This is an ed2go Self-Paced Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Self-paced Tutorials (SPT) are for students who prefer to learn at their own pace and are comfortable with self-guidance. Students gain access to all course material, quizzes and the final exam at the time of enrollment. These courses can start at any time and have a 3 month duration of access. Some courses may have peer to peer discussions.
Gain a marketable new skill by learning the basics of double-entry bookkeeping, financial reporting, and more.
In this comprehensive course, you will learn the basics of double-entry bookkeeping, as well as how to analyze and record financial transactions. You will get hands-on experience with handling accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll procedures, sales taxes, and various common banking activities.
Accounting Fundamentals covers all the bases, from writing checks to preparing an income statement and closing out accounts at the end of each fiscal period. Whether you're a sole proprietor looking to manage your business finances or you simply want to gain an understanding of accounting basics for career advancement or for personal use, this course will give you a solid foundation in financial matters.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
A calculator and a printer.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Gain a marketable new skill by learning the basics of double-entry bookkeeping, financial reporting, and more.
Account Classifications, Account Titles, T Accounts, and the Accounting Equation
Welcome to Accounting Fundamentals! In this first lesson, you will learn all about account classifications, debits, credits, and T accounts. You will learn the difference between a liability and an asset, and you will find out how to determine an owner's equity.
General Ledger Accounts and the Balance Sheet
Here's where you will begin your hands-on accounting practice: You will start by creating an imaginary company for which you will be the accountant. You will learn how to analyze your company's transactions to determine which amounts go into which accounts, then you will create your company's own General Ledger forms and post a few transactions into those accounts.
Journalizing Transactions and Posting to the General Ledger
Now that you understand the functions of the General Ledger, you're ready to move on to the next phase of recording transactions: the Journal. In this lesson, you will learn how to enter transactions into an 11-column journal and then post or transfer those amounts into appropriate General Ledger accounts.
Journalizing and Posting Cash and Charge Purchases and Payments on Account
In this lesson, you will learn all about Accounts Payable, which is money that you owe your vendors and suppliers. You will practice journalizing cash purchases and purchases on account, and you will get hands-on practice transferring those purchases to their corresponding Accounts Payable Ledger accounts.
Journalizing and Posting Cash and Charge Sales and Cash Received on Account
In this lesson, you will learn about Accounts Receivable, which is another name for money owed to your company by its customers. You will learn how to journalize and post those sales on account, how to enter charge sales into the journal, and how to transfer the information into an Accounts Receivable Ledger.
Payroll and Various Deductions
It's payday! This lesson will teach you how to determine gross pay, deductions, and net pay. You will learn how to prepare a payroll, write payroll checks, and how to prepare and maintain accurate payroll records.
Banking Services and Reports
In this lesson, you will learn all about banks and banking services: You will learn the proper way to write checks, make out deposit tickets, and reconcile your company's checking account with the bank statement. These are important skills you will find valuable in both your business and personal life!
Posting Journal Totals to the General Ledger and Schedule of Accounts Payable and Schedule of Accounts Receivable
This lesson will teach you how to prepare a Schedule of Accounts Payable and a Schedule of Accounts Receivable. These reports can be used to compare the amount of money your business owes its creditors with the amount of money your customers owe your business.
End-of-Year Worksheet
In this lesson, you will prepare a worksheet showing the net income or net loss for the fiscal period. The worksheet will show all income and expenses for the fiscal period as well as the assets, liabilities, and owner's equity account balances.
End-of-Year Financial Reports
In this lesson, you will learn how to prepare various reports that are vital to the well-being of your company. You will learn how these reports can be used to make sound financial decisions in the next fiscal period. You will discover how to put together an Owner's Equity Statement, an Income Statement, and a Distribution of Net Income.
Journalizing and Posting Adjusting Entries
In this lesson, you will prepare for the end of the fiscal period by adjusting your asset account balances to accurately reflect the assets remaining at the end of the year. You will also find out how to journalize and post adjusting and closing entries to bring your company's General Ledger up to date.
Journalizing and Posting Closing Entries and Preparing a Post Closing Trial Balance
In the final lesson, you will prepare a Post Closing Trial Balance report to ensure that all of your debits and credits in the General Ledger balance out in preparation for the new fiscal period.
This is an ed2go Self-Paced Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Self-paced Tutorials (SPT) are for students who prefer to learn at their own pace and are comfortable with self-guidance. Students gain access to all course material, quizzes and the final exam at the time of enrollment. These courses can start at any time and have a 3 month duration of access. Some courses may have peer to peer discussions.
Give yourself skills that are in high demand by exploring corporate accounting.
While it is true that accounting professionals are scarce, those with corporate accounting experience are even scarcer. This course will provide you with a solid understanding of corporate accounting practices.
In Accounting Fundamentals II, you will explore such topics as special journals, uncollectible accounts receivable, plant assets, depreciation, notes and interest, accrued revenue and expenses, dividends, retained earnings, and various financial reports for corporations.
If you're interested in increasing your financial awareness and accountability while also gaining a marketable skill, this is the course for you.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
A calculator and a printer.
Give yourself skills that are in high demand by exploring corporate accounting.
Accounts Payable
In this lesson, you will learn all about accounts payable. You will be journalizing and posting your company's purchases and preparing a Schedule of Accounts Payable. This lesson will give you the tools you need to successfully track those accounts.
Accounts Receivable
In this lesson you will take a close look at accounts receivable. After completing this lesson, you will know how to enter charge sales into your Sales Journal and then post them to your General Ledger. You will have also learned how to journalize payments on account received from your charge customers.
Uncollectible Accounts Receivable
In this lesson you will learn about uncollectible accounts receivable. While many believe customers will always pay what they owe, that is not always the case. You will learn how to account for long overdue receivables that probably won't ever be paid.
Plant Assets and Depreciation
In this lesson, you will learn about plant assets and depreciation. Just like your car, business assets depreciate over time, so you will need to know how to account for that expense in your records. You will also need to record these assets and calculate their depreciation in a timely manner.
Notes Payable and Notes Receivable
This lesson is all about notes payable and notes receivable. You will learn all you need to know about accounting for these situations as you learn how to record the issuance and payment of these notes payables and notes receivables.
Accrued Income and Accrued Expenses
In this lesson, you will learn how to deal with accrued income and accrued expenses. Accrued income is money that the company earns in one fiscal period but doesn't receive until after another fiscal period begins.
Dividends and Starting the Year-End Worksheet
In this lesson, you will be dealing with dividends, which is money paid to the company's stockholders on their investment. You will learn how the business accounts for the dividends it pays to its stockholders. You will also look at retained earnings, or the amount of profit the corporation retains for future use.
Complete Year-End Worksheet with Adjustments
In this lesson you will determine if your business has a net income or a net loss by completing the worksheet started in the previous lesson. And because many General Ledger accounts change throughout the fiscal period—you will need to bring these accounts up to date.
End-of-Fiscal-Period Financial Reports
It's time to begin wrapping up your books for the end of the fiscal period. In this lesson, you will learn how to compile most of the various financial reports a corporation needs to complete at the end of the fiscal period.
Adjusting and Closing Entries and Post Closing Trial Balance
In this lesson, you will get the books all caught up and ready for the next fiscal period. You will go back and journalize those adjusting entries you entered into your worksheet, then you will enter closing entries into your journal.
Preparing a Payroll
This lesson covers every employee's favorite subject: Payroll. You will learn about various mandatory and voluntary deductions from employees' pay, as well as how to journalize and post an entire payroll. As an added bonus, after this lesson, you will be able to check the accuracy of your own paycheck.
Preparing Federal Tax Deposits and Year-End Tax Reports
The final lesson focuses on preparing a variety of end-of-year tax reports. Here's your chance to go step-by-step through a multitude of IRS forms with instructions that are much easier to understand. You will fill out the federal Form 941, then learn how to make federal income tax deposits.
This is an ed2go Self-Paced Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Self-paced Tutorials (SPT) are for students who prefer to learn at their own pace and are comfortable with self-guidance. Students gain access to all course material, quizzes and the final exam at the time of enrollment. These courses can start at any time and have a 3 month duration of access. Some courses may have peer to peer discussions.
Learn how to have more successful relationships with difficult bosses, co-workers, students, neighbors, or relatives.
This course will teach you how to see things from others' viewpoints based on their needs, values, beliefs, experiences, skills, knowledge, and self-interests. You will learn to approach difficult situations by answering the questions: who? what? where? when? how? and why? And by answering these questions, you will understand who your difficult people are, what they're like, how you react to them, and their response to your actions.
You will also practice analyzing your interactions with those you share space with. By observing others closely, you will learn to read their identifying characteristics. Once you can identify which type of person you're dealing with, you will be able to choose appropriate reactions to their behaviors.
By the time you finish this course, you will understand that assertiveness involves taking responsibility when meeting your needs in a way that preserves the dignity and rights of others.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Learn how to have more successful relationships with difficult bosses, co-workers, students, neighbors, or relatives.
Identifying Preferred Communication Styles
In the first lesson, you will find out the answers to four very important questions that impact the success of your relationships with others. The answers to these questions will help you identify your preferred communication styles.
Analyzing Your Own Difficult-Person Situation
In this lesson, you will begin to build a database about not only your difficult people — those who are different in communication style from you. You will also enhance your skills in reviewing and resolving problems with these people.
Dealing With Hostile-Aggressive Personality Types
This lesson discusses four types of hostile people. These are people who want to control everything and everyone but have no self-control. This group is called Hostile-Aggressives.
Dealing with Difficult Passive Personality Types
In this lesson, you will learn appropriate options for interacting well with those who are stubborn or critical —people known as Negative-Thinkers.
Dealing With Aggressive Subcategories of Difficult Intuitors
This lesson focuses on the appropriate way to effectively deal with aggressive individuals. You will learn how to recognize these people and share space with them.
Identifying and Dealing With Relaters
In this lesson, you will take another look at another personality type called Relators. Plus, you will learn ways to effectively handle the difficult subcategories of this type.
Overcoming Your Own Difficult Characteristics
Some of your difficult people probably also feel that you're their difficult person, but you may be totally unaware of this. Do you feel that ignorance is really bliss? You will go through some exercises in this lesson that should help you figure it out.
Developing Skills to Become More Flexible
In this lesson, you will work toward improving your own flexibility skills: confidence, tolerance, empathy, positivity, and respect. To help, you will answer a few questions about each of your own skill sets as you move through the lesson's materials.
Exploring Resilience-Building Strategies
In this lesson, you will learn that a certain set of characteristics is essential if you want to relate well with others. As you will find out, you must first improve your versatility skills to maintain a positive attitude, and then learn to view obstacles and problems as "opportunities."
Discovering the Importance of Assertiveness to Positive Relationships
After finishing this lesson, you will understand what assertiveness is and what it isn't. You will begin to see why assertive behavior is so important to your success in getting along well with others. You will also carefully examine your own level of assertiveness and identify which of your skills need fine-tuning.
Changing Your Own Assertiveness Skills
This lesson focuses on simple, yet powerful assertive-communication techniques. You will learn to use self-disclosure appropriately to share information about yourself—your thoughts, feelings, and opinions—to build relationship trust and common ground.
Learning Techniques to Improve Your Listening Abilities
After this final lesson, you may be surprised to discover that your listening skills need improvement. Listening well is a complex process, and your own selective filtering often keeps you from real understanding.
This is an ed2go Self-Paced Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Self-paced Tutorials (SPT) are for students who prefer to learn at their own pace and are comfortable with self-guidance. Students gain access to all course material, quizzes and the final exam at the time of enrollment. These courses can start at any time and have a 3 month duration of access. Some courses may have peer to peer discussions.
Learn how to create your very own blog and podcast using the tools that you already have available on your computer.
