an online business or a brick-and-mortar business. The Small Business Administration is one of the most authoritative sources, and they now offer business courses to help. Their Plan Your Online Business course is a great first step.
Work through 70 objectives grouped in four modules in these business courses. Topics will cover:
- How to write a business plan
- Legal requirements
- Whether buying a business is the right move for you
- Creating and financing your new venture
As one of the best online business courses, you will learn everything you need when it comes to business strategy for the early stages of creation. Not to mention, this is one of the few free online business courses from a reputable source.
Pricing: Free
Start a Profitable Online Business
Do you want a comprehensive crash course in opening the doors to a new business? If so, you can't go wrong with Lewis Howes' course, Start a Profitable Online Business through Creative Live. The various modules are also taught by James Wedmore and Derek Halpern, along with special guests like Amy Porterfield.
These bite-sized online business courses cover important topics like:
- Generating more traffic to your website
- Creating a product or webinar that really sells
- YouTube and Facebook marketing
- How to use affiliate links
- Building an email list
- Outsourcing
In just 13 hours, you will have the knowledge you need to take the next steps for your online business.
Pricing: $149 or $13/month with a Creative Live subscription
Entrepreneurial Finance - MIT
If you have heard of the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), then you know that they have quality online business courses. In their Entrepreneurial Finance business courses, you will learn the ins and outs of managing tech-based start ups in the first days of creating the company.
Answer key questions that will determine the direction of your business from day one:
- How much money do you need to raise to be successful?
- When should you start fundraising and who should you approach?
- How should you value the company?
- How should you structure funding and employment?
Pricing: Free
Income School
Income School is often acknowledged as one of the best online business courses for those who want to rank with their digital marketing efforts. In their online courses, you will learn how to write articles that rank and start to scale your online business.
You can get more traffic, boost your ranking on the SERPs, and ultimately make more money starting now. Plus, paying for this best online business course also allows you access to a mastermind group to discuss what you're learning and to allow you to work with others on the same journey to business success.
Learn more details in our full Income School review.
Pricing: $449 for the first year
The Lean Startup
Maybe you have heard of The Lean Startup book by Eric Ries. Now available in course format, The Lean Startup on Udemy brings you all of the key lessons in video format and gives you a certificate of completion at the end of the course. Your online business can go from bloated and expensive to lean and mean with this course.
The video portion of this masterclass is just 2.5 hours, making it easily digestible for any business owner who is in a hurry to improve their digital marketing and business knowledge. However, it also comes with bonus content like dozens of case studies based on Ries's research and experience.
These business courses will teach you how to make a minimum viable product, measure your business metrics, and experiment with landing pages and A/B testing for your business analytics.
Pricing: $39.99
altMBA
Maybe going back to school to earn an MBA isn't in the cards for you. That doesn't mean you have to miss out on learning about business administration at your own pace. With the altMBA course, you can learn more about leadership and guiding your employees to success. In the end, this boosts the success of your own online business in just 31 days' worth of online courses.
One of the most comprehensive business courses out there, altMBA will require around 20 hours each week for the 31 days of the program.
Unlike some of the other best online business courses, you will need to apply for this program, and seats are limited to keep the curriculum tailored to students. You may not learn financial and managerial accounting, but you will gain greater insight into motivating your team for years to come.
Pricing: $4,450
Storytelling for Business
Marketing your online business requires more than just sleek graphics and a large budget for Facebook and Google ads. Your business analytics will only help you get so far, and these online business courses from Kevin Allison will help you to achieve better digital marketing skills through storytelling.
The goal of Storytelling for Business is to create a sustainable business narrative that encourages your audience to buy from you. His market research will teach you about the "six senses" of an emotional reaction that can lead to a sale. This online course teaches you the process of brainstorming and then implementing a story for your brand.
Work through the material with two hours of coursework plus additional resources that you can download and keep.
Pricing: $94.99
Final Thoughts: Best Course for Business
No matter how much money you have to spend on your business strategy and knowledge, you need the experience of professionals who can walk you from where you are now to a more successful future. These business courses run the gamut of topics from financing your business to digital marketing.
Depending on what you need to gain for your online business, you can decide which of these classes is going to be the right fit for you. Your online business will thrive with the foundation laid by some of these business courses.
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