Back when I was in school, which wasn't that long ago, in order to get this kind of information you had to spend hours in a classroom and thousands of dollars.
Now you can get a big time business education, on your own time, for free.
The following courses range in complexity and length, and should offer a good primer for those of you just starting your own business or who want more specialized knowledge in an area of interest.
I hope you find something here that helps you and your business be successful!
General Small Business
- Small Business Primer: Guide to Starting a Business
- My Own Business
- Business Planning Guide Down-Shifting in a Slowing Economy
- Strategic Planning & Execution
- Increase Your Business Success
- Organize Your Small or Home Office
- Evaluating the Potential of Business
- Business Organization
- Licenses & Permits
- Business Insurance
- Location and Leasing
- Expanding and Problems
- Buying A Business
- Online Tutorial for Starting a Business
- Entrepreneurship and Business Planning
Strategy
- Creating a Strategic Plan
- Maintaining an Agile Company
- The Entrepreneurial Strategies
- Identifying Your Sales Strategy
- Strategic Planning and Execution
- Analyzing Your Competition
Business Plans
- How to Prepare a Business Plan
- The Business Plan
- How to Write a Business Plan
- Crafting A Business Plan
- Developing a Business Plan
Marketing
- How to Win Customers in a Slowing Economy
- Marketing 101: Guide to Winning Customers
- Marketing for Small Business
- Conduct a Marketing Analysis
- Advertising and Marketing Psychology
- Opening and Marketing
- Advertising Your Business
- Building Your Brand
- Conduct a Marketing Analysis
- Creating a Competitive Advantage
- Creating Buzz: Small Business Marketing
- Market Insight and Research
- Marketing 101
- Positioning Master Class
- Pricing Products and Services
- Pricing Strategy and Tactics
- Promoting Your Business
- Targeting Your Market
- Brand Leadership/E-Seminar 1, Brand Identity and Strategy
- Brand Leadership/E-Seminar 2, Experiential Branding
- Introduction to Marketing
- Marketing Management
- Marketing Strategy
- Entrepreneurial Marketing
- Marketing writing tips: five mistakes to avoid (quick lesson)
Financing
- How to Prepare a Loan PackageRaise new capital / Refinance existing debt
- Finance Primer: Guide to SBA's Loan Guaranty Programs
- Assessing Financial Needs
- Accounting and Cash Flow
- How to Finance Your Business
- Finding and Attracting Investors
- Entrepreneurial Finance
- Early Stage Capital
- Find Startup Funding
- Introduction to Accounting
Communication
Leadership
Special Interest Business
- Franchising Basics
- Buying a Business or Franchise
- Conduct Powerful Job Interviews
- How to Recruit and Hire the Best
- Starting a Business in Canada
- Dynamic Leadership: Using Improvisation in Business
Business Technology
- Technology 101: A Small Business Guide
- Building Your Website
- Managing the Digital Enterprise
- Computer Tools
- E-Commerce Business
Business and Social Media
Other
- Global Enterprise: A Primer on Exporting
- Business Opportunities: A Guide to Winning Federal Contracts
- INSIGHT: Guide to the 8(a) Business Development Program
- Government Contracting Workshop
- International Trade
If you know of any free online courses geared towards small business or entrepreneurship let me know about them in the comments section below and I'll add them to the list.
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← Previous Comments
Thanks for compiling this list. It looks quite interesting and I’m hoping to have time later today to delve into the details so I can add to my arsenal of resources that I suggest to clients and prospects.
I’ll also be adding a link to your site so they can check out the other stuff you have.
Matt:
Wow, what a great resource. Thank you for your research. Definitely sharing on StumbleUpon.
Amazing list Matt! Almost TOO amazing…I’m not sure where to start! =-O
My goodness, Matt, this is insane–in a good way!
I gave this a stumble so others can benefit from this valuable resource. Great job!
*smiles*
Michele
@Sheryl
There is a lot to get through here, but I think a lot of it will be of value to your clients.
Matt
@Dee
Thanks! Appreciate you passing this along.
Matt
@YFNCG
There is a ton of content here – just dive in.
Matt
@Michele
Hehe, somebody finally called me insaine in a good way
Glad you liked it, and thanks for sharing.
Matt
Gee, thanks Matt. Now MY weekend is shot
Great list. Thanks for all of the hard work in putting it together
George
This is great! Definitely something everybody could use especially in times like these. Thanks for sharing Matt, you are cool to do such a research and publish it. Did I mention this is great?
the best small business resource list I have ever seen, and I have looked for and through many. Thank you for your work. I will be using this a lot!!