Blogging and Podcasting for Beginners will teach you how to plan and create you very own blog and podcast. Through hands-on exercises, you will discover the benefits of using free web tools like Blogger, WordPress, Audacity, and YouTube. You will find that creating a blog and podcast is much easier than you ever imagined.
First, you will learn how to develop a plan for the content, setup, maintenance, and how to use free blogging software like Blogger and WordPress to put that plan into action. After that, learn how to record a professional-sounding audio podcast with a very simple recording tool you already have. You will edit the file with another free software program, add music to it, and then post it online for others to enjoy. Finally, you will find out how to record a video podcast. You will edit it, add special effects, drop in a podcasting-safe music file, and then publish it online.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac.
Mac users should expect to make adjustments based on their operating system differences especially during the podcast portion of the course. In addition, Mac users will download different versions of audio editing software and video editing software that will differ from the directions presented in the course.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
You should expect to download free online programs including an audio editing program during the class in order to create a blog and podcast.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Learn how to create your very own blog and podcast using the tools that you already have available on your computer.
Learn How to Blog, Produce Audio and Video Podcasts
Welcome to the beginning of your blogging adventure! By course completion, you will know how to blog, produce your own audio and video podcasts, and how to market and promote your blog. In this first lesson, you will get acquainted with blogging terms, the parts of a blog, and the important differences between a blog and a website.
Blog Content, Setup, and Long-term Maintenance
It makes sense to give something a try before doing it yourself, right? This lesson will teach you how to participate in the blogosphere by commenting on a blog of your choosing. This lesson walks you through a series of questions to help you develop a sustainable plan for your blog's content, setup, and long-term maintenance.
Blogging Software and Hosting
This lesson explores your options for blogging software and hosting. You will learn about free online blog software options and work with two free blogging services, Blogger and WordPress. By the end of this lesson, your blog will be ready to go.
Create Custom Blogs
Why settle for a cookie-cutter blog when you can create a custom blog look? In this lesson, you will pick the perfect image for your background and spice up your blog's header on your Blogger and WordPress blogs.
Learn How to Set up Blog Privacy Levels and Comment Fields
In this lesson, you will get to decide who can read your blog. You will learn how to set your blog's privacy levels and comment field, in case you want to limit who can read or comment on your blog. Finally, this lesson teaches you how to add a few gadgets that help readers easily navigate your blog.
Formatting Tools
This lesson covers changing the font, color, and size of your text, and adding lists and links to enhance content and interactivity. You will also practice working with formatting tools to make your first post look great online.
Adding Photos to Your Blog
You've mastered the process of formatting the text of your blog post, so now it's time to add some photos. After learning how to locate and incorporate appropriate images into your draft, create labels to categorize the content of your post. Next, learn the seven steps of promoting your blog, including how to utilize Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest as promotion tools.
Learn the PREP Method of Podcasting
It's time to explore the podcast. You will learn the podcasting terms needed to feel comfortable with this technology. This lesson introduces the PREP method of podcasting: planning your own podcast using our effective formula for developing content, setup, and maintenance.
Learn How to Record Your First Podcast
In this lesson explores the minimum equipment needed to record your first audio podcast—as well as other equipment you may find of interest if you become a serious podcaster. And, after that, you will continue to follow the PREP method of podcasting by recording your first podcast using Audacity, a free audio recording program.
Editing and Publishing
This lesson focuses on the last two steps of the PREP method of podcasting: editing and publishing. You will learn how to cut out dead air and an unexpected sneeze, adjust the volume, and add effects so the sound fades in and out. Then, it will be time to publish your work.
Video Podcasting
Now that you know how to prepare, record, edit, and publish an audio podcast, doing the same for a video podcast is going to be a lot easier. In this lesson, you will learn the equipment you can use for video podcasting.
Learn How to Add Transitions and Video Effects
It's time to fine-tune your video podcasting skills as well as your video podcast. In this final lesson, you will learn how to add transitions and video effects to your video file, trim unwanted portions out, and make audio enhancements.
This is an ed2go Self-Paced Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Self-paced Tutorials (SPT) are for students who prefer to learn at their own pace and are comfortable with self-guidance. Students gain access to all course material, quizzes and the final exam at the time of enrollment. These courses can start at any time and have a 3 month duration of access. Some courses may have peer to peer discussions.
This course will introduce different strategies employed during the budgeting process, the techniques and tools commonly used to make budgeting forecasts, the components of a basic operating budget, and how businesses make certain decisions that may impact their budgeted amounts.
If the idea of creating a budget for your business, department, or project seems overwhelming, this course will alleviate all of those fears. Taught in an approachable and relatable format, this course walks you through the budgeting process so you can go from numbers averse to budgeting super-hero. The downloadable templates included in the course allow you to easily and quickly take what you learn and apply it to your job. The storytelling used throughout the course makes the topic more approachable and engaging so you can obtain the soft skills that will help you be successful implementing and tracking a budget in the real world. Finally, the course challenge is something that will pique your curiosity at the beginning of the course and provide motivation to complete the course and continue learning the material.
A company's budgeting process involves a lot more than just rows and columns of numbers on a spreadsheet. The reality is that budgeting is a sometimes organic and sometimes organized process. Most often, it's an equal mix of both in an attempt to add some level of certainty to an uncertain future. These processes are what we are going to explore in this course. You will be introduced to different strategies employed during the budgeting process, the techniques and tools that are commonly used to make budgeting forecasts, the components of a basic operating budget, and how businesses make certain decisions that may impact their budgeted amounts.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox is preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
In this comprehensive, beginner-friendly course, you will learn the elementary skills needed to be successful in the budgeting process and work gradually work your way up to creating a budget. You will also discover how to best evaluate the results of your budget and make decisions to help your business maximize its profits.
Predicting the Future
In this lesson, you'll explore how budgeting at its core is a process of looking forward. It's about making informed predictions about the future. Next, you'll see how a company's vision can lead to setting goals for the company. These visions are often aspirational and state the path for where the company plans to go in the future. Then, we'll also start the conversation about the human side of budgeting.
Budget Strategies
In this lesson, you'll begin to look at various budgeting strategies, including strategic, capital, and operations budgeting techniques. This lesson will include some real-life examples of planning activities, but to further bring these concepts to life, we'll also highlight a fictional company, Curly's Pool Service and Supplies. You'll finish the lesson by helping Curly formulate some plans and budgets!
It's All About Sales!
This lesson will focus all on sales, specifically the role that sales play in the budgeting process. We'll examine the best practices for compiling a sales forecast and how to increase the chances that the sales forecast will actually mimic real life. We'll also discover how to create an inventory needs budget to determine just how much inventory to purchase based on a sales forecast. Finally, we'll discuss how to formulate a labor requirements budget to accurately project just how much labor you may need to employ to meet the needs of the company, again based on the sales forecast.
Cost Behavior – Part 1
In this lesson, you are going to detour a bit from the actual preparation of a budget and dive into how certain types of costs behave. Understanding how costs increase or decrease relative to an activity is an essential part of learning how to accurately budget for costs in a business. So, in the upcoming chapters, you're going to discover how to distinguish between variable, fixed, and mixed costs. We will use these cost types to calculate the contribution margin for the business. Then, we will show you how to use contribution margin to make certain predictions and decisions in a business. Most notably, you'll see how to use contribution margin to calculate the all-important break-even point and margin of safety for a business.
Cost Behavior – Part 2
This lesson will be a continuation of our discussion about cost behavior. In this lesson, you're going to explore how to evaluate a company's sales mix and how to calculate operating leverage using tools given throughout the course. Operating leverage is just another key component of cost analysis that will allow you to, once again, easily make projections about the future. We'll end the lesson with a discussion about how companies set prices for the products and services they offer. You can probably guess that this process is a bit more involved than just selecting a price out of thin air. It's actually an essential part of a company's overall budgeting process and should not be taken lightly.
Expense and Manufacturing Production Budgets
In this lesson, we'll examine the steps needed to build both a direct materials budget and a direct labor budget. We'll also examine how a manufacturing company budgets for manufacturing overhead. All of these components are key to developing an overall production budget for a business that manufactures a product. Finally, we will end this lesson by describing the components of a production budget.
Cash Is King!
In this lesson, you'll learn how to prepare a complete cash budget for a business. You'll get the chance to take an even closer look at how a company might forecast cash collections from credit sales and cash payments on credit purchases for big-ticket items like inventory or other expensive capital projects. We'll even take a look at how some companies mitigate the risk of running out of cash by utilizing lines of credit and other sources of cash instead of just relying on cash generated from sales.
Capital Budgeting
In this lesson, you'll learn some of the basic methodologies that can be applied in many different capital budgeting scenarios. We'll begin with an explanation of a technique that does not include an evaluation of how time impacts the valuation of money. Then, you'll learn how the passage of time and its impact on the value of a dollar is incorporated into capital budgeting decisions. Since capital projects often span years, or even decades in some cases, the time value of money is key to improving accuracy in budgeting for capital projects. The lesson will finish up with a thorough review of, perhaps, the most common technique that is used in capital budgeting decisions: net present value.
Business Decision-Making – Part 1
In this lesson and the one that follows, we're going to explore how businesses use budgeted data in combination with a formalized decision-making process to improve their chances of making better decisions. For a business, a better decision is one that maximizes profit and aligns with the company's goals and values. We'll start with an examination of what types of budgeted information are relevant to making a decision and what types of information you can ignore. You'll see the differences between quantitative and qualitative information and how each can be used to improve decision-making. Then we'll finish up with an example including some specific steps you can use as a model for making better decisions.
Business Decision-Making – Part 2
In this lesson, you'll continue to practice with these same techniques by applying them to a few other common business decisions. You'll start by examining how a business uses budgeted information to make the choice to replace an existing asset with a new asset, such as replacing an old piece of manufacturing equipment with a brand-new one. Next, you'll explore how a business might use budgeted information when deciding whether to eliminate a product or service that it offers. We'll finish up the lesson by examining one of the most critical business decisions you'll ever need to make: how to allocate your most scarce resource to maximize profit in your business.
Bringing It All Together
In this lesson and the one that follows, we will focus on how best to evaluate the financial stability and performance of the business using budgeted information. We'll start by taking a close look at using the components of a company's operating budget to compile the pro forma balance sheet. Next, we'll examine the steps needed to prepare the pro forma income statement, again by using the information found in many of the other operating budget components. To finish up the lesson, we'll dive into some straightforward techniques that are useful to evaluate the balances found on the pro forma balance sheet and income statements.
Evaluation, Control, and Methods
In this lesson, you'll spend more time on the budget evaluation process by examining how companies use variance analysis to evaluate differences between actual results and the budget. To keep things manageable, we'll stick to the basics here so that you're equipped with some tools to take with you when applying these techniques in a real company. As part of this process, we'll take a look at how budget variances are defined and interpreted. Then, we'll discuss some techniques like flexible budgeting to evaluate and isolate certain budget fluctuations in a way that provides clarity to a business owner or manager. We'll finish up the lesson with a brief discussion of the budgetary control process and the soft skills needed for this process.
This is an ed2go Self-Paced Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Self-paced Tutorials (SPT) are for students who prefer to learn at their own pace and are comfortable with self-guidance. Students gain access to all course material, quizzes and the final exam at the time of enrollment. These courses can start at any time and have a 3 month duration of access. Some courses may have peer to peer discussions.
This Customer Service training class teaches you the basics of customer service and translates that knowledge into practical application.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 10 or later.
Mac: macOS 11.0 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox is preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
This course will provide you with the information needed to understand how a positive attitude, going a step beyond basic customer service, and dealing effectively with complaints will enhance your work experience. You will learn the difference between internal and external customers. You will also learn how developing and implementing a comprehensive customer service policy promotes consistency in how customers are treated and keeps customers happy.
