The allure of starting your own business is undeniable. Take this into account:
Only 35% of professionals are genuinely excited about what they do, and an astounding 96% of business owners say they have no interest in going back to an office job.
These statistics show that entrepreneurship is on the upswing.
Many things might contribute to this, like a lack of confidence in one’s abilities, boredom with one’s work, a demanding boss, and so on.
It’s easier than it’s been in decades to start a business, and there are more of them being created now than ever before.
However, the sad truth is that the vast majority of companies fail during their first five years of operation.
Once again, there are a plethora of possible causes, including ineffective management, weak marketing, and a deficiency in both planning and funding.
It’s important to learn from the best in order to succeed in the business world.
Wouldn’t you rather learn from illustrious academics from schools like Wharton or Harvard and not from some rando on TikTok?
That’s why we’ll be looking at the best online business courses you can take these days.
I’m sure you’ll want to get instruction from some of the brightest minds in business today.
They present the info you’ll need in a way that’s convenient for busy professionals.
Let’s get to it!
The Absolute Best Online Business Courses in 2023
Business Analytics by Harvard Business School
The “Business Analytics” course at Harvard Business School, one of the most distinguished schools in the world, simplifies the complexities of operating a business.
It emphasizes the importance of leveraging data for enterprise growth
. To build a successful business, you’ll study how to spot patterns and capitalize on trends.
The course’s creator, Associate Dean for Culture and Community at Harvard Business School Janice Hammond, also serves as the course’s instructor.
Her course material explores what it means to utilize data in business settings, like deciding which things to sell or which audience to focus on.
A successful company must make judgments based on solid data.
You’ll use a wide variety of metrics, from Google Ads reports to sentiment analysis, to inform your decisions as your company develops.
Starting your foray into entrepreneurship with an eye toward information is a smart move.
If you want to master how to formulate effective surveys, conduct thorough market research, and identify relevant trends in your industry, then you should consider enrolling in this course.
To further your comprehension of the role data plays in the operations of major corporations like Amazon, you’ll get the opportunity to review some real-world case studies.
You’ll tackle subjects like:
- Creating hypotheses and quantifying evidence against or for them
- Analyzing connections between the variables that affect your business
- Examining and understanding your target audience
- Uncovering patterns in specific industries
It’s also worth noting that you’ll graduate with Harvard certification to add to your resume.
Business Strategy by Wharton
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania shares first place with the University of Chicago Booth School of Business as the greatest business school in the United States.
Full-time tuition comes out to be around $76,000 per year, although the school offers a free online business strategy course through the EDX platform.
Essential business principles like laying out your product or service in the market and demonstrating its value will be discussed.
Even if you already know why your company is a solid option for clients, this course will provide you with the tools to put that knowledge into an actionable plan that will set your company apart from the competition.
The fact that it’s free and taught by one of the premier business schools in the world makes this course stand out as an excellent option.
And the time commitment is manageable—just four hours a week for a total of six weeks.
There is a variety of free information available that would be useful to both new business owners and seasoned pros.
And it’s from a source well recognized as a leader in the field of business education.
Related Reading: Benefits Of Having A Mentor – Learn Why You Should Have One.
Business Analytics Nanodegree on Udacity
Forbes predicts that by 2025, there will be over 150 trillion gigabytes of data that has to be analyzed.
Looking at these figures, the origin of the term “BIG data” becomes clear.
Almost all industries will use big data to plan their strategies and decide where to put their resources.
The value of information is only going to multiply in the future. That’s why there’s a huge demand for qualified business analysts.
Taking a course online is a great option for learning the fundamentals of data.
Udacity’s business analytics nano degree is taught with Tableau and Mode Analytics over the course of three months.
There are no preconditions for this course, which will teach you the basics of the following data-related disciplines:
- Fetching insights via statistics and visuals
- SQL for data analysis
- Data visualization
Plus, when compared to other existing MOOC platforms, Udacity provides one of the best user experiences.
Consider this in conjunction with the fact that this nanodegree makes for a solid foundation and is accessible to novices.
