12 best online business courses that fit everyone’s schedule

Have you ever wanted to increase your business knowledge as a small business owner but have no idea where to start? Almost a third of business owners lack confidence in their financial knowledge, according to QuickBooks research. This is where business courses online can help.

From beginner marketing courses on business strategy to more advanced topics like accounting, the internet is full of online classes you can take to improve your expertise and study business online.

But what are some popular small business classes? We've put together a list of the 12 best online business courses that cover everything you need to know to run your business, sorted from the shortest to longest completion time:

1. Small Business Association (SBA): Legal Requirements
2. University of Virginia: Foundations of Business Strategy
3. University of California Irvine: Work Smarter, Not Harder
4. QuickBooks Training courses
5. IE Business School: Brand Identity and Strategy
6. University of Maryland: Fundamentals of Digital Marketing
7. Warton: Competitive Advantage
8. Yale University: Introduction to Negotiation
9. HarvardX: Contract Law
10. Harvard University: Leading with Finance
11. brunchwork: Business Intensive
12. MITx: Financial Accounting

1. Small Business Association (SBA): Legal Requirements

Best for: Learning small business legal requirements

Price: Free

Estimated time commitment: ~20 minutes

The Small Business Administration (SBA)’s Legal Requirements online course is a quick introduction to small business legal requirements. It’s great for entrepreneurs looking to start a business or business owner training on legal basics.

The course is a 16-part video course covering everything from business registration to small business taxes. It’s free and self-paced, which can help business owners brush up on some foundational legal considerations that may impact their small businesses.

2. University of Virginia: Foundations of Business Strategy

Best for: Understanding basic business strategy 

Price: Free with optional upgrade for $79 per month

Estimated time commitment: ~9 hours

The University of Virginia’s Foundations of Business Strategy course is great for those looking to learn the basics of business strategy. Course takers learn how to conduct a competitive analysis and use what they learn to make informed business decisions.

3. University of California Irvine: Work Smarter, Not Harder

Best for: Improving productivity and time management 

Price: Free with optional upgrade for $49 per month 

Estimated time commitment: ~10 hours

The University of California Irvine Work Smarter, Not Harder course aims to help you improve your time management skills. No matter what you do, time management is essential for success in your business and personal life. 

This course provides time management tips and techniques to help students make the most of their time and maximize productivity, helping them achieve their personal and business goals. The course offers the flexibility to reset deadlines and learn the course material at your own pace.

4. QuickBooks Training courses

Best for: Learning accounting software 

Price: $599.95 with an optional upgrade at $39.95 per month

Estimated time commitment: ~14 hours

The QuickBooks comprehensive training program teaches you the knowledge and skills you need to learn the ins and outs of QuickBooks software in only two days. In this online course, you’ll learn how to set up online banking, record transactions, generate reports, and customize QuickBooks for your business, allowing you to streamline everyday tasks and simplify your work.

As a small business owner, you likely have your hands in a lot of processes. From tracking expenses to running payroll, many small business owners rely on accounting software to help automate time-consuming tasks and reduce human error.

Whether you take the course live or learn at your own pace with over 200 hours of QuickBooks training at your fingertips, this course is a surefire way to help you master the bookkeeping and accounting process for your business.

5. IE Business School: Brand Identity and Strategy

Best for: Learning the basics of branding

Price: Free with optional upgrade at $49 per month 

Estimated time commitment: ~14 hours

The IE Business School’s Brand Identity and Strategy teaches you how to segment your customers and build effective brands—teaching everything from picking a business name to colors and logos that align with your business.

The course works well for providing business owner training on how to successfully build a brand. It’s an intermediate small business class with flexible deadlines, allowing you to take the class at the speed that works best for you.

6. University of Maryland: Fundamentals of Digital Marketing

Best for: Understanding social media and digital marketing

Price: Free with optional upgrade for $199

Estimated time commitment: ~16 hours

The University of Maryland’s Fundamentals of Digital Marketing course provides business owners with content with valuable insights to help them succeed in e-commerce and social media marketing.