Customer Service Basics
Defining Customer Service
Internal and External Customers
Interacting with Customers
Understanding What the Customer Wants
Developing Responsible Customer Service Skills
Developing a Positive Attitude
Going a Step Beyond What is Expected
Dealing with Complaints and Problems
Developing Verbal and Nonverbal Communication
The Basics of Communication
Customer Communication
Customer Service Best Practices
Creating Customer Service Standards from Best Practices
Implementing Service Standards
Monitoring Service Standards
Maintaining Service Standards
Attracting Loyal Customers
Create Memorable Service
Develop Loyal Customers
How Loyal Employees Impact Customers
What you will learn
Discover how to communicate effectively
Identify internal and external customers
Identify how to interact positively with customers
How you will benefit
Develop a positive attitude
Understand customer service
Gain the ability to create and implement service standards
This is an ed2go Self-Paced Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Self-paced Tutorials (SPT) are for students who prefer to learn at their own pace and are comfortable with self-guidance. Students gain access to all course material, quizzes and the final exam at the time of enrollment. These courses can start at any time and have a 3 month duration of access. Some courses may have peer to peer discussions.
Learn powerful graphic design techniques and build websites that are both attractive and wickedly effective.
These days, creating a website is so easy almost anyone can do it. But with all the competition on the web, creating a site that's effective is more challenging than ever. Regardless of your current skills or level of knowledge, in this course you'll master the basics of web design and learn how to build sites that are better and more effective.
You'll examine the tension between form and function, explore the six major states of the website development process, and learn the basics of user-centered design. You'll also cover the five basic steps to organizing information, find out how site design themes can be used for information delivery, and review website design considerations. Along the way, you'll learn about effective type and graphics and explore the idea of web 2.0. This course is a must for web designers, giving the tips and tools that will help them establish a solid career.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
An imaging program, such as Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro, is recommended (not included in enrollment).
A web page authoring tool, such as Adobe Dreamweaver or Microsoft Expression Web, is recommended (not included in enrollment).
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Master the basics of web design and learn to build sites that are better and more effective. This course provides powerful graphic design techniques for attractive websites and is a must for web designers — giving the tips and tools that will help your site stand-out from all the others.
Form Versus Function
This course is different from most web creation courses you'll find because it's not designed to teach you the mechanics of creating a web page or how to use a particular software program. Instead, it's designed to help you take your website creations to the next level by enhancing both design and functionality. You'll discover what attracts visitors to a website, and how to use design tools such as typography, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and multimedia to captivate visitors and keep them coming back.
Website Planning Process
Visitors are attracted by good design, but content is what keeps them at the site longer and motivates them to return. Learn how to use two tools to attract and retain visitors: design critiques and a content inventory. Explore the six major development stages that yield expert design and smart content. Then study the three parts of web design and the skills you'll need for each.
Interface Design
By now, you probably understand that an interface is the screen visitors see and use when they visit any page of your site. Designing an interface is easy. Designing an effective interface, however, is more challenging. There are four main elements that you'll need to consider to make your site user-centric: usability, visualization, functionality, and accessibility. Explore each of these elements to see the thought that goes into effective interface design.
Site Structure
Even if your basic content is accurate, attractive, and well written, your site won't function well without a solid and logical organizational foundation. Review the five basic steps involved in organizing information and four essential structures that you can use to build a website. Then learn how to create a flowchart for the pages you want to include on your site.
Site Design
Websites exist to inform, educate, persuade, or entertain. Take this opportunity to concentrate on site design themes that pay attention to information delivery. Learn how to organize elements in order to enable visitors to accomplish their own goals. Explore usability, content, and design.
Page Design
Discover how you can use visual and graphic design, page layout, and grids to take your designs to the next level. At the same time, become familiar with design considerations like visual hierarchy, page dimensions, and white space.
Typography on the Web
Typography plays a dual role by providing both verbal and visual communication. Almost any type of font will do to transmit information to others. But to convey the right type of mood along with the information takes a special type and color of font. Learn all the secrets here!
CSS and Font Embedding
Find out how you can use Cascading Style Sheets to modify fonts. Become familiar with inline, document-level, and external (linked) style sheets, and learn how to create an external CSS file to control the formatting of any or all pages on your site. You'll also take a look at some early font embedding techniques and explore two popular Flash-related options currently in use.
Writing for the Web
Before you write for the web, you should take the time to understand how people read online. Become familiar with the use of titles, headlines, and subheads to assist readers in navigating your site. Discover the advantages of using a web content management system. Learn how you can communicate more easily and informally with web visitors by adding a blog to your site.
Images, Colors, and Layers
You can use images to add interest to your site and to help with navigation. Early designers were limited graphically by HTML attributes, and later designers discovered they could use tables to place images. Today's designers also have the option of using CSS to position images on the screen. But believe it or not, many people still use text-based browsers. So, you'll learn how to make the information you convey through your images accessible to those individuals as well.
CSS Positioning: More Layers
The combination of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript allows you to create intensely interactive web applications similar to any game or presentation built with traditional programming languages. This interaction of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript is known as Dynamic HTML or DHTML. Become familiar with the basics of DHTML, including code you can use to enhance your designs by adding layers to your pages.
Web 2.0 and Beyond
Early websites were created by a few to be read by many. Over the years, developers added interactivity to websites through discussion forums, chat rooms, and shopping carts. These features are part of what might be called "web 1.0". Today the focus has shifted from the sponsor of the site to the visitor, and sites like Flickr and YouTube are popular. They're examples of web 2.0 sites. Examine several popular web 2.0 sites, and take a look ahead to web 3.0.
This is an ed2go Self-Paced Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Self-paced Tutorials (SPT) are for students who prefer to learn at their own pace and are comfortable with self-guidance. Students gain access to all course material, quizzes and the final exam at the time of enrollment. These courses can start at any time and have a 3 month duration of access. Some courses may have peer to peer discussions.
Learn the people skills required to motivate and delegate, and learn tools for solving problems and resolving conflicts.
If you have recently been promoted to a supervisory or management position or want to learn how to become a more effective manager, this course will help you master the basics of business by learning the language of management.
You will learn how to make a successful transition from employee to manager and you will learn how to manage your time so that you can deal with the constant demands of a managerial job.
You will learn the skills required to delegate responsibility and motivate your employees. A large part of a manager's job involves getting things done through other people, and this course will help you understand how to influence and direct other people's performance.
Finally, you will learn how to solve problems and resolve conflicts so you can accomplish your job more effectively.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Become a more effective manager by learning the language of business management. This course provides skills in managing time, delegating responsibility, motivating your employees, solving problems and resolving conflicts so you can accomplish your job more effectively.
Introduction to Managerial Work
How has management theory evolved over the last 100 years? This lesson will take you back to the days of assembly lines and scientific management. You will learn how organizations are structured and describe managerial jobs in terms of the technical and managerial tasks that are performed.
Making the Transition Into Management
Let's see if you can identify the characteristics of a typical supervisor's day and how they handle daily challenges. In this lesson, you will learn how to make the supervisor's path smoother, such as empowerment and communication. How does one begin to think, act, and look like a manager?
The Tasks of a Manager
Is leadership distinct from management? Do you have what it takes to be a leader, or are you cut out to be just a manager? This lesson covers the evolution of leadership research and begin to discuss the fascinating field of motivation. Believe it or not, a good leader can build motivation right into the design of a job.
Managing Tasks, Performance, and Time
In this lesson, you will learn how a supervisor can handle the challenges of delegation, performance management, and time management. Once you understand the challenges of the typical day, you will understand the importance of time management to a supervisor.
Introduction to Motivation
It's time to really dig into the topic dear to many managers' hearts-motivation. This lesson clarifies what managers need to understand about human motivation and help you to understand the links between motivation and productivity.
The Best-Known Researchers in Motivation
Motivational theories are great as long as they truly help you to manage people at work every day. This lesson looks closely at four theories: Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Herzberg's two-factor theory of motivation, Alderfer's theory on the three levels of human, and the three needs outlined by McClelland.
Motivation Theories
Do you believe that people naturally want to do a good job? Or are people lazy by nature and need to be watched? In this lesson, find out if you're a Theory X or a Theory Y-type of manager. There are self-fulfilling prophecies to each of those beliefs.
Understanding the Theories of Motivation
This lesson defines two more very practical and influential motivational theories; equity theory and expectancy theory. This lesson wraps up the theoretical about the importance of creating a motivational environment.
Introduction to Conflict Resolution and Problem-Solving
Now comes the hard part: when real life doesn't work out the way the theories told us it should. What happens when conflict arises? This lesson explores conflict and conflict resolution. You will learn about specific techniques of negotiation, a particular type of conflict management.
Models of Conflict Resolution and Problem-Solving
This less about conflict and problem-solving in work groups? This lesson identifies means of solving conflict between groups. You will also learn a problem-solving model that is useful in work and in life.
Working Through Problems
This lesson explores the problem-solving model introduced earlier and talks about the importance of establishing objectives, generating alternatives, and choosing a solution.
Implementing Solutions to Problems and Conflicts
This lesson concludes the problem-solving model discussion and gives you the tools you need to carry the plan through to completion. You will explore the conflicts that may arise while solving problems and completing action plans.
This is an ed2go Self-Paced Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Self-paced Tutorials (SPT) are for students who prefer to learn at their own pace and are comfortable with self-guidance. Students gain access to all course material, quizzes and the final exam at the time of enrollment. These courses can start at any time and have a 3 month duration of access. Some courses may have peer to peer discussions.
In this Goal Setting and Workplace Efficiency Training class, students will learn valuable professional skills that will help them set and achieve goals and manage their time effectively.
Good time management is the stress-reducing oxygen you need to achieve excellence in everyday life. It is about focusing on the right thing and doing it right. When you become goal-oriented you will find yourself managing your time more effectively. Hence, goal setting is one of the most important time management techniques. This course will help you set goals that are your own and help you use leading-edge strategies to bring them to culmination.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 10 or later.
Mac: macOS 11.0 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Good time management and the ability to set personal goals are key to achieving success in life. This course will teach you how to set appropriate, measurable goals and develop good time management skills to achieve them.
Become an Expert in Time Management
Respect Your Time
Do More by Doing Less
Respect Others' Time
Time Management Skills
Ways to Circumvent Interruptions
Goals as a Motivational Tool for Time Management
Microsoft Outlook and Time Management
Optimize Scheduling Tools
Using the Inbox to Create Task Lists in Outlook
Use Your Tasks as Work Lists
Creating a Calendar Item from an Inbox Email
Checking Email at Designated Times
The Under-Two-Minute Rule
Setting Up Rules
Creating Folders and Archiving Email
Using Auto-archive
Create a Distribution List
Email Etiquette and Efficiency Tips
Do's When Writing Email
Understanding the Importance of Goal Setting
Start Where You Are Planted
Why Goal Setting Is Important
Creating a Strategy to Achieve Smart Goals
Understand What a SMART Goal Is
Identify the Right Tools for Goal Setting
Implementing by Building a Support System
How to Find Supporters
Understand Your Strengths and Weaknesses
Different Types of Supporters
Turn Your Social Network into Your Cheerleading Network
Sustaining Goal Setting for Success
Persistence
Don't Give up at the First Sign of Difficulty
Flexibility
Changing Your Approach
Celebrating Small Wins
Grow Where You Are Planted
Make Goal Setting a Habit
What you will learn
Learn effective time management skills.
Identify the benefits of setting goals.
Master the skills of setting your own goals.
Implement the right strategies to track your goals.
Understand flexibility vs. persistence when prioritizing.
Turn goals into habits.
