I’m a schoolgirl at heart; tell me something is a class, and I want to take it. I’ve found several e-courses online lately I’d love to give a try. Here’s my list:
Flying Lessons by Kelly Rae Roberts
Ok, so this is technically an e-book, though I believe it started out as a course. But it’s interactive and there is a Facebook group for other “students” to meet and support each other. Roberts shares her personal stories and deals with emotions (fear) and character (bravery) in addition to more typical business subjects. And it’s pretty!
Length: 261 pages (You set the pace, and the good thing about it being an e-book is that you never lose access to it.)
Cost: $140 (USD)
Covers: Blogging, websites and social networking, building a community, marketing, selling on and off line, getting press, publication, licensing, and time management, among other topics.
There are actually three e-courses on this site. I’ll take a quick look at all of them; wouldn’t we all like to be doing what we love?
This course was actually created in conjunction with Kelly Rae Roberts, and also includes a Facebook community to interact with. It looks like there is a waiting list for the current session.
Length: 8 weeks, with access for a year. You don’t have to do the weekly lesson at a set time.
Cost: $858
Covers: There is an extensive curriculum guide here. Some of the points that really interested me are the intersection of “personal and business souls,” treasuring your rivals, business culture, valuing assets, and dealing with being overwhelmed.
This signature course of Do What You Love seems to be less specific to business and more applicable to life in general, though it certainly includes business interests. The next session appears to have a waiting list.
Length: 5 weeks
Cost: $199
Covers: I’m going to lift this directly from the website:
1. Do what you want more often. Very often. In fact: daily.
2. Get paid to do what you love. (If that’s what you want–for some, it’s not. For many, it is!)
3. Make your life simpler and sweeter, not busier and more complicated!
The E-Course Creation Master Class
Ok…this one made me laugh because I will admit that sometimes I am cynical about experts who tell you how to run a business when the business they run is telling you how to run a business. Kinda goes in circles, huh? So this just seemed the culmination of that, but on further reflection, creating an e-course is something I can see myself wanting to try, so it could be a good investment. They certainly seem to be succeeding with e-courses!
Length: 5 weeks
Cost: ?
Covers: Among other things, curriculum builder, choosing ideal media, tech made easy, pricing for success, and, my personal favorite, “dealing with awkward students.”
I’m working through Jennifer Lee’s The Right-Brain Business Plan (and writing about it on TOTS as I go), so I’ve been poking around the website a little bit. I found a couple of courses; registration for The Right Brain Product Development Playground just closed, unfortunately, and it’s not clear if it will be offered again. However, I also found this little course.
Length: Not sure, but I’m guessing it’s just one session.
Cost: FREE!
Covers: “How to get out of the money for time box.”
I am actually enrolled in this course, though I haven’t done much with it yet (okay…I signed up a couple months ago and just opened it today). At first, I thought “I paid $50 bucks for this?” as power point slides went by…then I realized there were audio instructions that I was missing! (My kids come running when they hear the computer talking, so I always turn the sound off.) One thing I love about this course is the modules are very short, so it should be easy to fit into any schedule, even though I have personally failed on this front. This course is offered by a Maine organization. I believe anyone can take it, but I would encourage you to look for local courses to take. You can’t beat a local network, at least if your business is a brick and mortar.
Length: Not sure (it says two weeks as I’m looking at it, but I think that’s because my clock is ticking down and I’m going to lose access soon…)
Cost: $50
Covers: Getting Started, Managing Idea Killers, Customer Development, and Market Research
Have you ever taken a business e-course? Please share your recommendations in the comments!