In the end, you’ll end up getting a decent education in business with this course.
The Art of Negotiation Masterclass by Chris Voss
Former FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss, who encountered a wide variety of characters in his line of work, reveals some of the finer points of successful negotiation.
If you want to become a better negotiator in business, his MasterClass is worth taking.
Prospective entrepreneurs who want to outshine their competition and win over their clients can enroll in The Art of Negotiation.
Voss’s method of negotiating is an in-depth guide that covers many of the fundamentals of successful negotiations.
Voss argues that negotiating is an essential ability since it serves as the foundation on which all other important aspects of daily life rest.
You can use the skills you learn in his course to negotiate higher pay, win over potential investors, broaden your pool of talent and customers, and much more.
If you finish it, you’ll have a firm grasp of the arsenal that gives seasoned negotiators their edge.
Reflection, controlling appearances, distorting reality, and reading body language are only a few examples.
I recommend this course as one of the top online business classes for developing transferable skills.
Digital Marketing Full Course on Reliablesoft
When starting a business, online marketing is one of the most crucial skills you can have.
If you invest in learning digital marketing, you can expand your company without breaking the bank on marketing consultants.
You can learn about online marketing for your business by taking the Digital Marketing Full Course offered by Reliablesoft Academy.
Proficient digital marketers who have managed marketing campaigns for a wide variety of businesses throughout the years are responsible for developing this course.
The training materials, designed to help you develop your skills, are a mix of video and text.
Every lesson in the program shows you, by example, how to use cutting-edge advertising strategies to take your company to the next level.
Taking this class would be beneficial in many ways. These are what you can expect to learn:
- How to grow a site’s traffic organically
- How to leverage social networks
- How to use paid ads to operate profitable campaigns
If you finish this course, you will be able to add two valuable credentials to your resume—one in Search Engine Optimization and one in Digital Marketing.
There are no prerequisites for this course, making it ideal for those with no prior experience in digital marketing.
This program can also be used to educate your company’s marketing staff.
Business Legal Requirements by US Small Business Administration
Did you know that the US SBA provides free training to entrepreneurs?
There are 16 videos, each no longer than three minutes, in the Business Legal Requirements course.
The topics covered include establishing a legal entity, paying taxes and license fees, and hiring employees.
Each video is laid out in a way that even those without a formal business education will be able to follow along.
Some businesses may find the course’s focus on environmental standards and securities registration irrelevant, but it might still be useful to you.
Even though it won’t take much of your time, you should investigate how these regulations can influence your company.
Although the lessons are not particularly in-depth, they are reasonably priced and come from a reliable source.
The US SBA is the best source of information about government regulations.
This free video series will walk you through the steps you need to take to establish your own business without wasting too much of your time.
Introduction to Negotiation by Yale
A LinkedIn survey found that nearly half of all Americans are unconfident in their ability to negotiate.
Can we draw conclusions about the value of strong negotiating abilities in today’s competitive job market from this?
For starters, you’ll have a huge advantage over the competition after you’ve developed a set of negotiation skills.
To boost your confidence in business and in your personal relationships, study the science of negotiation.
Perhaps most crucially, the ability to negotiate effectively will almost certainly increase your earnings.
Personality, social status, and professional expertise are unimportant factors in successful negotiation.
Like skating or knitting, it’s a skill that requires practice and dedication to master.
And much like the aforementioned abilities, a good teacher can make all the difference in the world while learning a new ability.
Barry Nalebuff, a professor of management at Yale School of Management, teaches a 31-hour course titled “Introduction to Negotiation” online.
Nalebuff presents a number of interesting case studies and makes use of applicable components of game theory as he instructs his students in the art of negotiating.
Everyone can benefit from learning the skills of effective business negotiation thanks to the class’s focus on dissecting the process into manageable chunks.
Excellent communication skills are more important than ever in today’s fast-paced business world.
What’s more, it’s being offered by none other than the illustrious Yale University.