How you will benefit
Gain valuable skills that will benefit you in any profession.
Track success toward goals for personal fulfillment
This is an ed2go Self-Paced Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Self-paced Tutorials (SPT) are for students who prefer to learn at their own pace and are comfortable with self-guidance. Students gain access to all course material, quizzes and the final exam at the time of enrollment. These courses can start at any time and have a 3 month duration of access. Some courses may have peer to peer discussions.
This course will teach you everything you need to prosper in the backyard nursery business.
Turn your love of plants into an enjoyable and profitable home business. Learn how to grow and market plants on a small scale without major capital investment. In an area as small as 1000 square feet, you can generate thousands of dollars' worth of plant material in a single growing season.
This course is your practical guide to licensing, site preparation, equipment, how and where to find supplies, how to select and produce plants appropriate to your climate zone, how to produce quality material and, most importantly, how to market your product.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Turn your love of plants into an enjoyable and profitable home business. This course provides information on licensing, site preparation, equipment, how and where to find supplies, how to select and produce plants, how to produce quality material, and how to market your product.
Making the Transition From Gardener to Nurseryman
In the first lesson, you'll meet other gardeners who've successfully made the transition to nurserymen. You may be surprised to discover that, within the small space of a backyard, you can produce significant income by growing plants. You'll also learn what permits and licenses you may need as you get started.
Your Climate Considerations
In this lesson, you'll take a close look at climate zone maps to help you figure out what plants will grow best in your region. Then you'll learn some easy ways to prepare your growing grounds. Finally, the lesson will show you ways to create inexpensive microclimates that will help you start your plants and expand the varieties you can grow.
Necessary Supplies and Where to Find Them
In this lesson, you'll learn what production supplies you'll need and how to find wholesale sources for them. The lesson will discuss cover containers, soil, fertilizer, and labels and then talk about why it's important to keep track of your expenses for tax purposes.
Plant Propagation Methods
Starting new plants is one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences for gardeners and nurseryman alike. The process of starting new plants is called propagation. In this lesson, you'll focus on the three major methods used in nursery production: propagation by seed, cuttings, and division.
Reduce Your Growing Time: Buy Plants From Other Growers
This lesson will teach you one of the most valuable lessons in this business: How to reduce the waiting time involved in growing plant material. You'll learn what types of starter plants are available and how to find wholesale sources. You'll also be given some valuable guidelines to help you decide what to grow. Afterwards, the lesson will talk about how to find additional sources of information and business networking opportunities through nurserymen associations and trade shows.
Growing Annuals (Including Vegetables, Herbs, and Bulbs)
In this lesson, you'll focus on growing annual flowers and bulbs, paying special attention to market timing. You'll learn how to create high-value items such as color bowls and hanging baskets. The lesson will then discuss vegetable starter plants and herbs. Specializing in organic growing will help you tap into a lucrative area of the nursery trade, so the lesson will fill you in on all you need to know about organic growing and certification.
Growing Perennials
In this lesson, you'll focus on one of the hottest topics in gardening: The particular group of non-woody plants that nurseries call "perennials". You'll become familiar not only with the favorites, but with the wide variety of perennials available. The lesson will then go over some detailed information about specific perennials, including how to grow them and how to time them for market.
Growing Shrubs, Roses, and Vines
This lesson covers woody plants—such as shrubs and vines—that form the more permanent plantings in a landscape. You'll pay particular attention to roses because they're among the most beautiful and profitable shrubs. In addition, you'll learn how to grow small fruiting shrubs and vines for specialty markets.
Growing Various Trees in Sizes From #1s to #15s
Trees may be the largest members of the plant kingdom, but they're also among the easiest and most profitable to grow. In this lesson, you'll not only learn how to propagate landscape trees, but how to greatly shorten their growing time by buying bare-root seedlings and finished bare-roots. The lesson will conclude with a discussion on fruiting and flowering trees.
Producing a Quality Plant
Whether you're growing plants for fun or profit, you'll want to produce quality plant material. This lesson will provide guidelines for quality standards. You'll learn about pruning, staking, and training plants into special shapes and forms. It will also talk about methods you can use to ward off diseases and pests.
Wholesale Marketing
If you're like most gardeners, growing plants is the easy part—marketing is the real challenge! This lesson will begin with a discussion on wholesale marketing. You'll learn all you need to know to do business with discount chain stores, local retailers, and landscapers, and then explore consignment selling, contract growing, and business-to-business Internet options.
Retail Marketing
The final lesson covers retail marketing, or taking your product directly to the public. You'll learn how to advertise inexpensively and effectively so you're not just growing plants, you're growing your business! The lesson will explain what you'll need to know to sell your plants from your home or garage sales, certified farmers markets, and flea markets. It will also discuss selling your plants to government or public agencies.
This is an ed2go Self-Paced Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Self-paced Tutorials (SPT) are for students who prefer to learn at their own pace and are comfortable with self-guidance. Students gain access to all course material, quizzes and the final exam at the time of enrollment. These courses can start at any time and have a 3 month duration of access. Some courses may have peer to peer discussions.
Learn powerful techniques to improve your decision-making skills at work.
Give yourself an employment advantage by developing analytical skills that are consistently in high demand. This course will teach you powerful quantitative methods that will have you making better, more informed, and more effective business decisions.
The days of making critical business decisions by instinct or coin toss are long gone. If you are planning a career in business, you cannot afford to miss this course!
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
This is an ed2go Self-Paced Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Self-paced Tutorials (SPT) are for students who prefer to learn at their own pace and are comfortable with self-guidance. Students gain access to all course material, quizzes and the final exam at the time of enrollment. These courses can start at any time and have a 3 month duration of access. Some courses may have peer to peer discussions.
Certified financial planner shows you how most wealthy people build their fortunes.
If you're interested in discovering how most wealthy people amassed their fortunes, this is the course for you. All it takes is organization, discipline, and a firm knowledge of how to proceed. If you're serious about accumulating a sizable nest egg and living the life of your dreams, you will have to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for success.
In this course, a certified financial planner will walk you through the steps you need to take in order to achieve true financial success. You'll become comfortable with the broad array of investment choices available to you right now, and you'll discover the best ways to acquire and accumulate both cash and real property. You'll also learn about the tax implications of your investment decisions, along with steps you can take to protect any wealth you acquire.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
This is an ed2go Self-Paced Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Self-paced Tutorials (SPT) are for students who prefer to learn at their own pace and are comfortable with self-guidance. Students gain access to all course material, quizzes and the final exam at the time of enrollment. These courses can start at any time and have a 3 month duration of access. Some courses may have peer to peer discussions.
Auction pros teach you how to work from home or earn extra income by buying and selling goods online.
Online auctions match buyers with sellers in a global marketplace for almost any item. If you've ever dreamed of working from home or just earning extra income by buying and selling goods online, this course will guide you every step of the way!
In this course, you will gain all of the knowledge necessary for success in the online marketplace. You'll learn how to create titles that get noticed, how to craft advertising copy that sells items quickly and for top dollar, and how to create and upload photos of the items you are selling. You'll also learn how to safely conduct financial transactions, how to accept credit card payments, and how to pack and ship any item hassle-free. If you're a buyer, you'll learn how to value almost any item up for auction, how to get the best possible price, how to protect yourself against fraud, and how to compete effectively against other bidders.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Learn from an auction pro how to work from home or earn extra income by buying and selling goods online for top dollar. This course will teach you how to get noticed, value items, sell quickly, protect against fraud, and safely conduct financial transactions.
Learning eBay's History and How to Navigate the Site
Registration and Searching
Auction Pages and the My eBay Section
Bidding and Buying After the Auction
Your First Sale
The World of Digital Photography
Basics of Pricing and Shipping
Launching Your Auction
Post-Sale Management
Discussion Boards and Your Profile
eBay Stores and Other Sellers' Resources
Advanced Selling Topics
What you will learn
Learn the fundamentals of buying and selling on eBay, and understand its advanced features
Discover how to buy and sell in an online auction and become confident in your ability to benefit financially
Learn how to create effective auction descriptions, and properly promote your listings for maximum exposure
Discover the art of proxy bidding, bid sniping, and other tips for winning an auction at the best possible price
How you will benefit
Discover the secrets to making money from the comfort of your own home
Gain confidence in your ability to use online marketplaces and benefit from great deals
Learn how to connect with others in an online social community
This is an ed2go Self-Paced Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Self-paced Tutorials (SPT) are for students who prefer to learn at their own pace and are comfortable with self-guidance. Students gain access to all course material, quizzes and the final exam at the time of enrollment. These courses can start at any time and have a 3 month duration of access. Some courses may have peer to peer discussions.
An experienced entrepreneur teaches you how to develop the motivation, discipline, and creativity to quit your job and be your own boss.
Starting a home-based business is the hottest trend in today's challenging business environment! Learn how to be your own boss and eliminate the stress of having a job. The benefits of working from home are endless!
Earn what you deserve, be independent, have tax deductions, do away with traffic, office politics and more! Learn how to develop the entrepreneurial qualities - motivation, discipline, creativity - that you will need to succeed! This class is a great way to start your own business or enhance the one you already have.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
This is an ed2go Self-Paced Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Self-paced Tutorials (SPT) are for students who prefer to learn at their own pace and are comfortable with self-guidance. Students gain access to all course material, quizzes and the final exam at the time of enrollment. These courses can start at any time and have a 3 month duration of access. Some courses may have peer to peer discussions.
Discover how to harness the power of the Internet to build and sustain a profitable business. You will also learn the step-by-step process of creating a product, building a website, engaging a customer base, and finding new leads online.
Today, the Internet has changed everything. It is now entirely possible to create, launch, and build a profitable business from the convenience of your home with little to no upfront investment. This engaging course will give you a solid foundation for building and growing a successful digital business.
You will learn a step-by-step approach that is easy to follow—from building a simplified strategy to branding your business. In addition, you will grasp how to create a product and build and launch your website. You will also discover ways to engage prospective customers and implement a process to drive fresh leads to your business. So, whether you are looking to generate a nice side income or even replace your current income and ditch your full-time job, this course is for you.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
The Internet has changed the way people communicate and how businesses operate. It's also made it easier to fulfill your dreams of creating and building a business from the convenience of your own home. In the Starting Your Own Online Business course, you will learn how to develop a digital or traditional product or service and build a website to sell and deliver that product online. This course outlines a step-by-step approach that's easy to follow—from building a simplified strategy to branding your business. From start to finish, you will gain an understanding of what it takes to create, build, and maintain a profitable online business!
Build a Foundation for Your Online Business
Create a Digital-Ready Business Brand
Build and Optimize a Product
Develop and Launch an Engaging Website
Set up Your Online Selling Process
Install a Digital Communication Network
Your Email Management System
Socialize Your Online Business
Build Multiple Online Lead Streams
Using Video to Grow Your Online Business
Create an Online Partnership Program
Implement an Online Support Center
What you will learn
Build a business brand that is ready to be launched online
Create products and services that you can sell as part of your online business
Create and launch a business website
Set up an email management system, write engaging content, and deliver emails in a timely manner
Generate leads to keep your business growing
Implement an online support center for your business
How you will benefit
Discover the techniques, tools, and strategies necessary to create a successful online business
Create a healthy and vibrant online business by generating leads to continually grow your business
Be able to supply your online customers with online support to increase customer satisfaction and minimize refunds
This is an ed2go Self-Paced Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Self-paced Tutorials (SPT) are for students who prefer to learn at their own pace and are comfortable with self-guidance. Students gain access to all course material, quizzes and the final exam at the time of enrollment. These courses can start at any time and have a 3 month duration of access. Some courses may have peer to peer discussions.
Stop dreaming and learn how to start your own successful small business.
