10 Free Online Courses That Can Benefit Every Thriving and Future Entrepreneur
With the mobility restrictions imposed by the government during this global COVID-19 pandemic, many are looking into online courses to make good use of all the free time on their hands. Whether it’s to develop new skills or enhance existing ones, you can find many courses online that suit your needs and interests.
In this blog post, we compile 10 free courses that can benefit every thriving and future entrepreneur. This list includes courses for entrepreneurship, personal/career development, and digital marketing.
Entrepreneurship
1. Managing Your Personal Finances
This course, which is part of the TESDA Online Program (TOP), covers lessons on making sound financial decisions to become a financially independent individual. It also teaches techniques on how to improve income and spending habits, to save, and to get out of debts fast and clean.
Who should take this course: Anyone who wants to learn to better manage their money.
Link: https://www.e-tesda.gov.ph/
2. STAR Online Training Program
STAR stands for Sari-Sari Store Training and Access to Resources. The program has two important components: (1) online training and (2) access to resources, where graduates may apply for business loans in some partner microfinance institutions. The STAR Online Training Program, which is written in Filipino, covers lessons on how to start up a business, including proper branding of products and techniques to sustain profit of a physical store set-up.
Who should take this course: Aspiring entrepreneurs
Link: https://www.e-tesda.gov.ph/
3. Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) Program
The Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) program is a management training program developed by the International Labour Organization (ILO), focusing on starting and improving small businesses as a strategy for creating more and better employment, particularly in emerging economies.
Who should take this course: Small business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs
Link: https://www.e-tesda.gov.ph/
4. Uncovering Your Entrepreneurial Potential
This course will challenge your ideas about entrepreneurship and innovation and demonstrate how you can adopt an entrepreneurial mindset to benefit yourself and others. You will explore different ways to approach innovation and entrepreneurship in the workplace. You will also identify your own entrepreneurial strengths and consider how you can apply them to create economic and social value.
Who should take this course: New and aspiring entrepreneurs, freelancers, college students, employees, managers
Link: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/uncovering-your-entrepreneurial-potential
5. Funding Your Business
There are many ways to get your business up and running, from the informal such as personal savings and borrowing, borrowing from friends and family, to the more formal avenues like bank loans, raising equity to crowd-funding. This course will help you consider the finance options available for businesses, and how to fund the expansion of a business.
Who should take this course: First-time entrepreneurs, business owners looking to expand
Link: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/starting-a-business-6
Productivity & Personal/Career Development
6. Productivity Mastery: Time Management for Entrepreneurs
This is a 30-minute course on strategies for a successful day and life. In this course, you will learn how to create a better agenda, get things done & achieve massive goals with proven strategies.
Who should take this course: Entrepreneurs who need to juggle with many goals, commitments, and actions every day
Link: https://www.udemy.com/course/productivity-mastery-time-management-for-entrepreneurs/
7. Work Smarter, Not Harder: Time Management for Personal & Professional Productivity
This online course offered by the University of California – Irvine through Coursera will help you to gain and apply your knowledge and understanding of personal and professional awareness, organization and commitment, and use the tools, methods and techniques that you have learned in goal setting, prioritization, scheduling, and delegation to overcome time management challenges and enhance productivity.
Who should take this course: Employees and entrepreneurs with productivity problems and who are struggling with managing their time
Link: https://www.coursera.org/learn/work-smarter-not-harder
8. Introduction to Personal Branding
Though the concept of personal branding isn’t new, questions remain about how to create one and, more importantly, what it means to maintain and inhabit that brand. This Coursera online course will encourage you to intensively explore your strengths in order to create a personal brand that authentically and effectively communicates your values and professional gifts.
Who should take this course: Employees, entrepreneurs, freelancers
Link: https://www.coursera.org/learn/personal-branding
Digital Marketing
9. Learn Digital Marketing
Digital marketing can be a crucial tool to grow a business. On this course, you will explore what digital marketing is, why it is important and look at some digital marketing strategies. You will also learn the importance of balancing and integrating different digital marketing strategies and how companies target customers.
Who should take this course: Entrepreneurs, employees, anyone with an interest in digital marketing who is seeking to develop their entrepreneurial skills or looking to change careers
Link: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/digital-skills-digital-marketing
10. Using Social Media for Business
FutureLearn’s online course on social media marketing will teach you about the key steps in promoting your brand through social media, including setting campaign objectives, identifying the target audience and the right channels, creating engaging content and managing your presence. You’ll also explore examples of different social media channels, tips for using them and how to measure success and improve your campaigns.
Who should take this course: Small business owners, anyone seeking to develop their entrepreneurial skills or looking to change careers.
Link: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/digital-skills-social-media
