Small- to medium-sized businesses have embraced digital technologies in the past year and used this as an asset to help their business survive, however many are unaware that they have access to free courses online that can fast-track their learning in the digital world.
As technologies progress, it means we are able to learn what digital tools are crucial to help upskill our business and arm ourselves with key instruments in a matter of hours. Shifting mindsets on learning and upskilling has been transformed thanks to the world of technology, social media, and access to training in a matter of seconds.
For many SME owners, the biggest challenge they face is having to wear so many hats and not having the depth of knowledge across all areas. Having access to free online courses such as Skill Finder, enables time-poor owners to upskill on particular weak spots in a matter of hours, relieving the pressure.
Whether you are looking to seek advice across boosting your digital platforms or simply looking for graphic design advice, or sales and marketing tips, follow my top five tips for arming yourself with the right tools:
1. Develop a framework of what areas of your business you would like to improve on. Training doesn’t have to take years and setting aside time to understand the grey areas of your business will help capture opportunities for growth.
2. Research, research, research! There are so many platforms that offer free access to training. Whether for socials, financing, tech or presentations, marketplaces such as Skill Finder have some of the best online training courses available for free.
3. Limit external resources if possible. While it might be overwhelming at first to think about taking on payroll and other finances internally, there are step by step courses available to help limit having to source an external party to look after your finances. Not to mention, this will help you get under the hood of your business.
4. Allocate time for training sessions with your team. No matter what size your team is within your business, offering up an opportunity for employees to learn will not only help with growth and development, but also complement the business with extra tools that can be applied within.
5. Digital is key. Whether that be an online website, social media, or brand awareness on other digital platforms, this is the new way of the future.
