As a small business owner, finding time to manage the business, take care of inventory, work with customers and do all the million and one tasks in a day can seem overwhelming. Finding the time to take a formal business management course is just one more item on the growing list of things to do.
However, there are ways to stay current on education and information about business growth, marketing and operations by taking advantage of free online business management courses. These courses, however, do not provide a comprehensive overview of the various subjects, but they can be a good option to determine where to focus time and training dollars on full courses in the future.
Options to Consider
Some of the best free online business management courses are fun, entertaining and highly engaging programs, very different than dry lectures and long classes. They may be offered as television shows and interviews available through different formats and on different online channels.
These on-demand viewing opportunities are ideal to view whenever there is downtime. Since these programs and courses are available online, they can be viewed on any device, which makes them an ideal way to spend time waiting for appointments, when commuting back and forth to work, or even on long business flights and travel.
Most of these programs will focus specifically on the issues unique to small business managers. By watching the entire series or picking and choosing topics of interest, small business owners can gain important insights into moving the company forward.
Other Options
Small business focused websites will also provide free online business management courses and downloads with practical, immediately applicable information. Flexible, self-paced and designed to problem basic to advanced concepts, these are geared towards those individuals currently operating a business.
These short and often single-issues online courses are time-efficient for the small business owner, providing both a better understanding of the issue, concept or practice as well as a practical method to implement knowledge into the business model. They are also an ideal springboard to a more comprehensive course once areas to develop are more clearly defined.