Learn how to take your dream of starting a business and put it into action. In this class, you will learn everything you need to know about starting a business. You will begin by discovering the tricks to picking the right opportunity for you. Next, you will learn how to develop proven marketing techniques to easily build sales. Since every business needs money, this course discusses traditional and nontraditional financing options. Finally, you will learn easy-to-implement employee management procedures and how to write business policies that help you build your business.
You, as a business owner, need to manage all your limited resources. One resource that often gets overlooked is your time. In the final lesson, you will learn time management techniques especially for entrepreneurs. While taking this course, you will discover the secrets that separate the successful entrepreneurs from the struggling ones.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Stop dreaming and learn how to start your own successful small business.
Starting Your Dream
If you have dreamed about starting a small business but didn't know where to start, you have come to the right place. In this first lesson, you will learn why you should start a business, why now might be the perfect time to do it, and what separates successful business owners from those who remain dreamers.
Find Your Perfect Business Opportunity
Today, you will find out about the three different ways to start a business. You will explore the advantages and disadvantages of buying a franchise, buying a business, and starting a business from scratch.
Creating a Truly Unique Business
No matter what business option you're leaning toward, you must find and exploit your unique selling proposition (USP). Your USP is the reason a customer would do business with you instead of someone else. In this lesson, you will develop your USP. Then you will discover the single most valuable asset in your business and how it can create all the wealth you will ever want.
Developing Your Business Plan
Alan Lakein, a leading expert on time management, says, "Failing to plan is planning to fail." In this lesson, you will learn all the advantages of having a written business plan. You will see how it helps you take advantage of more opportunities and keeps you focused on achieving your goals. If you need to find financing for your business, having a business plan becomes twice as important.
How to Legally Set Up Your Company
Once you have chosen the business opportunity you're going to pursue, you will need to legally set up your company. To do that, you will have to choose whether to be an S-corporation, a corporation, or a limited liability company. Each of these structures has advantages and disadvantages. In this lesson, you will find out how to decide which one would work best for you.
Power Marketing for Business Owners
Unless you have your own vault of money for marketing, you will need to know the best way to spend limited resources to create the most sales. As a future business owner, you need to understand the importance of direct-response marketing along with tracking and testing. You will learn about those things in this lesson as you discover how to expand marketing efforts that work and cut or improve those that are ineffective.
Advertising and Publicity to Skyrocket Your Business
This lesson continues the discussion on marketing and explores the pros and cons of two main forms of it: advertising and publicity. You learn about at free publicity, because it's one of the most cost-effective ways to market your business.
The Report Card for Your Business
No one can run a business effectively without proper accounting and financial statements. But few business owners take the time to understand the basics of bookkeeping. In this lesson, you will walk hand-in-hand with an actual business owner as she sets up her accounting records. By the end of this lesson, you will know the basics of accounting and be able to analyze and develop your own financial statements.
Finding Money for Your Business
Most new business owners need to find money to start their business. In this lesson, you will find out the most common, traditional ways to fund a business and a few nontraditional ways as well. Whichever method you choose, your desire to get your company going is what will make the difference. Many people give up too soon or don't use the feedback from a funding source to improve their plan. You don't have to be one of them.
Hiring, Motivating, and Parting With Employees
Employees can make or break a business. Just think about businesses you wouldn't use again because of the service the employees provided. Bad employees can cost a company thousands of dollars, and you, as an owner, won't have the luxury of hiring and training employees on an ongoing basis. Hiring, training, motivating, and parting with employees are all complex processes. In this lesson, you will learn tips that make them easier.
Business Policies
Having effective business policies in place helps your business run efficiently. It also gives your employees a framework for knowing what's expected of them. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to develop your own business policies, including sexual harassment and ethics policies.
Managing You
To ensure success, business owners need to be able to use limited resources efficiently. In this final lesson, you will learn how best to manage your time, relationships, and personal financial position. You will leave this course knowing you have done all the preliminary groundwork to get your business off to a good start.
This is an ed2go Self-Paced Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Self-paced Tutorials (SPT) are for students who prefer to learn at their own pace and are comfortable with self-guidance. Students gain access to all course material, quizzes and the final exam at the time of enrollment. These courses can start at any time and have a 3 month duration of access. Some courses may have peer to peer discussions.
Learn to handle basic human resource functions to ensure the best possible results.
No matter what role you play in an organization, you are all affected by human resources. This course is designed to help people without experience in human resources to understand this very vital link in the organizational chain. It will prepare both managers and business owners to handle basic human resource functions in a way that will ensure the best possible result. In particular, attention is given to the hiring process, including ways to locate quality employees in a competitive labor market. Employee rights and the legal side of the human resource field are also covered.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Learn to handle basic human resource functions to ensure the best possible results.
The History of Human Resources
Do you ever wonder why the field of human resources is the way it is? How it has evolved? In your first lesson, you will travel through history to explore the roots of human resources. You will see how the modern human resource function has evolved from trade guilds, through the industrial revolution, to modern times.
Human Resources Functions in Today's Organization
What exactly does the human resource professional do on the job? In this lesson, you will take a look at the variety of vital activities that are frequently included in the human resources function. This variety can include everything from recruiting, hiring, and retaining employees, to labor management relations and workplace safety and training.
The Hiring Process: Part 1
How does someone go about finding and hiring a new employee? The initial preparation for hiring is often done in the quiet of an office, which may make it seem like new employees just magically appear. This lesson explores what goes on in that quiet office — focusing on preparing advertisements and application forms, reviewing and screening applications, conducting interviews, and verifying information.
The Hiring Process: Part 2
Interviews and background checks are key components of the hiring process. The interview is your chance to evaluate the job applicant in person to see how well their skills match your job requirements. This lesson looks at each part of the interview — from setting it up and to rating the person after the interview.
Finding Employees in a Competitive Labor Market
How do you get someone to apply for a job? Solid recruiting practices using both traditional and nontraditional techniques will ensure that you have a large pool of applicants from which to pick and choose. Traditionally, many companies simply run a classified job ad when they need a new employee, but in this lesson, you will explore other alternatives that may be equally effective in recruiting.
Retaining Quality Employees
What motivates a quality employee to stay on the job? What can you do to keep employees happy and working? In this lesson, you will learn how to analyze job satisfaction and the factors that keep employees happy.
Respecting Employee Rights
What rights do employees have? What are moral rights and how can the company protect them? What is the difference between a moral and a legal right? This lesson explores both moral and legal rights and how they can be used to benefit employees.
Laws Relating to Human Resources
What legal responsibilities does a company owe its employees? This lesson provides an overview of the many laws that impact the workplace. You will examine laws that govern union-management interactions, prohibit discrimination, wage and hour requirements, and benefit and safety standards.
Policy Making
Do you have a policy manual at work? What policies are included in the manual? How does anyone ever decide what policies to include? In this lesson, you will learn about policy manuals—what they should include, what policies are most common, and how you can ensure your policies comply with the law.
Employee Communications
How can workplace communication be effective? What should you do to ensure that communication is taking place on a regular basis? This lesson focuses on the need for effective communication programs at work and how to implement them. You will find out how to keep communication running smoothly throughout the organization.
Administration of Employee Benefit Programs
What should a strong employee benefit program include? What is involved in putting a benefit package together? Benefits are a great way to attract and keep employees. This lesson explores common employment benefits as insurance and retirement.
Human Resources—A Source of Quality
Have you ever wondered what makes a human resource professional successful? In your final lesson, you will learn the eight habits that successful professionals adopt. You will leave with the insight and ability to achieve excellence at work.
This is an ed2go Self-Paced Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Self-paced Tutorials (SPT) are for students who prefer to learn at their own pace and are comfortable with self-guidance. Students gain access to all course material, quizzes and the final exam at the time of enrollment. These courses can start at any time and have a 3 month duration of access. Some courses may have peer to peer discussions.
Learn how to use the five most popular social media platforms—Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram—to grow and promote your business!
One of the biggest challenges for business owners is finding new customers. Over the past decade, some business owners have leveraged social media to do just that. Whether you're a social media novice or a seasoned veteran, this self-paced course will give you a solid foundation in social media marketing.
As you progress through the course, you'll master a simple process for making social media work for you. You'll learn about the five most popular social media platforms—Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram—and study secrets for using them and other social media platforms to promote your business. You'll also see how you can build a social media team and automate your social media activities so that you can leverage the power of social media without adding another full-time job to your plate. Finally, you'll gain techniques for measuring and tracking your social media success.
In today's fast-paced and globally connected environment, social media is a game changer for businesses and business owners who use this powerful medium in the right way. So whether you're looking for a new way to market your business or simply hoping to gain a better understanding of the excitement that surrounds social media, this course will empower you.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Learn how to use the five most popular social media platforms—Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram—to grow and promote your business!
Developing a Social Media Foundation
In this lesson, we're going to build the foundation you need to use social media to grow your business. You will discover the definition of social media, learn about its characteristics, and see what it can do for your business. Then you will explore the various types of social media and focus in on the ones that offer the greatest benefits.
Creating Your Social Media Strategy
Today, you will see how you can build a strategy for using social media to grow your business. First, you will discover what a strategy is and why it's important to have one for your social media efforts. Then you will gain an understanding of the critical elements of any social media strategy.
Building Your Social Media Organization
This lesson demonstrates how to develop a social media organization that will help you be as effective as possible. First, you will see how to choose from among the various platforms to select the ones that will serve your business best. Finally, you will learn how you can transform your simple diagram into a more detailed electronic file and add elements as your business grows.
Crafting High-Quality Content
In this lesson, you will learn how to produce social media content that engages your followers and entices them to comment. You will gain an understanding of how to write content that's optimized for distribution on social media platforms and to do so without it becoming a full-time job. Finally, you will learn the various ways that you can store, manage, search, and retrieve the social media content that you produce.
Facebook
Facebook is one of the most popular social networking sites. In this lesson, you will learn how you can use Facebook to effectively market and grow your business. First, you will get an overview of how Facebook works, and you will take a tour of a Facebook business page. Next, you learn how to create a Facebook account, set up a page for your business, and use strategies to gain awareness and exposure for your business.
Twitter
This lesson focuses on using Twitter to effectively market and grow your business. You will be guided through the steps required to create and brand a Twitter account for your business. Finally, you will learn several advanced strategies that you can use to gain awareness and exposure for your business.
LinkedIn
This lesson will teach you how to use LinkedIn to make connections, expand your personal network, and grow your business. You will explore a handful of strategies that you can use to gain awareness and exposure for your business.
Pinterest
In this lesson, you will learn how you can use Pinterest to share information and connect with others who are interested in your products and services. You will learn a handful of strategies that can help your business gain additional awareness and exposure.
Instagram
In this lesson, you'll learn how you can use Instagram to effectively market and grow your business. First, we'll walk through an overview of the social media platform, highlight how it differs from others we've explored, and take a tour of its features. After that, you'll see how to create a personal account and how to decide whether or not to switch to a business profile. Finally, we'll examine several strategies that you can use to leverage Instagram to engage and interact and grow a base of followers for your business.
Social Media Automation
In this lesson, you will learn about social media automation. You will peek at the pros and cons and identify the most common pitfalls of using automation. This lesson also introduces the most popular free and paid automation tools that you can put to immediate use.
Social Media and Your Team
In this lesson, you will learn to minimize the time you spend on social media activities through delegation. First, this lesson investigates the types of tasks you can delegate and examine some common pitfalls to avoid. Next, you will explore process for assigning tasks to team members and, if needed, hiring a part-time or full-time social media manager. Finally, you will gain some strategies for centralizing your social media information and get a preview of some software solutions for integrating your social media team's efforts.
