The 9 Best Online Business Courses (2023 Reviews & Rankings)

With the best online business courses, you will be able to learn new skills and strategies that can help you take your venture to the next level.

The internet offers a wealth of resources for entrepreneurs and business professionals, but it can be tough to sift through the noise and find the information you need to start or grow your business.

That’s where online courses come in.

Online business courses give you the opportunity to learn from experts in the field, giving you access to their years of experience and knowledge.

In addition, online courses offer a flexible learning schedule, so you can learn at your own pace and on your own time.

There are a number of different types of online business courses available, each with its own focus and area of expertise.

We’ve reviewed and ranked the best online business courses based on a variety of factors, including content, instructor credentials, price, and student satisfaction.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost for you, we might get a commission if you click the link and purchase.

 

What are the Best Online Business Courses?

Here are our picks for the top online courses in business worth trying today…

1. Online Business Acumen Training for Everyone – Acumen Learning

Price

Individual access for $295/year, but corporate packages include a volume discount. Good news! You can even apply for a scholarship. Check all the pricing details here.

Duration

5 hours on average.

When it comes to business education, this training can help you grow your credibility, career, and company by building your knowledge of the customer, commercial, operational, financial, and personal dimensions of your business.

Simply put, this in-depth training will equip you with the essential tools and resources needed to make your brain function like a CEO.

These include the Executive Alignment tool, Quarterly Earnings Call workbook, Action Plan, and more.

The teachings will enable you to excel in all aspects of your professional life throughout, and you will also be eligible to receive credits upon course completion that you can share on platforms like LinkedIn to increase your credibility.

What You Will Learn

• All about the 5 Business Drivers.
• The fundamentals of a financial statement, including its usage and recognition of major items.
• You’ll easily be able to calculate the 10 primary financial metrics.
• You’ll be able to make use of the business drivers during the decision-making process.
• With the aid of a senior financial consultant, you’ll be able to learn to listen to the earnings calls.
• You’ll be able to have an insight into the useful measures required by an executive.
• You’ll be able to communicate the company’s overall strategy effectively.

 

2. Business Foundations Specialization (Coursera)

Price

Coursera PLUS subscription allows you to discover 7000+ courses for just $59/month.

Duration

7 months

This specialization program containing 6 courses will equip you with the foundational skills in areas including but not limited to Accounting, Marketing, Human Resources, Decision-Making, and essential P’s of Marketing such as Positioning and other Business tactics.

It also includes a hands-on project that will train your mind in a practical approach. The skill of solving real business challenges will be taught in an organized manner. These courses have a high rating as well.

What You Will Learn

Upon completing this specialization successfully, you’d be able to learn the following:

• Lead and supervise a group of people with motivation and a reward system.
• Be able to analyze the key financial statements such as Income Statement, Statement of Financial Position, and Cash Flow statement.
• Be able to upgrade service and production processes in an organization.
• Learn the art of various marketing strategies, including branding.
• Brush up on some basics to understand the theoretical concepts of introductory Business courses.

 

3. Business Analytics Nanodegree (Udacity)

Price

$399/month, but there’s a discounted package of 3-month access too.

Duration

3 months if you can spend 10 hours/week.

With highly qualified instructors, this Business Analytics Nanodegree program will provide you with in-demand skills and help you take your profile to another level. SQL, Excel, and Tableau will be introduced to you in a manner that will help build your professional skills.

If you’ve been eyeing a job requiring data skills, enroll in this online business course immediately.

What You Will Learn

To give you an idea about what this course holds in store for your learning journey, read below:

• You will be able to learn fundamental data skills.
• You will be able to explore how to analyze data and create models using Excel. This will involve the practice of data validation tools.
• The usage of SQL to create query databases. Advanced SQL lessons are optional, though.
• You can use Tableau to create interactive data visualizations such as dashboards.
• Gain knowledge of different business metrics used by business analysts.

 

4. Professional Certificate in Corporate Finance (edX)

Price

$607.50 for the full program experience.

Duration

3 months, if you spend about 3-4 months per week.

The three essential courses, including Introduction to Corporate Finance, Free Cash Flow Analysis, Risk & Return, and an experienced professor from Columbia University as the instructor, make it an all-in-one package to help you get started.

What You Will Learn

This certificate has a lot to offer, but the major parts will involve the following:

• Key concepts of the principles of finance, including the practical dimension.
• The application of the Free cash flow method for firm evaluation.
• How to value both the stock and bond.
• How to calculate the return on a project.
• Using different formats for valuation and discounting.
• The crucial steps involved in making investment decisions.
• How the capital structure influences the risk on equity and debt of a company.
• Keeping the risk factor under consideration, how to arrive at the risk and return of an asset.
• The computation of a firm’s value with the projection of cash flows and residual value calculation.

 

5. Fundamentals of Finance and Accounting for Non-Financial Managers – AMA

Price

It has different pricing plans for AMA members and Non-Members etc.

Duration

If you decide to opt for a classroom session, it will take 2 days. For online, it will be 4 lessons. Different slots are available.

This online business course will enable the participants to have a firm understanding of the financial aspect of the business, how to assess the performance in a quantitative way using financial knowledge, improve decision-making skills, network with finance professionals and be able to add value to the organization as a whole.