Craig
These are great. Economic downturn, or any crisis, for that matter, is a great opportunity to be creative and to discover something new. I’ve recently started my own consulting business and have used the Web to find resources for how to start a business. This is a guide I’ve used for starting a new busienss: http://www.findingdulcinea.com/guides/Careers/Starting-a-Business.pg_0.html
@Mizdi
Thanks, glad you find the list useful. You’re right, in these tough times investing in ourselves is a great option – and if it’s free education, all the better!
Matt
@Tumblemoose
Just doing what I can to keep you out of trouble!
Matt
@DynaMow
Craig, glad you find the list useful. I’ve gone through a couple of the classes and was impressed. As you work through the material stop back by and let us know what you think.
Matt
@Kathleen
Thanks for the link, I’ll be checking it out today. I think it’s also a good time for us to be sharing resources like this with each other. There is a wealth of information out there, we just have to help each other find it.
Matt
Hey, i have bookmarked your post, like this info very much and am going to enjoy it by reading.
Thanks.
@Walter
There is a lot to get through there – and the best part is it’s all FREE! Happy reading.
Matt
Very well put together list, Great Job!
Daniel
@danielcimera
Glad you liked it. If you take any of the classes, stop back by and let us know how they went, or what you thought of them.
Matt
Wow what a list. Thanks for all your time researching and an extra big thanks for sharing! This is awesome!
@Terri
No problem, thanks for stopping by! Let us know how some of those classes go.
Matt
Man, that is fantastical. You have an enormous list running here. Anyone else would’ve seperated it into a bunch of smaller posts, but this is a great resource.
Bookmarked and loved.
©heers.
@Guffin Mopes
“Fantastical” – love it! It’s a good start, and enough to keep us all busy. If you find any others let me know and I’ll add them. If you take any of the classes, come on back and tell us how they were.
Matt
An awesome list!
Nice list. Very useful.
Thanks!
Agree that it’s great to see so many free resources. MIT’s open course ware is another example of solid education that’s freely available to anyone with an Internet connection.
@Joseph Kim, MD, MPH
MIT is a great source. Thanks for mentioning it! So much free stuff out there these days – it’s great!
Appreciate you coming by and commenting,
Matt
Gday, this is an amazing resource – it must have taken a while to compile. Thanks for making the effort with it, I have already found it useful and have only checked out 2 of them so far!
Thanks again
Nick
Nick Bowditch Travel – Australia’s Family Travel Expert
@Nick
Great to hear you’ve checked out some of the classes. Make the effort in putting the list together all worth it.
Thanks for stopping by,
Matt
Wow everything on one page!
So easy..everything here !! i like this site
Now these are some awesome resources, I am going to begin my next semester at the end of August, and I am currently a Finance major so I might do some reviewing before I step foot into the classroom in August.
Till then,
Jean
Nice list of resources. I manage a few companies, and you can never know enough about business… every day you learn something new.
Awesome resource list, I have been searching for something like this. This is going to take me a while to go through, but I am up to the task! I bet once I am done I will be full of interesting useful knowledge, hehe. Thanks for the great information my friend
HyperOffice give weekly webinars on online collaboration for small businesses which you want to look at.
Wow, one of the classes is a free class from MIT! Your list is very cool. Thanks!!
Yes these are some awesome resources, I am also going to begin my next semester at the end of August.
some links are broken.
and others are not so straight to the point.
u might want to look at that.
Thanks for all the great resources. There are so many sites to sift through if you’re trying to find free classes online that it’s nice to have a legit list to actually use. The Small Business Development Center should be in anyone’s bookmarks who works for themselves, particularly online!
Wow, what a great resource. Definitely sharing on Stumble Upon.
Dude, thanks a lot for sharing an informative article.I have bookmarked this page.Of all the above sites , http://app1.sba.gov/ is fantastic.I have recently signed up.this site really helps for those who are aiming small business.
Wow! I read your stuff all the time and love it. And now I found this! Holy cow! Great references. Thanks!
Found the post viaStumbleupon…
One of the largest online business classes (76,000+ participants in 2009) is http://www.ThirtyDayChallenge.com
It covers making your first $1 online.
Pete
[Full disclosure: I am one of the facualty]
You’re amazing. Thanks so much for this list. =)
The day will come when you can use something you read about here to have a beneficial impact. Then you’ll be glad you took the time to learn more about getting Free Online Business Classes.
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