Measuring Your Social Media Performance
How do you know if what you're doing is working? In this lesson, you will learn about tracking, monitoring, measuring and improving your social media activities. First, we're going to investigate the most common types of metrics you will find in social media. And finally, you will browse some popular third-party tools that can take your analysis to another level.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Gain a marketable new skill by learning the basics of double-entry bookkeeping, financial reporting, and more.
In this comprehensive course, you will learn the basics of double-entry bookkeeping, as well as how to analyze and record financial transactions. You will get hands-on experience with handling accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll procedures, sales taxes, and various common banking activities.
Accounting Fundamentals covers all the bases, from writing checks to preparing an income statement and closing out accounts at the end of each fiscal period. Whether you're a sole proprietor looking to manage your business finances or you simply want to gain an understanding of accounting basics for career advancement or for personal use, this course will give you a solid foundation in financial matters.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
A calculator and a printer.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
If you want to increase your financial awareness and gain a marketable skill, this course is for you. You will learn the double-entry bookkeeping, financial transactions, financial reporting, and more.
Account Classifications, Account Titles, T Accounts, and the Accounting Equation
Welcome to Accounting Fundamentals! In this first lesson, you will learn all about account classifications, debits, credits, and T accounts. You will learn the difference between a liability and an asset and find out how to determine an owner's equity.
General Ledger Accounts and the Balance Sheet
Here's where you will begin your hands-on accounting practice: You will start by creating an imaginary company for which you will be the accountant. You will learn how to analyze your company's transactions to determine which amounts go into which accounts, then you will create your company's own General Ledger forms and post a few transactions into those accounts.
Journalizing Transactions and Posting to the General Ledger
Now that you understand the functions of the General Ledger, you're ready to move on to the next phase of recording transactions: the Journal. In this lesson, you will learn how to enter transactions into an 11-column journal and then post or transfer those amounts into appropriate General Ledger accounts.
Journalizing and Posting Cash and Charge Purchases and Payments on Account
In this lesson, you will learn all about Accounts Payable, which is money that you owe your vendors and suppliers. You will practice journalizing cash purchases and purchases on account, and you will get hands-on practice transferring those purchases to their corresponding Accounts Payable Ledger accounts.
Journalizing and Posting Cash and Charge Sales and Cash Received on Account
In this lesson, you will learn about Accounts Receivable, which is another name for money owed to your company by its customers. You will learn how to journalize and post those sales on account, how to enter charge sales into the journal, and how to transfer the information into an Accounts Receivable Ledger.
Payroll and Various Deductions
It's payday! This lesson will teach you how to determine gross pay, deductions, and net pay. You will learn how to prepare a payroll, write payroll checks, and how to prepare and maintain accurate payroll records.
Banking Services and Reports
In this lesson, you will learn all about banks and banking services: You will learn the proper way to write checks, make out deposit tickets, and reconcile your company's checking account with the bank statement. These are skills you will find valuable in both your business and personal life!
Posting Journal Totals to the General Ledger and Schedule of Accounts Payable and Schedule of Accounts Receivable
This lesson will teach you how to prepare a Schedule of Accounts Payable and a Schedule of Accounts Receivable. These reports can be used to compare the amount of money your business owes its creditors with the amount of money your customers owe your business.
End-Of-Year Worksheet
In this lesson, you will prepare a worksheet showing the net income or net loss for the fiscal period. The worksheet will show all income and expenses for the fiscal period as well as the assets, liabilities, and owner's equity account balances.
End-Of-Year Financial Reports
In this lesson, you will learn how to prepare various reports that are vital to the well-being of your company. You will learn how these reports can be used to make sound financial decisions in the next fiscal period. You will discover how to put together an Owner's Equity Statement, an Income Statement, and a Distribution of Net Income.
Journalizing and Posting Adjusting Entries
In this lesson, you will prepare for the end of the fiscal period by adjusting your asset account balances to accurately reflect the assets remaining at the end of the year. You will also find out how to journalize and post adjusting and closing entries to bring your company's General Ledger up to date.
Journalizing and Posting Closing Entries and Preparing a Post Closing Trial Balance
In the final lesson, you will prepare a Post Closing Trial Balance report to ensure that all of your debits and credits in the General Ledger balance out in preparation for the new fiscal period.
What you will learn
Learn the basics of double-entry bookkeeping, as well as how to analyze and record financial transactions
Get hands-on experience with handing accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll procedures, sales taxes, and various common banking activities
Learn about writing checks, preparing an income statement, and closing out accounts at the end of a fiscal period
How you will benefit
Learn everything you need to know to better manage your finances
Gain a solid understanding of accounting basics to be able to manage business finances or advance your career
Open the door to more career opportunities in the in-demand field of accounting and finance
Nancy Koenig
Nancy Koenig is an experienced industry professional with over 40 years in the workforce, including decades in finance. Nancy has worked in various finance roles in banking, insurance, and a hospital billing office. For the last 27 years of her career, she was an administrative assistant at a technical school, which involved running and overseeing the entire budget, amongst other duties. Nancy has also held part-time jobs as a bookkeeper for an auto parts store and a cable company, where she used QuickBooks computerized software. Over the past several years, she has also co-taught the Accounting Fundamentals and Accounting Fundamentals II courses with Charlene Messier.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Give yourself skills that are in high demand by exploring corporate accounting.
While it is true that accounting professionals are scarce, those with corporate accounting experience are even scarcer. This course will provide you with a solid understanding of corporate accounting practices.
In Accounting Fundamentals II, you will explore such topics as special journals, uncollectible accounts receivable, plant assets, depreciation, notes and interest, accrued revenue and expenses, dividends, retained earnings, and various financial reports for corporations.
If you're interested in increasing your financial awareness and accountability while also gaining a marketable skill, this is the course for you.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
A calculator and a printer.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Explore the world of corporate accounting and increase your financial know-how while gaining in-demand skills. This course will provide you with a solid understanding of recording and analyzing plant assets, depreciation, interest, dividends, revenue and other important corporate money matters.
Accounts Payable
In this lesson, you will learn all about accounts payable. You will be journalizing and posting your company's purchases and preparing a Schedule of Accounts Payable. This lesson will give you the tools you need to successfully track those accounts.
Accounts Receivable
In this lesson you will take a close look at accounts receivable. After completing this lesson, you will know how to enter charge sales into your Sales Journal and then post them to your General Ledger. You will have also learned how to journalize payments on account received from your charge customers.
Uncollectible Accounts Receivable
In this lesson you will learn about uncollectible accounts receivable. While many believe customers will always pay what they owe, that is not always the case. You will learn how to account for long overdue receivables that probably won't ever be paid.
Plant Assets and Depreciation
In this lesson, you will learn about plant assets and depreciation. Just like your car, business assets depreciate over time, so you will need to know how to account for that expense in your records. You will also need to record these assets and calculate their depreciation in a timely manner.
Notes Payable and Notes Receivable
This lesson is all about notes payable and notes receivable. You will learn all you need to know about accounting for these situations as you learn how to record the issuance and payment of these notes payables and notes receivables.
Accrued Income and Accrued Expenses
In this lesson, you will learn how to deal with accrued income and accrued expenses. Accrued income is money that the company earns in one fiscal period but doesn't receive until after another fiscal period begins.
Dividends and Starting the Year-End Worksheet
In this lesson, you will be dealing with dividends, which is money paid to the company's stockholders on their investment. You will learn how the business accounts for the dividends it pays to its stockholders. You will also look at retained earnings, or the amount of profit the corporation retains for future use.
Complete Year-End Worksheet With Adjustments
In this lesson, you will determine whether your business has a net income or a net loss by completing the worksheet started in the previous lesson. Because many General Ledger accounts change throughout the fiscal period, you will also need to bring these accounts up to date.
End-Of-Fiscal-Period Financial Reports
It's time to begin wrapping up your books for the end of the fiscal period. In this lesson, you will learn how to compile most of the various financial reports a corporation needs to complete at the end of the fiscal period.
Adjusting and Closing Entries and Post Closing Trial Balance
In this lesson, you will get the books all caught up and ready for the next fiscal period. You will go back and journalize those adjusting entries you entered into your worksheet, then you will enter closing entries into your journal.
Preparing a Payroll
This lesson covers every employee's favorite subject: Payroll. You will learn about various mandatory and voluntary deductions from employees' pay, as well as how to journalize and post an entire payroll. As an added bonus, after this lesson, you will be able to check the accuracy of your own paycheck.
Preparing Federal Tax Deposits and Year-End Tax Reports
The final lesson focuses on preparing a variety of end-of-year tax reports. Here's your chance to go step-by-step through a multitude of IRS forms with instructions that are much easier to understand. You will fill out the federal Form 941, then learn how to make federal income tax deposits.
What you will learn
Learn about accounts payable and receivable
Understand how to represent uncollectible accounts in reports
Learn about plant assets and timely depreciation of these assets
Learn how to deal with accrued income and accrued expenses
Understand stock dividends and retained earnings
Learn how to prepare year-end financial documents including tax forms
How you will benefit
Become more indispensable to any organization as you develop higher level accounting skills
Learn everything you need to know to accurately keep the books for any type of business
Become more aware of the accuracy of your own personal pay stubs and tax documents
Open the door to more career opportunities in accounting
Nancy Koenig
Nancy Koenig is an experienced industry professional with over 40 years in the workforce, including decades in finance. Nancy has worked in various finance roles in banking, insurance, and a hospital billing office. For the last 27 years of her career, she was an administrative assistant at a technical school, which involved running and overseeing the entire budget, amongst other duties. Nancy has also held part-time jobs as a bookkeeper for an auto parts store and a cable company, where she used QuickBooks computerized software. Over the past several years, she has also co-taught the Accounting Fundamentals and Accounting Fundamentals II courses with Charlene Messier.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Learn how to have more successful relationships with difficult bosses, co-workers, students, neighbors, or relatives.
This course will teach you how to see things from others' viewpoints based on their needs, values, beliefs, experiences, skills, knowledge, and self-interests. You will learn to approach difficult situations by answering the questions: who? what? where? when? how? and why? By answering these questions, you will understand who your difficult people are, what they're like, how you react to them, and their response to your actions.
You will also practice analyzing your interactions with those you share space with. By observing others closely, you will learn to read their identifying characteristics. Once you can identify which type of person you're dealing with, you will be able to choose appropriate reactions to their behaviors.
By the time you finish this course, you will understand that assertiveness involves taking responsibility when meeting your needs in a way that preserves the dignity and rights of others.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Do you want to know how to interact with anyone, regardless of how difficult you perceive them to be? This course will give you the skills to effectively meet your needs while protecting the dignity and rights of others to form more cooperative relationships.
Identifying Preferred Communication Styles
In the first lesson, you will find out the answers to four very important questions that impact the success of your relationships with others. The answers to these questions will help you identify your preferred communication styles.
Analyzing Your Own Difficult-Person Situation
In this lesson, you will begin to build a database about not only your difficult people—those who are different in communication style from you. You will also enhance your skills in reviewing and resolving problems with these people.
Dealing With Hostile-Aggressive Personality Types
This lesson discusses four types of hostile people. These are people who want to control everything and everyone but have no self-control. This group is called Hostile-Aggressives.
Dealing With Difficult Passive Personality Types
In this lesson, you will learn appropriate options for interacting well with those who are stubborn or critical—people known as Negative-Thinkers.
Dealing With Aggressive Subcategories of Difficult Intuitors
This lesson focuses on the appropriate way to effectively deal with aggressive individuals. You will learn how to recognize these people and share space with them.
Identifying and Dealing With Relators
In this lesson, you will take another look at another personality type called Relators. Plus, you will learn ways to effectively handle the difficult subcategories of this type.
Overcoming Your Own Difficult Characteristics
Some of your difficult people probably also feel that you're their difficult person, but you may be totally unaware of this. Do you feel that ignorance is really bliss? You will go through some exercises in this lesson that should help you figure it out.