Fundamentals of Finance and Accounting for Non-Financial Managers by American Management Association
To continue, let’s check out AMA’s curriculum for an entry-level finance and accounting course.
The American Management Association is a non-profit organization that helps both individuals and businesses improve their management skills through a variety of programs and resources.
Most of us have a hard time grasping even the most fundamental concepts of bookkeeping, finance, and economics.
Perhaps this is why there is such a widespread lack of financial literacy in the United States.
Even if you manage to avoid numbers as much as possible in your personal life, you will eventually run into balance sheets and income statements in your work life.
AMA offers a two-day intensive course for managers who are not accountants or financial analysts but who want to learn more about this crucial aspect of their jobs.
A two-day online business course won’t make you an expert on money, but it will give you a solid grounding in the basics.
You can comfortably take part in discussions about your company’s financial health.
This is something that every business owner needs to know, regardless of whether or not they handle the company’s finances.
The course fee is high, no doubt. Still, this online business course is ideal for those who want a quick way to learn about the inner workings of the money side of business.
Digital Business Strategy: Harnessing Our Digital Future by MIT Sloan
The Digital Business Strategy 6-week online course is the product of years of study by eminent MIT faculty and New York Times bestselling authors Andrew McAfee and Erik Brynjolfsson.
Six weeks into the course, students will have a firm grasp on how to strike a middle ground between tried-and-true business practices and cost-saving strategies made possible by today’s revolutionary technology.
The goal of the program is for digital transformation to happen by finding a good balance between the mind, digital platforms, the core, and the public.
If the two were balanced in the right way, learners would learn more about disruptive technology’s purpose and role, as well as its ability to spark new kinds of innovation.
You will leave this course with an understanding of the fundamentals of digital transformation, the ability to spot emerging opportunities, and the know-how to design effective strategies for digital disruption.
If you want to learn how to formulate digital business strategies for clients in tech-driven industries, this is one of the greatest online business courses you can take.
Related Reading: 10 Ways To Think Outside The Box – Dive Deeper Here.
Project Management Course by Google
It’s fair to say that managing projects isn’t the most exciting part of running a business, but it’s still important for making a business profitable.
The Google Project Management course can help your business function effectively, whether you’re managing a digital marketing campaign or troubleshooting for a client.
It is one of Google’s most well-known business programs, and it covers topics including strategic planning and implementing change.
Google also provides information on how to communicate effectively within a project.
To run a business efficiently, you need a wide range of abilities, from exceptional communication to superb project management.
By using Google, you can acquire the problem-solving and risk-mitigation skills necessary to become a successful business manager of the future.
If establishing your own business isn’t your goal, this course will prepare you to apply directly to Google and other top employers like Best Buy and Walmart.
About 82% of students say that the Google certification program helped their careers in the first six months after they finished it.
With this course, you’ll learn how to:
- Form risk management plans
- Streamline processes and make projects more efficient
- Handle escalation and team dynamics
- Formulate budgets and navigate procurement
- Utilize project management software and scrum templates
This Google course is fantastic because it caters to students with a wide variety of learning preferences by including video content, exams, and hands-on exercises.
You may also be interested in the Google Digital Marketing and Google Ads certification programs.
Introduction to Financial and Managerial Accounting by MIT
Given that you’re in business to turn a profit, you should study how to maximize your company’s financial and accounting resources.
The MIT Sloan School of Management offers a free online course entitled “Introduction to Financial and Managerial Accounting” that you can access through their digital library.
These lectures were taped in the spring of 2004 with undergraduates at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
You will find course materials such as lecture notes, tests (and answers), and exercises here.
Students in this course are not expected to be accountants but rather business owners who will use financial and managerial accounting reports.
After finishing the course, you’ll be better able to put to use the monthly and annual bookkeeping and accounting reports you or your team generate for your company.
Given the breadth and depth of its curriculum, its reasonable price tag, and the high regard in which its faculty is held, this course is still an excellent option.
CORe Program by Harvard Business School
A simple glance at Harvard Business School’s hallowed alumni registers is enough to show the school’s significant impact on the Western world.
