6 Courses Every Small Business Owner Should Take

Entrepreneurship isn’t something you necessarily learn in a classroom, but it isn’t something you can keep winging forever. In fact, many of the best entrepreneurs never went to business school. But when you’re wearing all the hats, from accountant to sales executive, to market and customer service rep, it sure helps to have some of these skills. That’s where short courses come in handy.

Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been running your business for a while, upskilling can make your life easier and your business more sustainable. The good news is that you don’t have to study a degree that will take years. There are short and useful courses out there that can give you just what you need.

1. Microsoft Excel (or Google Sheets)

Spreadsheets are an entrepreneur’s best friend if you know how to use them. There’s so much you can do with Excel once you dive below the surface. It can help you forecast your sales, keep track of expenses for healthy business operations and compliance, analyse customer trends, and manage your stock levels.

One of the best Excel courses for entrepreneurs to take to improve their business is a course on Microsoft Excel offered by Udemy. The course is called “Microsoft Excel – Excel from Beginner to Advanced“. It’s a great way to go beyond the basics and learn how to take full advantage of spreadsheets.

2. Basic Accounting and Bookkeeping

Keeping up with accounting and tax is a dreadful activity for many entrepreneurs, but imagine how much better it can be when you don’t have to go through the process of teaching yourself how to manage your taxes from beginning to end.

While there’s existing accounting software for small businesses, taking a course on bookkeeping can help you have a handle on your finances. This is crucial because it assists you in staying compliant, avoiding unnecessary debt, and understanding how profitable your business really is. You’ll learn about profit margins, income statements, cash flow, and more.

The Intuit Academy Bookkeeping Professional Certificate from Coursera is a great option for those looking to enhance their financial management skills. With many courses on Coursera, there’s the option to take the course for free or obtain a certificate with a subscription, making it accessible to a wide range of learners.

3. Digital Marketing

If people don’t know about your business, they can’t buy from you. Gone are the days when you could solely rely on word-of-mouth. With everyone spending time online, it’s important that your brand shows up where your customers are and when they search for the products and services that you offer.

The Google Digital Marketing and E-commerce Professional Certificate is a course through Coursera that provides a comprehensive overview of essential digital marketing concepts, including SEO, e-mail marketing, content strategy, social media, and paid advertising.

4. Business Writing and Communication

Whether you’re e-mailing a supplier, drafting a business proposal, or writing product descriptions for your website, poor communication can cost you customers and opportunities. Thus, it’s important to present your business well through clear and concise writing.

The Business Communication Skills: Business Writing and Grammar course on Udemy can help you improve your writing and represent your business professionally.

5. Sales Skills

Sales is all about persuading the right people to believe they’ve found the right solution: your offering. This course is perfect for small business owners who struggle with conducting conversations that drive sales. You’ll learn how to engage with people in a way that qualifies leads, pitch confidently, handle objections, and close the deal.

LinkedIn is another platform that offers a variety of short courses. In this particular case, you can take the Sales: Practical Techniques course on LinkedIn Learning. This course is free when you sign-up for a free 1-month trial on LinkedIn Learning. However, you will have to pay a monthly fee afterwards if you want to take up more courses.

6. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Customer retention is key for any business, as loyal customers are more valuable than one-time sales. Building strong relationships encourages customer loyalty and positive word-of-mouth.

A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system can streamline this process by tracking customer interactions, automating follow-ups, and enabling personalised communication. HubSpot’s CRM Training is a free course that can teach you how to leverage HubSpot’s CRM system to enhance customer relationships.