Developing Skills to Become More Flexible
In this lesson, you will work toward improving your own flexibility skills: confidence, tolerance, empathy, positivity, and respect. To help, you will answer a few questions about each of your own skill sets as you move through the lesson's materials.
Exploring Resilience-Building Strategies
In this lesson, you will learn that a certain set of characteristics is essential if you want to relate well with others. As you will find out, you must first improve your versatility skills to maintain a positive attitude, and then learn to view obstacles and problems as "opportunities."
Discovering the Importance of Assertiveness to Positive Relationships
After finishing this lesson, you will understand what assertiveness is and what it isn't. You will begin to see why assertive behavior is so important to your success in getting along well with others. You will also carefully examine your own level of assertiveness and identify which of your skills need fine-tuning.
Changing Your Own Assertiveness Skills
This lesson focuses on simple, yet powerful assertive-communication techniques. You will learn to use self-disclosure appropriately to share information about yourself—your thoughts, feelings, and opinions—to build relationship trust and common ground.
Learning Techniques to Improve Your Listening Abilities
After this final lesson, you may be surprised to discover that your listening skills need improvement. Listening well is a complex process, and your own selective filtering often keeps you from real understanding.
What you will learn
Become proficient at identifying and working with different personality types
Build assertive communication skills that benefit your personal and professional life
Learn how to improve relationships with difficult, stubborn, or even hostile individuals
Develop awareness of your own tendencies and how these affect your relationships
How you will benefit
Improve relationships with family, friends, and co-workers
Get what you want out of people and be sure your personal needs are met
Become an expert communicator and listener
Understand the motivations behind the actions and behaviors of all people
Dawn Lianna
Dawn Lianna is an accomplished event manager, educator, and natural health expert with over 30 years of experience in event management, natural healing, and personal coaching. Her client list includes non-profit, community and educational organizations, along with corporations and individuals. As an event manager, she has planned, coordinated, and co-hosted over 500 successful events. She has a deep knowledge of the inner workings of the events space, which she shares with students as the instructor of the Event Management and Design course. She is also the author and instructor of the course, Keys to Effective Communication. Her MA in Counseling and Psychology, along with her status as Certified Hypnotherapist and Certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Practitioner, combine in her approach to trust, respect, and rapport in effective conversation. She is an active, certified coach who integrates alternative health practices and her personal studies of herbology, nutrition, positive thinking, intuition development, acupuncture, and massage in her work and her Introduction to Natural Health and Healing course.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Learn how to create your very own blog and podcast using the tools that you already have available on your computer.
Blogging and Podcasting for Beginners will teach you how to plan and create your very own blog and podcast. Through hands-on exercises, you will discover the benefits of using free web tools like Blogger, WordPress, Audacity, and YouTube. You will find that creating a blog and podcast is much easier than you ever imagined.
First, you will learn how to develop a plan for the content, setup, maintenance, and how to use free blogging software like Blogger and WordPress to put that plan into action. After that, learn how to record a professional-sounding audio podcast with a very simple recording tool you already have. You will edit the file with another free software program, add music to it, and then post it online for others to enjoy. Finally, you will find out how to record a video podcast. You will edit it, add special effects, drop in a podcasting-safe music file, and then publish it online.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac.
Mac users should expect to make adjustments based on their operating system differences especially during the podcast portion of the course. In addition, Mac users will download different versions of audio editing software and video editing software that will differ from the directions presented in the course.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
You should expect to download free online programs including an audio editing program during the class in order to create a blog and podcast.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Blogging and Podcasting are great ways to express yourself, but maybe you're not sure how to start. This course will teach you how to successfully plan and create your very own blog and podcast using hands-on exercises and free web tools.
Introduction
Welcome to the beginning of your blogging adventure! By course completion, you will know how to blog, produce your own audio and video podcasts, and how to market and promote your blog. In this first lesson, you will get acquainted with blogging terms, the parts of a blog, and the important differences between a blog and a website.
Blogging
It makes sense to give something a try before doing it yourself, right? This lesson will teach you how to participate in the blogosphere by commenting on a blog of your choosing. This lesson walks you through a series of questions to help you develop a sustainable plan for your blog's content, setup, and long-term maintenance.
Hosting and Software
This lesson explores your options for blogging software and hosting. You will learn about free online blog software options and work with two free blogging services, Blogger and WordPress. By the end of this lesson, your blog will be ready to go.
Appearance
Why settle for a cookie-cutter blog when you can create a custom blog look? In this lesson, you will pick the perfect image for your background and spice up your blog's header on your Blogger and WordPress blogs.
Privacy
In this lesson, you will get to decide who can read your blog. You will learn how to set your blog's privacy levels and comment field, in case you want to limit who can read or comment on your blog. Finally, this lesson teaches you how to add a few gadgets that help readers easily navigate your blog.
Styling
This lesson covers changing the font, color, and size of your text, and adding lists and links to enhance content and interactivity. You will also practice working with formatting tools to make your first post look great online.
Photos
You've mastered the process of formatting the text of your blog post, so now it's time to add some photos. After learning how to locate and incorporate appropriate images into your draft, create labels to categorize the content of your post. Next, learn the seven steps of promoting your blog, including how to utilize Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest as promotion tools.
Podcasts
It's time to explore the podcast. You will learn the podcasting terms needed to feel comfortable with this technology. This lesson introduces the PREP method of podcasting: planning your own podcast using an effective formula for developing content, setup, and maintenance.
Your First Audio Podcast
This lesson explores the minimum equipment needed to record your first audio podcast—as well as other equipment you may find of interest if you become a serious podcaster. And, after that, you will continue to follow the PREP method of podcasting by recording your first podcast using Audacity, a free audio recording program.
Editing and Publishing Audio Podcasts
This lesson focuses on the last two steps of the PREP method of podcasting: editing and publishing. You will learn how to cut out dead air and an unexpected sneeze, adjust the volume, and add effects so the sound fades in and out. Then, it will be time to publish your work.
Video Podcasts
Now that you know how to prepare, record, edit, and publish an audio podcast, doing the same for a video podcast is going to be a lot easier. In this lesson, you will learn the equipment you can use for video podcasting.
Editing Video Podcasts
It's time to fine-tune your video podcasting skills as well as your video podcast. In this final lesson, you will learn how to add transitions and video effects to your video file, trim unwanted portions out, and make audio enhancements.
What you will learn
Develop a plan for the content, setup, and long-term maintenance of a blog
Learn to use free blogging software like Blogger and WordPress to put that plan into action
Learn how to record a professional-sounding audio podcast, edit the file with a free software program, add music to it, and then post it online for others to enjoy
Find out how to successfully produce a video podcast with minimal equipment
How you will benefit
Learn everything you need to create a professional-level blog or podcast
Gain new career opportunities and/or a fun new hobby
Gain a new skill set that you can put to use on personal, business, educational, or even political projects
Richard Mansfield
Richard Mansfield is a best-selling author and widely recognized expert on computer programming. He holds a master's degree in English from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has written numerous articles and columns on computer topics, and was the editor of Compute!Magazine. In addition, he has authored or co-authored 44 books, including the best sellers Machine Language for Beginners (Compute!) and The Visual Guide to Visual Basic (Ventana). His more recent titles include Creating Web Pages for Dummies (co-authored, Wiley), XML for Dummies: All-in-One Desktop Reference (co-authored, Wiley), Mastering VBA for Office 2019 (Sybex), and Programming: A Beginner's Guide (McGraw-Hill). Richard's books have sold more than 600,000 copies worldwide and have been translated into 12 languages.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
This course will introduce different strategies employed during the budgeting process, the techniques and tools commonly used to make budgeting forecasts, the components of a basic operating budget, and how businesses make certain decisions that may impact their budgeted amounts.
If the idea of creating a budget for your business, department, or project seems overwhelming, this course will alleviate all of those fears. Taught in an approachable and relatable format, this course walks you through the budgeting process so you can go from numbers averse to budgeting super-hero. The downloadable templates included in the course allow you to easily and quickly take what you learn and apply it to your job. The storytelling used throughout the course makes the topic more approachable and engaging so you can obtain the soft skills that will help you be successful implementing and tracking a budget in the real world. Finally, the course challenge is something that will pique your curiosity at the beginning of the course and provide motivation to complete the course and continue learning the material.
A company's budgeting process involves a lot more than just rows and columns of numbers on a spreadsheet. The reality is that budgeting is a sometimes organic and sometimes organized process. Most often, it's an equal mix of both in an attempt to add some level of certainty to an uncertain future. These processes are what we are going to explore in this course. You will be introduced to different strategies employed during the budgeting process, the techniques and tools that are commonly used to make budgeting forecasts, the components of a basic operating budget, and how businesses make certain decisions that may impact their budgeted amounts.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox is preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
In this comprehensive, beginner-friendly course, you will learn the elementary skills needed to be successful in the budgeting process and work gradually work your way up to creating a budget. You will also discover how to best evaluate the results of your budget and make decisions to help your business maximize its profits.
Predicting the Future
In our first lesson, you'll explore how budgeting at its core is a process of looking forward. It's about making informed predictions about the future. Next, you'll see how a company's vision can lead to setting goals for the company. These visions are often aspirational and state the path for where the company plans to go in the future. Then, we'll also start the conversation about the human side of budgeting.
Budget Strategies
In this lesson, you'll begin to look at various budgeting strategies, including strategic, capital, and operations budgeting techniques. The lesson will include some real-life examples of planning activities, and to further bring these concepts to life, you'll work with a fictional company, Curly's Pool Service and Supplies, by helping Curly formulate some plans and budgets!
It's All About Sales!
This lesson will focus all on sales, specifically the role that sales play in the budgeting process. We'll examine the best practices for compiling a sales forecast and how to increase the chances that the sales forecast will actually mimic real life. We'll also discover how to create an inventory that needs a budget to determine just how much inventory to purchase based on a sales forecast. Finally, we'll discuss how to formulate a labor requirements budget to accurately project just how much labor you may need to employ to meet the needs of the company, again based on the sales forecast.
Cost Behavior – Part 1
In this lesson, we are going to detour a bit from the actual preparation of a budget and dive into how certain types of costs behave. Understanding how costs increase or decrease relative to an activity is an essential part of learning how to accurately budget for costs in a business. So, in the upcoming chapters, you're going to discover how to distinguish between variable, fixed, and mixed costs. We will use these cost types to calculate the contribution margin for the business. Then, we will show you how to use contribution margin to make certain predictions and decisions in a business. Most notably, you'll see how to use contribution margin to calculate the all-important break-even point and margin of safety for a business.
Cost Behavior – Part 2
This lesson will be a continuation of the discussion about cost behavior. In the lesson, you'll explore how to evaluate a company's sales mix and how to calculate operating leverage using tools given throughout the course. Operating leverage is just another key component of cost analysis that will allow you to, once again, easily make projections about the future. We'll end the lesson with a discussion about how companies set prices for the products and services they offer. You can probably guess that this process is a bit more involved than just selecting a price out of thin air. It's actually an essential part of a company's overall budgeting process and should not be taken lightly.
Expense and Manufacturing Production Budgets
In this lesson, we'll examine the steps needed to build both a direct materials budget and a direct labor budget. We'll also examine how a manufacturing company budgets for manufacturing overhead. All of these components are key to developing an overall production budget for a business that manufactures a product. Finally, we will end this lesson by describing the components of a production budget.
Cash Is King!
In this lesson, we'll discuss how to prepare a complete cash budget for a business. You'll get the chance to take an even closer look at how a company might forecast cash collections from credit sales and cash payments on credit purchases for big-ticket items like inventory or other expensive capital projects. We'll even take a look at how some companies mitigate the risk of running out of cash by utilizing lines of credit and other sources of cash instead of just relying on cash generated from sales.