Former President George W. Bush, Mitt Romney, and even model Tyra Banks all earned degrees from Harvard.
Whether or not George W. Bush and Tyra Banks should ever be mentioned together is up for dispute.
But there is one thing that cannot be denied: these two people have an exceptional flair for comprehending the dynamics of contemporary business.
Courses in Business Analytics, Economics for Managers, and Financial Accounting make up Harvard University’s online Credential of Readiness (CORe) program for aspiring business professionals.
This is a demanding 17-week program that will teach you the ropes of the business.
Harvard’s CORe program provides flexible entry to the Ivy League.
The course can be completed at your own pace, but there are weekly due dates that must be observed.
Once students have gone through all of the modules and passed all of the tests that go with them, they take a three-hour exam.
This online exam can be taken whenever is most convenient for the student.
This business course is a good deal just for the Harvard connection alone.
Through Harvard University’s Extension School, students can get undergraduate credit for completing the course.
If you successfully complete the course, Harvard will award you with eight undergraduate credits.
These credits should serve as a strong incentive, given that Harvard boasts the top economics program in the world.
However, there is a fee associated with earning these undergraduate credits.
An Entire MBA in 1 Business Course on Udemy
There are more than 400,000 students enrolled in this course on Udemy, making it one of the most popular and widely-used business education platforms on the web.
You will learn the fundamentals of running a successful business, including the strategies and methods that seasoned entrepreneurs have used for decades to win and keep loyal consumers.
In the first part, students will delve into the concept of investment firms and learn how to leverage them to benefit their businesses while also learning how to build their own financial models from scratch.
Microeconomics and macroeconomics will become the focus after that.
It is also the starting point for students’ quantitative and qualitative market analyses.
When you have those abilities, you’ll be able to see the big picture of your business objective.
Filing for bankruptcy, paying taxes, and forming partnerships with leading venture capital firms are all ways that you may safeguard your company and help it grow and thrive.
Successful business management is covered in depth, giving students a firm grounding at the course’s completion.
This is one of the best online business courses for beginners, and it’s also one of the least expensive.
This Udemy course would complement other similar offerings in the business field.
Leading With Finance by Harvard Business School Online
The six-week Leading with Finance course is worth taking if you want to improve your present job prospects or switch to a finance-related field.
The $1,600 course is broken down into six modules where students will receive instruction, complete activities, take tests, and complete a final capstone project.
The six parts encompass financial analysis, finance versus accounting, capital markets, value creation, valuation, and capital allocation.
In addition to the knowledge you’ll gain, you’ll also receive a certificate from Harvard Business School Online that will look excellent on your LinkedIn profile once you’ve completed the course.
This program is exceptional since it is taught at one of the world’s best business schools, and it focuses on financial concepts that are useful to high-level decision-makers.
Corporate Finance by Columbia University
Columbia University’s “Corporate Finance” is a three-month, three-part business course.
These parts include “Introduction to Corporate Finance,” “Free Cash Flow Analysis,” and “Risk & Return.”
Daniel Wolfenzon, a well-regarded professor of finance and economics at Columbia Business School, is serving as the course’s instructor.
Students learn the theoretical and applied groundwork of corporate finance in this course.
Evaluation of investment alternatives (including stock and bond evaluation), free cash flow computation and projection, and the quantification of risk and return on equity and debt are just some of the theoretical topics covered.
The course’s hands-on components, meanwhile, zero in on actual workplace scenarios where the aforementioned concepts are put to use.
Columbia University is one of the eight founding members of the prestigious Ivy League. And it’s constantly regarded as one of the best educational institutions anywhere.
Some of the world’s most renowned intellectuals have graduated from this institution.
Among the many renowned public thinkers who earned degrees from Columbia are Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Warren Buffett, and Jack Kerouac.
Anyone even remotely interested in economics or finance would be foolish to turn down the opportunity to study financial analytics at one of the world’s top universities.
