When starting any business, there are certain intangibles one should have. Creativity, a solid work ethic, the ability to organize, modify, and stick with plans, and general business knowledge can all go an extremely long way when setting up a business. However, growing that business requires these skills and more. Open courseware is one of the greatest things to happen to education in recent memory. With open courseware, it is possible for persons to learn more and improve their careers. For business, courseware cam help you learn new ways to grow a specific business. While there are many instinctual elements to entrepreneurship, knowing theory, techniques, new innovations, and other solid business strategies can give a much needed edge over competition in whatever specific industry you may be in. With this idea in mind, there are a variety of options for free open courseware that can help you grow your business.

1. Economics Interactive Tutorials – This course is lead by Dr. Samuel L. Baker, at the University of South Carolina. This class concerns the basics of economics, which is something that is very essential to growing a business. If there’s no demand for your product, don’t over supply.

2. Introduction to Marketing – For the Entrepreneur who may not have had any marketing experience.

3. Economics Lecture Notes – Professor Brad DeLong, Berkeley University makes his in depth Economics 101 lecture notes available to all. They come in both .doc and HTML versions. DeLong also has a macroeconomics page.

4. Marketing Strategy – If you are trying to seriously grow a business, you need to think outside of the box. This course is strongly recommended for entrepreneur, and anyone who has goals to see their business expand.

5. Environmental and Natural Resources Economics – This course is taught by Steve Hackett, at Humboldt State University, Taking a look at trends, going green is a fantastic business decision. Learning about economics and natural resources, via lecture slides that go in depth on the topic.

6. Introduction to the Study of Language – The economy is global, and businesses wanting to have success can increase their reach by having knowledge of other languages. In fact, as countries become more diverse, this discipline will become even more important. Keeping that in mind, Professor Philippe Schlenker’s UCLA class would be a good choice.

7. Mandarin Chinese – If the market is Global, its heart is moving to China. If the Beijing 2008 games aren’t enough to convince you, consider the sheer growth of China’s economy year over year. Learning Mandarin Chinese via The Free Online Language portal would be a great decision for your business. If you want to grow, expanding into China is the next logical step. Knowing Mandarin Chinese can give you a leg up on the competition.

8. Business Law – You can’t expect to go far in your business if you don’t understand Law. If you’re trying to grow your business, you may have to do it via mergers or acquisitions. Understanding the law behind this can help you significantly.

9. Globalization, Migration, and International Relations – This is another course that can build off of the idea that expanding your business can be done internationally.

10. Economic Analysis of Law – Another business and law related course that can help you navigate the sometimes-complicated business laws that exist.

11. Computing, Audio, and Music – If you think you can’t expand a business without investing time in technologies. Being proficient at computing, as well as any alternative technologies can give you an edge over the competition.

12. Taxes and Business Strategy – Taxes are part of any business. You can always hire someone to help you, but knowing a little about taxes can also be extremely helpful. Business strategy is, once again, something solid to have a background in if you have lofty goals for your organization.

13. Language and Mind – Depending on how in-depth you wish to get in your language knowledge, this course can be very useful for further expanding your understanding of other languages. The goal in taking such a course would be top increase fluency to a point where it is quite the boost to your business.

14. Modern Technology – Offered by the University of Winnipeg, this is another technology class that can make sure you are always with the times when it comes to technology and your business.

15. Sociology – Some may wonder what sociology has to do with business. Sociology can be a tremendously useful when trying to reach customers with the end-goal of growing the business.

16. Principals of Microeconomics – A basic course that helps to give the foundation for Microeconomics.

17. Principals of Macroeconomics – Another basic course that helps to give the foundation for Macroeconomics.

18. Entrepreneurial Finance – Knowing the financial aspects from an entrepreneur context can really help your business. Business is a lot more than revenue minus expenses equals profit.

19. Business Analysis Using Financial Statements – Being able to analyze where your business has come from and where it’s going is one of the best things you can do. In order to grow your business you need to be able to assess what has worked, and what could be improved. Some people think analytics to be a lost art form. Get a leg up on the competition by proving them wrong.

20. Information Technology Essentials – Going off of other technology courses, learning IT can be quite the boon to one’s fledgling business. Discovering new ways to be organized, meet goals, make goals, and generally interact with your customers can certainly help your business grow by leaps and bounds.

Growing a business isn’t impossible. While it is an extremely daunting task, if you have the knowledge, it can be much, much easier to do. Taking some of these free open courseware classes can provide you with that essential knowledge. If one were to ask Steve Jobs, Donald Trump, or another highly successful business person what he could change about his path, he or she might mention wanting to have had more business-centric knowledge before embarking on risky business ventures. Get a leg up on the competition with superior knowledge, and you’ll find it was worth it to donate your time to free open courseware.
 

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