5 Free Ways To Educate Yourself As An Entrepreneur.

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Continuous learning is essential to becoming a successful entrepreneur. While it’s possible to pay for courses and consultants, there are many free ways in which you can learn business knowledge and skills. This is useful if you’re a budding business owner on a tight budget. Below are 5 free resources that are worth exploring.

Blogs

Blogs are one of the most accessible resources available to business owners. You’ll find thousands of online blogs written by business experts dedicated to all kinds of niche topics. While some blog posts are paywalled, the vast majority are free. Consider following blogs that are centered around subjects that are useful to you (such as blogs centered around your industry). You can follow blogs by subscribing to their mailing lists or by following them on social media.

Videos

Platforms like YouTube and Vimeo contain huge libraries of free videos – many of which can be useful to entrepreneurs. This includes TED Talks, webinars, tutorials and news videos. Videos are ideal for visual learners and can be consumed in one’s own time alongside blog posts. As with blogs, it’s possible to follow business vloggers by subscribing or following them on social media platforms – this allows you to stay updated whenever they release new content. This Crowdspring guide details a few of the best YouTube channels to follow as an entrepreneur. 

Online courses

Many online learning platforms like Coursera, edX and Khan Academy offer a plethora of free courses on various business-related topics. This includes courses specific to certain industries and courses on general business tasks like marketing and accounting. If you are interested in personal development, you really must check out UKCPD and its many free course offers plus their famous Be Inspired group. Such courses can help you develop the personal skills needed to run a successful business. Completing online courses not only provides you with knowledge, but may also provide you with qualifications to boost your credibility. 

Seminars

While some seminars and workshops come with a charge, there are many free options available. Look into local community centers and see if there are any free events aimed at business owners. These seminars are a chance to learn from other local business owners while also networking with other entrepreneurs who are attending. Virtual seminars (AKA webinars) are another option that you can look into. These are seminars hosted online that anyone from around the world can attend – and some of them are free. 

Ebooks

There are many high quality ebooks on business topics that are free to download. These books deep dive into topics, providing more detailed information that you might find in a blog post. Take the time to browse online book stores for these free books and read reviews to check that other entrepreneurs rate them highly. Free audiobooks may also be an option for those who prefer to listen to books than read them. 

As this post shows, there is a wealth of free resources out there for entrepreneurs to take advantage of. While investing money into education can have its benefits, you don’t have to spend money to further your knowledge.