Organisational Effectiveness Programme by Oxford University
This 6-week program is designed for business professionals in the public, commercial, and non-profit sectors, and it has been approved by Oxford University.
Participants will learn concepts applicable across industries to better match their companies’ goals, strategies, and resources.
Decision-makers and corporate executives at all levels can benefit from this course’s expanded intellectual toolkit.
Participants will work on techniques for organizational improvement and the role it plays in the longevity of enterprises over the course of six weeks.
The ability to coordinate goals, company strategy, structure, and administration of IT is a critical outcome.
Advance Your Business on Google Skillshop
The “Advance your business” course, taught by the trusted instructors at Google Skillshop, is a great resource for businesses that want to expand.
There is no need to take on unnecessary corporate debt to learn how to engage your clientele, increase your revenue, and fortify your business’s prospects; they are all covered in the course.
Google’s “Advance Your Business” lessons are great if you’re new to marketing and want to learn the fundamentals of reaching new leads through channels like email and content marketing.
You may learn more about how to create a successful brand, as well.
Google’s offering via its Skillshop platform is one of the top free online business courses available to businesses interested in expansion.
Each section of the course is broken down into its own video-centered lesson so that you can move through it at your own speed.
One of the best things about this program is that it focuses on growing a business without spending a lot of money.
To alleviate some of the pressures of running a business, you can get Google-verified advice on how to improve it without increasing debt.
In this course, you will discover how to:
- Be customer-focused when it comes to advertising
- Build a compelling brand
- Transform your company without incurring debt
- Build email marketing campaigns
- Segment and engage customers
Google’s videos are easy for even newcomers to understand, and they’re also full of interesting and helpful information.
The information presented here is just what you’ve been looking for.
Fundamentals of Digital Marketing by the University of Maryland
Successful online reputation management nowadays requires knowledge of current digital marketing practices.
This course is taught by a team from the University of Maryland.
It covers topics like digital marketing strategy, lead generation, mobile marketing, omnichannel marketing, and more.
The EDX platform is used to host this class.
It will take you about three to five hours every week to finish this four-week-long online marketing course.
Certification costs $499, but enrollment is free. Given the introductory nature of the material covered, prior knowledge of marketing is not required.
This introductory course is great because it provides a wealth of useful material in a short amount of time from credible instructors at a reputable university.
With the knowledge you gain from this course, you’ll have what you need to launch your first online marketing campaign.
Master of Business Administration by Boston University
edX has expanded its business offerings beyond the MicroMasters level by partnering with Boston University to provide a full MBA that can be completed entirely online.
To apply for this MBA program, prospective students must demonstrate that they have both the academic credentials (a 4-year Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) and professional experience expected of their class (a minimum of three years).
Each of the six semester-long modules in the program is worth 7.5 credits.
There is a maximum of six years to finish the program, and while the courses are set, you have a lot of leeway in how quickly you move through them.
The $24,000 fee is substantial, but it is to be expected for a complete Master of Business Administration degree.
Nevertheless, the price is quite affordable when compared to that of a traditional on-campus MBA.
This is now one of the greatest choices for anyone looking to advance their business management expertise.
The Habit of Ferocity on Mindvalley
Professionals and business owners who want to reach their full potential can enroll in The Habit of Ferocity on Mindvalley.
This profitable online business course is designed for people who have trouble lifting their mental fog, who have a hard time recovering from setbacks, and who can’t seem to overcome internal obstacles.
The goal of the Mindvalley course is to make peak performance the norm rather than the exception for its students.
Effectiveness, efficiency, and laser-like concentration are not innate abilities possessed alone by the top one percent but are instead acquired skills.
As a result, Ferocity teaches its readers that it is their mental attitude that determines the extent to which they can develop and improve their abilities.
In this course’s five modules, you’ll learn how to channel your inner and outer ferocity to pursue and achieve your goals more effectively.
To prepare yourself for a lifetime of ferocity, you will learn to automate your motivation, workflow, and grit.
If you want to improve your own key performance indicators (KPIs), this is one of the greatest online business courses you can take.
