If you’re on the fence about starting a business from scratch, you’re totally justified in being a bit nervous.
After all, for every entrepreneurial success story, there’s oftentimes an equally striking story of someone who crashed and burned.
While there is a massive window of opportunity for for new businesses in the wake of strong economies and a low barrier to entry for entrepreneurs, there’s still a certain level of expectation of what it takes to be a successful business owner.
One of those expectations is the ability to absorb a lot of information.
After all, business owners today are expected to be have diverse skill-sets and at least a base level of knowledge in a number of areas. This is especially true for anyone starting a business online.
As a result, education and inspiration are the bread and butter of entrepreneurs who “make it.”
That’s why we put together this sort of “crash course” of resources for anyone looking to start a business in the digital age. Regardless of what type of company you’re looking to start, each of these stories is relevant to your entrepreneurial journey.
Legal Advice and Best Practices
Navigating the business world requires you to have a firm grasp on everything from tax law to the specifics of how you structure your business.
While you obviously should get actual legal counsel in case of a lawsuit or serious issue, you should still take the time to educate yourself subjects such as deductions and what it means to run a business “by the book.” Resources such as LegalZoom can help you break down basic legalese so you can do exactly that.
The Ins and Outs of Inbound Marketing
Marketing today is about so much more than running ads. Today’s digital giants understand the need to educate and nurture prospects in order to seal the deal.
Enter the world of inbound marketing. Channels such as blogging, social media and email remain the bread and butter of businesses rather than relying on a barrage of paid ads.
Courses such as Hubspot’s Inbound Marketing Certification serve a smart way to learn the ropes of today’s best practices and how you can roll them yourselves. If you’re totally foreign to the new-school ways of marketing, Hubspot’s certification is a solid place to start.
Effective Emails
As highlighted by inbound marketing popularity, the need to write engaging, high-converting emails is universal among all business owners. This rings true whether we’re talking about cold outreach or autoresponders that nurture your leads on autopilot.
Sites like Really Good Emails and MailCharts serve as a treasure trove of awesome email examples. Curated from today’s top companies, these sites break down best practices and how you can adapt the success of today’s digital giants to your own messages.
The Basics of SEO
Although you might look toward a professional to help you build links or otherwise boost your search rankings, learning the ropes of SEO can be a total eye-opener. Starting with Moz’s Beginner’s Guide to SEO, you can better understand how sites work to dominate Google and which strategies make sense for your business and budget.
Copywriting 101
The need to be a strong copywriter is more or less universal across all industries. Whether it’s writing ads or compelling emails, you can spin words into gold if you have a pulse on what makes “good” copy. Resources like Copyblogger can hook you up with a comprehensive Copywriting 101 course to help step up your persuasion skills in no time flat.
What It Means to be a Good Leader
Beyond the digital landscape, consider how you can teach yourself to be a better boss to your employees.
Stepping up your leadership oftentimes feels like a trial by fire, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn a thing or do in your free time. Self-paced leadership courses from edX are perfect for honing in your people skills during your free time. The insight from these courses can give you the motivation to pursue some serious self-improvement.
How to Keep Moving Forward
Last but not least, let’s not forget the elephant in the room for entrepreneurs: that is, starting out is tough.
To avoid going getting overwhelmed any bit of inspiration can be a serious help. That’s why we recommend some of the best TED Talks for entrepreneurs by the likes of Seth Godin and Adam Grant. These stories offer perspective and actionable advice that can keep you moving forward even when times get tough.
New business owners need all the help that they can get, right? Don’t underestimate the power of digital resources no matter what your area of expertise might be. Whether you’re in need of some serious education or inspiration, you might be surprised what these resources are able to teach you.