What You Will Learn

You will take with you a treasure of finance-based knowledge. The core key takeaways are as follows:

• The foundational concepts and processes of accounting.
• Making use of the accounting methods and instructions.
• Formation and analysis of the financial statements.
• Different sources of financing and their importance.
• What is cost capital?
• Cost accounting.
• Break-even analysis, budgetary controls, valuation, discounting, financial forecasting, and a lot more.
• View your business with a lens of dollars and cents, including decisions that pay off both in the short and long term.
• The essence of footnotes.
• Leveraging and its effect on the return to the shareholders.
• Annual report and its proper formatting along with the content.

 

6. Art of the Start: Turning Ideas into High-Growth Businesses (SkillShare)

Price

Skillshare offers a One Month Free Trial. After that, the Skillshare price is $167.88 per year. See our Skillshare review for more info.

Duration

1 hour and 31 minutes.

There are 14 short lessons in this powerful online business course. They are all focused on developing your interest in investment and clear your conceptual knowledge with respect to a recipe for success, especially for startups.

At the end of the course, you’d be required to submit your own business idea in the form of a PowerPoint presentation.

What You Will Learn

• How to start a business successfully backed by a solid fool-proof plan.
• How to implement your business idea and put your plan into action.
• How to raise an adequate amount of funds by attracting investors.
• The art of pitching your business and stimulating communication.
• To advertise your business on social media and increase its social media presence by gathering followers.

 

7. Build A Stand-Out Business (CreativeLive)

Price

$13/month to access 2000+ courses.

Duration

18 hours and 7 minutes.

This course has been designed keeping in mind the market competitiveness and how challenging it has become for businesses to remain in the limelight.

The lessons will allow you to polish your skills with respect to the establishment of targets, social media, how to build your customer base, analysis, product development, sales and a lot of fine details to bring your A-game into the business.

What You Will Learn

In this detailed course, you will be able to learn a variety of things.

• Include your unique strength to build your business.
• Make use of your passion for creating customized marketing campaigns to target the potential audience.
• Set one core goal and build your dream business around it.
• Communicate your vision to your desired community and potential customers so that they may remain involved.
• How to have a unique selling point so that your business stands out.

 

8. Advance Your Business (Skillshop)

Price

This program is available for free for everyone. Learn at zero cost.

Duration

Approximately 3 hours.

This course will help you get started on the foundational skills of promoting your business cost-effectively. This will involve smart research skills while preparing your business to generate a steady stream of revenue.

What You Will Learn

You will be able to master the art of customer satisfaction in the following ways.

• Email Marketing: This will involve writing the right message to capture the client’s interest and eventually result in a successful deal. Email marketing is an old-age technique but, if used right, can generate top-notch results.
• Fund your business without taking any loan: Debt financing can put the business at risk in times of rising interest rates. The course will allow you to discover the five ways to run a business without applying for debt.
• Customer-Focused Marketing: The goal of marketing is only fulfilled when a potential customer turns into a buyer. Branding, identifying your target audience, and so much more will be taught thoroughly.

 

9. Key Technologies for Business Specialization (Coursera)

 Price

Coursera Plus subscription allows you to access 7000+ courses for just $59/month. If unsure, you can even sign up for their 7-day free trial. See our Coursera pricing guide and Coursera Plus review for more info.

Duration

3 months if around 3 hours/week given to this program.

This specialization program will enable the learners to dive into the world of innovation and endless opportunities. As the global market has been moving towards IT systems, related skills have become the need of the hour.

Artificial Intelligence (IA), Data Science and Cloud Computing are the three main technologies that will be taught to you.

What You Will Learn

Here’s what you should expect to learn by the end of the program.

• Get familiar with the core technologies and how they’ve become integral to growing businesses. Learn about the related buzzwords.
• Learn the fundamentals of Cloud Computing, all three kinds of Clouds (Private, Public and Hybrid), IaaS/PaaS/SaaS, Cloud storage and DevOps.
• All about Data Science, the Job description of a Data Scientist and how it has been changing the current market dynamics.
• Gain knowledge about Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Neural Networks and how the world is going to change with AI’s heavy influence.

 

A Final Word On Online Business Courses

In a rapidly evolving business landscape, the value of continuous learning cannot be overstated. Whether you’re an entrepreneur navigating the complexities of running your own venture or a professional seeking to enhance your career prospects, taking online courses to learn about business offers a multitude of benefits that can drive your success.

Online business courses provide a flexible and accessible way to acquire new skills and knowledge without disrupting your existing commitments.

Entrepreneurs can explore specialized topics such as business strategy, digital marketing, finance, and entrepreneurship, tailoring their learning to address specific challenges they encounter on their journey. For professionals, online business classes offer the opportunity to upskill or pivot their careers by gaining expertise in areas like project management, leadership, and negotiation – all crucial skills that organizations value.

Choosing the right online business course for yourself is like making a profitable investment. A wise investment is key!

Remember that the courses will only guide you to the right path but applying this knowledge in your practical life and using it to grow professionally and personally depends on you.

It is of utmost importance to enroll yourself in a course that aligns with your future plans and long-term goals.

Have any questions about our guide to the best online business courses? Let us know by commenting below.