Key Technologies for Business Specialization by IBM
In today’s fast-paced business world, technology is rapidly permeating every facet of operations.
You’ll need technology for managing projects (and staff) and monitoring the success of advertising initiatives.
Getting training on how to effectively use cutting-edge tech solutions from a market leader like IBM is a terrific way to be ahead of the curve.
Entrepreneurs interested in the technological aspects of running a firm can benefit greatly from taking IBM’s Key Technologies for Business online course, which offers a certificate upon completion.
The educational track will educate students on everything from the fundamentals of data science to the benefits of cloud computing and what it means to harness data in a corporate setting.
This IBM course is designed for new business owners and seasoned ones who want to make the most of the cutting-edge innovation available to them.
Smart tech and AI are covered in depth as they relate to improving business decisions.
IBM incorporates hands-on projects into all of its courses to help students get the most out of their education and better understand the technology being taught.
Computer vision is one example of a teaching tool that can help students grasp the significance of AI.
This technologically adept course will teach you how to:
- Understand machine learning, AI, and neural networks
- Utilize data science to make smart business decisions
- Utilize foundational knowledge of cloud computing tech
- Analyze key tech driving business growth
You can try out IBM’s classes risk-free for a week before committing to their three-month program.
From Trust to Promise to Contract by Harvard
Business owners that interact with employees, vendors, and government agencies often find signing contracts to be a significant step in their dealings with these groups.
The instructor of this class is a tenured professor of law at Harvard who has been there since 1961 and has much experience in the field.
The HarvardX course, From Trust to Promise to Contract, is an edX offering that may be completed in eight weeks at a rate of three to six hours per week.
This material is intended for students who already have some familiarity with the subject matter (intermediate level).
But if you’re smart, you won’t let that put you off.
I appreciate that one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the world has created a course that includes a wide range of contract law issues that are relevant to the education of business owners and managers.
Business Strategy on Coursera
The University of Virginia’s Business Strategy focus is a five-course program designed to teach aspiring business professionals how to obtain and maintain a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
Strategic analysis, management, analysis of capabilities, and innovation strategy are just some of the many transferable skills you’ll pick up in this course.
Industry development and international considerations in strategic management are the focus of this subfield.
Knowing and using these fundamentals of business strategy will give students a leg up in the race for success.
One can easily grasp the fundamentals of advanced strategy after taking the first course that lays the groundwork for a successful corporate strategy.
Developing a strategy for expanding your company’s operations is your next step.
The last class is a project-based course that emphasizes putting theory into practice in the realm of corporate strategy.
Business Strategy and Leadership Skills by Bob Iger
Bob Iger, the former CEO of Disney, is here to offer his insights gained from his time in that role.
The acquisitions of Pixar and Marvel have given Iger the unique opportunity to steer his own companies to extraordinary success during a period of uncertainty.
Iger has been in the business world for 45 years, and he’s ready to share his knowledge with his students.
Expert advice on focus, planning, and prioritization may be found in Bob Iger’s lecture.
As an added bonus, you’ll get to practice performing “big swings” with the Pixar acquisition scenario in mind.
Toward the end of the course, Iger uses the Marvel acquisition as an example to explain the process of growing a company.
You will also have the ability to take smart risks, handle high-stakes negotiations and deal with the constant changes that characterize life in the modern world.
If you want to learn business strategies from one of the most well-known and successful CEOs, this may be one of the best online business courses you can find.
It’s free to try out and works well with other courses.
Related Reading: What Is Compound Effect In Business – Got To Know Here.
Final Thoughts
Many of the benefits of business school can be obtained without ever setting foot in a classroom or spending a dime.
You can fill in gaps in your knowledge by taking the right courses.
Some classes are definitely worth the money, but a free online business course might be just as good.
For those who want a college education without the time and financial commitment, numerous prestigious schools offer online courses for free or at more manageable costs.
A course is a great, low-commitment approach to expanding your business acumen.
You can get a head start on vital aspects that could have a major impact on your company’s bottom line by taking one of the top-rated business courses available online.
