If you are a parent, you are probably dealing with back to school right now. Buying supplies, being prepared to make lunches your kids will eat and looking forward to having your children in that learning environment again.
Are you curious about how to bring continued learning into your small business? Some ways are structured and some rely on your own motivation.
It’s important to continue learning new skills in life. It can help our business grow, save money or bring enjoyment to our lives. Some of the skills I have learned outside of a formal education are setting up a WordPress blog, updating my writing skills, Google Analytics, SEO and keywords, communication skills, video editing, and video and camera skills. Even if you plan on hiring employees or freelancers to do this work, it’s good to understand what you need and what they are doing.
Some different ways to continue learning outside of a formal education are:
- Use your Public Library
If you would like to find books inexpensively, look at your library. My library has a free membership for town residents. They have books and magazines that you can take out on loan. They also have ebooks, movies, museums, and park passes. We have an app with free ebooks and audiobooks that you can take out on loan on your phone or tablet. - Online Video Learning
There are many inexpensive and free ways to learn new things online. Some people do better watching a video to learn over reading. Only you know your learning style. Here’s a list of video learning services:- LinkedIn Learning: Lynda.com is now LinkedIn Learning. This is monthly subscription-based and offers a free first month. LinkedIn has classes like computer program training and completed courses show on your LinkedIn resume.
- Domestika.org: This service offers more creative-type classes like illustration, music, video, fashion and design. Instead of a subscription-based pay model, they offer classes a la carte. If you wait, they usually have sales where you can pick a few at a reduced rate. Domestika also has a good community that you can talk with. Some of their classes aren’t English but offer transcriptions so you can follow along. This is an option for people who speak Spanish and French.
- Skillshare: Skillshare offers classes ranging from software instruction to photography, drawing, and many other topics. This is a monthly subscription-based service. They also have a free month to try out their services.
- Youtube: Most people know what YouTube is. It’s primarily free unless you want ad-free, which you can pay for. YouTube relies on creators making their videos. There are a lot of free instructional videos if you know what you want to learn. With YouTube you have to search more to find the gems. I have seen videos to fix your specific model of car and also how to create a social media plan for your business.
- Online Learning
Pretty much all Colleges and Universities both offer online learning. Here is an alternative to a formal college and university.- Coursera: There are a lot of different Universities and Colleges teaching online through this website. Course prices vary across the website. These classes are at least a month in length. I would say Coursera has the most variety of different courses on all the websites I’ve listed. One noteworthy class is Indigenous Canada offered by the University of Alberta.
- Hobbies and Games
Learning hobbies or games outside of your business, you learn transferable skills. If you sew as a hobby, you learn about measurements, following step-by-step instructions, hand-eye coordination, and basic colour theory. This allows you to stretch your creativity differently from your business. You will find it will help your creativity overall.
I hope you can find some resources here to help you learn some new skills. If you think I’m missing one please message me. If you find this helpful, please share with a friend and have a great back to school season.