According to a report by Harvard Business Review, while only 10% of white women are starting a business along with 15% of white men, Black women are beating them both at 17%.
If you feel like the entrepreneurial bug has bitten you, now is one of the best times to create your dream career. However, you must have the proper knowledge before typing out a business plan.
In the digital age of online education and learning, you can take many free online courses to help you have a successful start and future as an entrepreneur. Here is a list of techniques to help set you on the right track.
1) MIT’s Nuts And Bolts Of Business Plans
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a respected university; you can learn from them. You can enroll in Nuts and Bolts of Business plans even if you’re not an MIT student. All you need is a strong interest in entrepreneurship and the desire to start a new venture. This course will give you a solid foundation to grow from. The class covers many business aspects such as marketing, financial planning, negotiating skills, etc.
2) Essentials Of Entrepreneurship: Thinking and Action By UC Irvine
Do you like taking online classes but are short on time? What if you could gain expert knowledge in only 4 hours? You can do this with the online entrepreneurship course offered by UC Irvine.
Although the course is short, it’s filled with essential aspects of how to run a successful business. This course teaches you how to create a business plan and develop business strategies. In addition, you’ll learn how to be more resourceful in your current line of employment while understanding how to set up your business for future success.
3) Starting A Business By SCU
If starting a business has always been your dream, this course will help you realize that dream. With 15 sessions, you’ll learn how to write a business plan and turn ideas into a profitable business. If you want to know more about the course, previews of the sessions are available.
Provided by Santa Clara University, the course will help you decide on a business idea, along with helping you understand the technical side of running a business, such as licenses and permits. Towards the end of the course, you’ll focus on managing employees and potential problems in the future.
4) Fundamentals of Business Finance, With Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women
According to Investopedia.com, poor financial management is one of the top reasons entrepreneurs fail. While relying on loans or using your money when starting a new business is expected, this method can leave some business owners in a mountain of debt. To avoid financial pitfalls, entrepreneurs must educate themselves. Fundamentals of Business Finance is specifically geared towards women to help them manage the financial side of running a business.
This course is excellent for people who already have their business up and running and want to get a firm financial hold. You will learn how to use income statements and balance sheets. You’ll also understand your profit margin and learn to make critical decisions based on your financial position.
The course can be done at your own pace. In addition, if you’re interested in more finance classes, Goldman Sachs’s 10,000 Women collection offers ten online courses.
5) Entrepreneurship In Emerging Economies by Edx.org
Entrepreneurship is all about problem-solving; being able to solve problems in a fast-growing world desperate for new ideas and solutions. If your desire for entrepreneurship is connected to your desire to improve the world by problem-solving, Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies is for you.
The course will take you through diverse problem scenarios in different settings, such as healthcare, e-commerce, and more. It is a beneficial way of learning and understanding economics on a global scale.
6) Entrepreneurship And Creativity By BerkleeX
Creativity is the ability to generate new ideas and possibilities that can be used to solve problems. Entrepreneurship is taking an idea or product and turning it into a business. Thus some people would say that entrepreneurship and creativity go hand in hand. Do you believe creativity is a powerful tool in entrepreneurship? In that case, this course will help you leverage your creativity into a business venture.
Founded by Panos Panay and presented by the Berklee Institute of Creative Entrepreneurship, you will hear from diverse creatives—professionals including educators, visual artists, performers, chefs, and more.
7) Grow With Google
Grow with Google is not a course but more of a hub for continual learning. Through this platform, you can take workshops on various business-related topics. In addition, you can learn from other successful black women.
Along with gaining general business knowledge, Google offers courses for people looking to grow their business online.
8) Advancing Black Entrepreneurs By Boss Network And Others
Chase for Business, Black Enterprise, the National Urban League, the U.S. Black Chambers, and the National Minority Supplier Development Council have teamed up to support black entrepreneurs specifically. They have set up 90-minute webinars around marketing and business building to help entrepreneurs create sustainable businesses.
9) The Bank Of America Institute For Women’s Entrepreneurship At Cornell
Cornell and Bank of America have teamed up to help women build, manage and scale their businesses. Women can learn customer discovery techniques, funding options, legal considerations, digital marketing, product development, and communications skills through their online courses.
10) Women Helping Women to Succeed By Dennis Fletcher And Others
If you are looking for a course that approaches running a business more holistically, then this is the course for you.
It will help you build your confidence and give you the tools to manage your business and feel empowered in your personal life.
Entrepreneurship is a career path that has offered many women freedom and flexibility in their work. Yet many women who have found career success from being their own boss had to put in the work to prepare.
To give your idea a fighting chance, take advantage of online learning. By doing so, you’ll be better equipped to run your business.