From digital marketing strategy to omnichannel marketing, you can complete this self-paced course in four weeks. While users may complete this course for free, it costs $199 to receive a certificate of completion and graded assignments and exams.

7. Warton: Competitive Advantage

Best for: Learning strategic planning

Price: Free with optional upgrade for $199

Estimated time commitment: ~21 hours

Wharton’s Competitive Advantage online course is a self-paced graduate-level course on strategic planning. Course takers learn how to create a strategic plan, organizational effectiveness, and how to gain a competitive advantage in the business world. 

By dedicating 3-4 hours a week, you can complete this course in six weeks. For a $199 upgrade, you can also get graded assignments and exams as well as a certificate of completion.

8. Yale University: Introduction to Negotiation

Best for: Strengthening your negotiation skills 

Price: Free with optional upgrade for $49

Estimated time commitment: ~33 hours

Yale University’s Introduction to Negotiation is an online course that teaches you how to become a better negotiator. Small business owners see a fair share of negotiating—from trying to reach a salary agreement with an employee to negotiating with suppliers.

The course is free and can be taken at your own pace. By upgrading for $49, users can get a shareable certificate of completion to add to their resumes.

9. HarvardX: Contract Law

Best for: Understanding contract law

Price: Free with optional upgrade of $299

Estimated time commitment: ~36 hours

HarvardX’s Contract Law: From Trust to Promise to Contract online course helps learn an integral part of business—contracts. From equipment leases to retainer agreements, small business owners have likely come in contact with contracts in day-to-day life.

The course works well for those looking to learn more about forming contracts and what makes them enforceable. It teaches everything from the limitations of contract law to remedies for broken agreements. 

By dedicating three to six hours per week, you can complete this course in about eight weeks. For a $299 upgrade fee, course takers get a shareable certificate of completion and graded assignments and exams.

10. Harvard University: Leading with Finance

Best for: Everyday business professionals 

Price: $1,850

Estimated time commitment: ~39 hours

Harvard Business School’s Leading with Finance is a self-paced online small business class that teaches essential financial skills. The course can be completed in six weeks and is divided into six modules, ranging from financial analysis to capital allocation.

While this is a paid course, anyone over 18 years old can apply for enrollment at no cost. Plus, this is an online business course with a certificate, meaning you’ll get a certificate of completion from Harvard after the course.

11. brunchwork: Business Intensive

Best for: Hands-on learning for key business concepts

Price: $1,649-$1,999

Estimated time commitment: ~88 hours

The brunchwork Business Intensive online course focuses on core business skills, including branding, sales, strategy, and finance. The course features six modules that highlight core business concepts, including: 

• Strategy, like competitor analysis 
• Finance topics financial statements 
• Marketing and branding, such as social media marketing 
• Sales subjects, including incentives and conversions 
• Pricing methods and customer behavior 
• Communication concepts and presentation strategies 

Unlike some other courses, none of the coursework involves pre-recorded videos. Instead, learners participate in hands-on projects and live discussions. The course also features weekly speakers, including top business leaders.

Users can enroll in the course for either $1,649 or $1,999, with the latter option including three additional months of continuing education and two private office hours where learners can receive personalized feedback.

12. MITx: Financial Accounting

Best for: Learning financial accounting and reporting 

Price: Free with optional upgrade for $549

Estimated time commitment: ~144 hours

MITx’s Financial Accounting is an online course that teaches you how to read and analyze financial statements. It’s nearly impossible to study business without running into some level of accounting. This course provides a detailed look at not only financial accounting but also reporting and valuation.

Dedicating 10 to 14 hours a week, the course is 12 weeks long and free. It costs $549 to receive a certificate of completion and graded assignments and exams.

Run your business with confidence 

Whether you’re improving your business strategy or looking to level up your ability to leverage accounting software to boost growth, online business courses provide a great avenue for expanding your knowledge. 

You can generally find courses that fit your time commitment, schedule, and budget, allowing you to bring takeaways to your business that can help make life easier for you and your employees.

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