I find a lot of business owners are busy, but not always purposefully productive and profitable.
Let’s face it: unless we are prepared to learn continuously, especially with the rate of change, we are likely to fall behind very quickly.
So if you are prepared to take some time out to work on your business instead of in your business, here are some options for you!
Financial skills
Most of the online accounting SAAS platforms provide online training, for free! Have you completed any of these? You do not need to be a paying customer to access this information.
- Xero – Small Business Guides https://www.xero.com/au/guides
- Xero – Resources includes podcasts and video guides https://www.xero.com/au/resources
- Quickbooks – Tools and Templates https://quickbooks.intuit.com/au/tools-and-templates
- Quickbooks – Growth Hub https://quickbooks.intuit.com/au/accountants-and-bookkeepers/growth
- MYOB – Business Guides https://www.myob.com/au/resources/guides
- MYOB – Resources and Templates https://www.myob.com/au/templates/resource-templates
Remember that these resources are designed for a range of learners, focused on practical solutions.
Each state or territory government has specific content including:
- Business Victoria https://business.vic.gov.au/business-information/finance
- Service NSW Business Bureau https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/business
- Business Queensland https://www.business.qld.gov.au/running-business
- Office for Small and Family Business South Australia https://business.sa.gov.au/information
- Western Australia Small Business Development Corporation https://www.smallbusiness.wa.gov.au/
- Western Australia Business Support https://www.wa.gov.au/service/business-support
- Business Tasmania https://www.business.tas.gov.au/managing
- ACT Business https://www.act.gov.au/business
- NT Business and Industry https://nt.gov.au/industry
These websites group information together and allow you to ‘shop’ for what is most relevant to you. I particularly appreciate how there are resources for solopreneurs as well as small and medium-sized businesses.
I am also glad they do not say ‘do more on social media’ as I believe that the best business marketing is still word of mouth (with the proviso that your reputation can be verified online).
If you would like something more generic, the Australian government has Business.gov.au with an entire section on Planning https://business.gov.au/planning and Moneysmart https://moneysmart.gov.au can help you manage your money better and connect you with free and confidential financial counselling https://moneysmart.gov.au/managing-debt/financial-counselling if you are struggling.
Technical skills
How many of us continue to develop technical skills ‘on the job’ or through ‘immediate need’ rather than through some sort of structured learning?
It can be hard to focus on improving technical skills if you are running hard just to make ends meet. Most of us have heard about the concept of ‘sharpening the saw’ before attempting to cut down a tree.
I know that for me, I copied what was done previously for nearly a year before I realised that if I had learnt what I was doing, it was a very simple process of addition and subtraction!
The technical skills you need for your job can often be found in micro-learning or short-course environments. You do not need to enrol in an expensive formal education course through a university, even if you are contemplating a move into a new direction.
However, some universities and colleges offer free or low-cost technical short courses as an ‘introduction’ to their other broader offerings – so check out what is available from your closest provider.
You can find free online courses from across the world at Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) https://www.mooc.organd government funded courses listed by state at https://www.training.com.au/government-funded-courses
One of my favourites is LinkedIn Learning https://learning.linkedin.com which you can access free of charge with your local library membership and logging in to the local library website. It is also free if you have purchased LinkedIn Premium or you are a student or employee of certain educational institutions. These courses are particularly well structured with written and video content but they do have a slightly USA focus.
Remember to update your own LinkedIn Profile once you have completed any courses or training!
I hope these recommendations get you thinking and that you click on at least one link and spend five minutes having a quick browse.
I am confident that you will learn more in five minutes from one of these websites than 50 minutes scrolling through social media videos!
