A crisis is like a barrage of sea waves. Those who can surf, they ride and enjoy the waves. Unfortunately, those who can’t surf will either be buttered or killed by the waves.
The COVID-19 crisis is a bit of a peculiar one due to the extent of its brutality. It doesn’t not only threaten your business, but it also threatens your very existence as a human being.
There is little an entrepreneur can do to safeguard himself from Coronavirus outside the social distancing and sanitizing. The minister of health Dr Zweli Mkhize believes that about 60% of the population will catch the virus and about 0.5% of those who catch it will die.
Whether you will be part of the 60% or even the 0.5% is something you have almost no control over. However, if we go by the minister’s predictions, the chances that you will not die of this virus are above 98%.
With 98% chances of surviving the scourge of COVID-19, you have much more serious problems to worry about than dying. One such problem is making sure that your business does not only survive the effects of the Lockdown but it strives during and after the pandemic.
Over and above applying for business loans to manage your cash flow, you need a way to gain an edge.
One sure way of doing so is upskilling yourself and your staff members. I have zeroed-in to these 5 short but highly recommended courses. I have personally did all of them and I can say without a shadow doubt that every person running a start-up or in danger of running one in the foreseeable future should take them sooner rather than later:
- Digital Business Models offered by Lund University via Coursera
This course teaches Digital business models that are disrupting established companies in different industries including but not limited to telecommunications, transportation, advertising, e-commerce, automotive, insurance and many other industries. It primarily explores the business models of software disruptors in the developed world such as Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon, Xiaomi and weChat.
- Business Strategies for Emerging Markets by Russia’s National Research University Higher School of Economics via Coursera
Another Coursera course that will with no doubt improve an entrepreneur’s grasping of business strategies. It primarily seeks to improve your analyzing, decision making, and planning skills as well as the ability to recognize strategic opportunities and threats. However, this course is meant for entrepreneurs with a preliminary understanding of business management. That is to say, those have up and running businesses. This course is completely free.
- Fundamentals of Digital Marketing by Google
Who is better suited to teach you digital marketing than Google itself? This is an awesome course offered by Google for free. It gives a broad overview of how to get your business online and the best practices of excelling in the online world. You will not become a digital marketing guru after this course but you will have a good understanding of what you need to do.
- Google Ads Certifications by Google
Most entrepreneurs spend a large chunk of their digital marketing budget on Google Adwords. This is a set of courses that teach you everything you need to know about setting up advertising campaigns on google. Understanding and mastering Google AdWords can be the biggest separator between you and your competitors.
- Facebook Blueprint Certification by Facebook
Almost every business has a Facebook presence. If your business is not, you are missing out. Facebook Blueprint Certification is for any entrepreneur who seeks to generate leads using Facebook or Increase in-store sales or even those that want to make money through publishing content on Facebook. Yes, you read correctly! Some people are making money for posting on Facebook.
Conclusion
Taking any of the above courses will surely alter any entrepreneur’s thinking about both business in this digital age and opportunities that are up for grabs.
Author Bio
Shephard Dube is the Founder and Chief Product Officer at Rateweb.co.za. He lives entrepreneurship, breathes entrepreneurship, and loves entrepreneurship. A trainee lawyer and digital marketing enthusiast with a particular focus on SEO and Content Marketing.