Capital Budgeting
In this lesson, you'll learn some of the basic methodologies that can be applied in many different capital budgeting scenarios. The lesson will begin with an explanation of a technique that does not include an evaluation of how time impacts the valuation of money. Then, you'll learn how the passage of time and its impact on the value of a dollar is incorporated into capital budgeting decisions. Since capital projects often span years, or even decades in some cases, the time value of money is key to improving accuracy in budgeting for capital projects. The lesson will finish up with a thorough review of, perhaps, the most common technique that is used in capital budgeting decisions: net present value.
Business Decision-Making – Part 1
In this lesson and the one that follows, we're going to explore how businesses use budgeted data in combination with a formalized decision-making process to improve their chances of making better decisions. For a business, a better decision is one that maximizes profit and aligns with the company's goals and values. We'll start with an examination of what types of budgeted information are relevant to making a decision and what types of information you can ignore. You'll see the differences between quantitative and qualitative information and how each can be used to improve decision-making. Then we'll finish up with an example including some specific steps you can use as a model for making better decisions.
Business Decision-Making – Part 2
In this lesson, you'll continue to practice with these same techniques by applying them to a few other common business decisions. You'll start by examining how a business uses budgeted information to make the choice to replace an existing asset with a new asset, such as replacing an old piece of manufacturing equipment with a brand-new one. Next, you'll explore how a business might use budgeted information when deciding whether to eliminate a product or service that it offers. We'll finish up the lesson by examining one of the most critical business decisions you'll ever need to make: how to allocate your most scarce resource to maximize profit in your business.
Bringing It All Together
In this lesson and the one that follows, we will focus on how best to evaluate the financial stability and performance of the business using budgeted information. We'll start by taking a close look at using the components of a company's operating budget to compile the pro forma balance sheet. Next, we'll examine the steps needed to prepare the pro forma income statement, again by using the information found in many of the other operating budget components. To finish up the lesson, we'll dive into some straightforward techniques that are useful to evaluate the balances found on the pro forma balance sheet and income statements.
Evaluation, Control, and Methods
In our last lesson, we'll spend more time on the budget evaluation process by examining how companies use variance analysis to evaluate differences between actual results and the budget. To keep things manageable, we'll stick to the basics here so that you're equipped with some tools to take with you when applying these techniques in a real company. As part of this process, we'll take a look at how budget variances are defined and interpreted. Then, we'll discuss some techniques like flexible budgeting to evaluate and isolate certain budget fluctuations in a way that provides clarity to a business owner or manager. We'll finish up the lesson with a brief discussion of the budgetary control process and the soft skills needed for this process.
What you will learn
Learn about planning strategies and how they are used to keep a budget aligned with its vision
Obtain knowledge of cost behavior and how forecasts are used to ensure accuracy in future planning and budgeting
Develop various approaches to plan for general and administrative expenses
Gain tools and techniques used for a formal decision-making process
Master how best to evaluate the financial stability and performance of a business using budgeted information
How you will benefit
Learning how businesses think about budgeting will help you to make informed predictions about the future with strategic planning
Become more valuable to your employer or business by accurately budgeting costs
Make better business decisions with the knowledge about how businesses use budgeted data in combination with a formalized decision-making process
Increase success in your career with the skills, techniques, and tool kit provided by this course
Scott Paxton
Scott Paxton is a Certified Public Accountant and holds master's degrees in business administration and accounting. His background includes experience as a public accountant, a manager in the banking industry, an entrepreneur and a college business instructor. Paxton has also spent much of his career helping small business owners successfully optimize their business operations, budgets and strategic plans.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Turn your business ideas into a solid plan for financing and long-term success.
Turn your business ideas into a solid plan for financing and long-term success. Committing your idea to paper in the form of a business plan not only increases your chances of obtaining financing, but also in keeping your business strategically focused. You will work through all the major components of writing a business plan and emerge with your first draft in hand. Most importantly, you will have completed the first—and most difficult—step on the path to small business success.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Microsoft Word or other word processing program (not included in enrollment).
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Turn your business ideas into a solid plan for financing and long-term success. This course will guide you through all the major components of writing a business plan and you'll emerge with your first draft in hand.
A Strategy for Success
In this first lesson, you will meet several leading entrepreneurs and determine if you have similar passions and skill sets. You will discover that business plans are not just for funding your dream, but for guiding it along the path to success (as you choose to define it).
Defining Your Business
Now, you will start to mold your business. You will develop a vision and a mission for your enterprise. You will define and refine your product or service, and you will uncover your niche. This is the fun part of the journey—your only limitation is your imagination.
The Role of the Customer
This lesson will focus on the customer. Successful companies focus not on the products and services that they offer, but on the customers that they serve—on many levels. You will learn to position your company to be customer-centric, and how to move that customer from satisfied to loyal (and perhaps even an advocate for your business).
Structuring Your Organization
In this lesson, you will structure your organization so it's in the best position to provide your product or service to your targeted customers. You will discover the role that change plays in your entrepreneurial evolution. Change is good—it shows that you're thinking.
The Marketing Plan
This lesson explores the plan within the plan—the marketing section of your business plan. You will also discover the features and benefits of your product or service, and you will begin the ongoing task of market research. This is where you can differentiate your product or service from that of your competition.
The Competition
This lesson will explore three separate areas of marketing. First, you will learn about your competitors so that you can better position yourself and discover just how solid your business ideas are. Then, you will address one of the most difficult issues of new business—pricing. Finally, you will become a SWOT agent—analyzing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Marketing in Action
In this lesson, you will join a panel of outstanding marketing, public relations, and graphics experts who are also entrepreneurs and believe in the power of networking. You will explore graphic design, logos, image, public relations, and guerrilla marketing, as well as marketing in action.
Operations and Manufacturing
This lesson tackles operations and manufacturing concerns.
Understanding the Finance Section (Part I)
This lesson takes a bird's eye view of the financial section of a business plan. You will also briefly explore the capital equipment list, the balance sheet, and break-even analysis.
Understanding the Finance Section (Part II)
In this lesson, you will discover three additional financial components of the plan. You will explore the projected income statement, cash flow, and historical financial records. Be sure to take some time to explore the Supplemental Links area (in this lesson and in all the others) for outstanding online resources.
Financing Your Business
This lesson continues the focus on money, but from a different perspective than in the previous two. You will focus on funding and financing opportunities, and by the end, you should have a better understanding of financing. You will also find out where to locate traditional, and not so traditional, sources of funding.
The Final Document
In the final lesson, you will end one journey while beginning another. First, you will write an outstanding executive summary. You will receive a few important document formatting tips, and you will learn what supporting documents you should add to your final business plan. You now hold all the keys to the doors along your entrepreneurial path. Journey well.
What you will learn
Develop a strategy for success, starting with a detailed business plan
Learn the role of the customer in your new business venture
Gain an understanding of marketing and all the pieces you will need to know to succeed
Understand the financial aspects of starting and running a business
Learn how and where to obtain financing
How you will benefit
Learn what you will need to know to get a successful start as an entrepreneur
Understand how to surround yourself with the right people and tools for success
Feel more confident as you step out on your own to achieve your dreams
Kris Solie-Johnson
Kris Solie-Johnson, chancellor and president of the American Institute of Small Business, best-selling author, educator, speaker, and mother of three, is an energetic and passionate entrepreneur. Her books are in public libraries, high schools, colleges, and military bases both nationally and internationally. Solie-Johnson has an MBA in Venture Management from the University of St. Thomas and over 19 years of experience helping entrepreneurs reach their goals quickly through joint venture partnerships, creative marketing programs, and innovative financial options. She's dedicated to motivating and inspiring owners to achieve beyond their dreams.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Improve your career prospects by learning how to develop powerful written documents that draw readers in and keep them motivated to continue to the end.
Do you have a nagging suspicion that a small improvement in your writing skills might also improve your career prospects? Don't let small gaps in your business writing skills prevent you from reaching your full potential!
It doesn't matter whether you're a clerical worker, an engineer, or an executive. If you communicate with others in writing, you need this course to help you identify and eliminate problem areas. By the end of this course, you'll know the secret to developing powerful written documents that immediately draw readers in and keep them motivated to continue until your very last, well-chosen word.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Improve your career prospects by learning how to develop powerful written documents that draw readers in and keep them motivated to continue to the end. This course will help you identify gaps and eliminate problem areas in your writing skills.
Writing as Problem Solving
In this first lesson, you'll learn a brainstorming technique that will help make writing easier and more fun for you right away. You'll learn how to disentangle the efforts of your creative and critical sides, and you'll come to understand why both sides are important components of good writing. You'll also learn why writing is one of the best problem-solving tools around.
Why Write and Who Is Your Reader?
Here's where you'll learn a helpful system for organizing your writing, whether it's an email, a formal letter, or a company-wide memo. You'll start by picking out a document that you have to write anyway so that you can put your new writing knowledge to use right away. You may as well get some work done while you're learning, right? Next, you'll nail down why you're writing this particular document and who your reader is. A second brainstorming technique will help you have fun thinking through these two questions.
Benefits You Can Offer Your Reader
In this lesson, you'll learn to make your readers do what you want. Your readers will be happy, too, since they'll get what they want in this win/win system. You'll learn the seven basic benefits you can offer your reader and how to write the crucial first sentence of your document. You'll learn one more brainstorming technique that will help you capture good ideas, words, and phrases.
Sequencing Your Ideas and How to Write Your Ending
Master seven strategies for putting your ideas in order and learn how poor sequencing can sabotage your efforts. You'll also discover the best way to end any document. It's an idea that may surprise you!
Revising, Formatting, Editing, and Proofreading
Revising, formatting, editing, and proofreading may all sound similar, but they're four distinct activities. In this lesson, you'll learn how revision is a process of exploration and discovery. You'll learn formatting strategies that will invite your reader in. You'll also learn to be a ruthless editor and professional proofreader.
What Words to Take Out
In this lesson, you'll learn how to write clearly and concisely. You'll explore three mistaken notions that lead business writers to use lots of convoluted phrasing and needlessly long words. You'll examine the pitfalls of using business clichés, jammed modifiers, trendy words, jargon, foreign words, redundancies, and hedging adjectives.
What Words to Put In
In the last lesson you learned what words to remove from your document. In this lesson, you'll learn what words you should include to make your business writing more compelling. You'll learn the four parts of the written communication process. You'll find out why the verbs and nouns you choose make a major difference. You'll also learn more ways to make the task of writing more enjoyable for you.
Strategies for Good Spelling and Punctuation
In this lesson, you'll look at strategies for good spelling and punctuation. Everyone needs this review! To keep it fun, you'll get to deal with the topics of spelling and punctuation by taking some easy quizzes. It's a chance to learn by doing. See how good your spelling and punctuation skills really are. You'll learn that punctuation is not a tyranny of rules, but an evolving protocol to help you communicate. Finally, you'll capture your weak areas on a Tips Card.
One Easy Grammar Lesson
Why do you have to bother with grammar? You'll find out why in this lesson. Take the Grammar Blitz Quiz to discover your grammar strengths and weaknesses. It will help you fill in the gaps that remain after years of boring grammar classes. You'll learn why using the active instead of the passive voice can be a demonstration of your integrity. You'll also explore the traps pronouns set for those who are sensitive to gender issues.
Getting the Tone Right
Getting the tone right in business writing can be tricky, especially in email. In this lesson, you'll get to tackle your worst moods with one more brainstorming technique. You'll learn how to defuse any negative emotions that might get in the way of your problem solving. You'll also learn how your attitude toward your reader, your topic, and your own needs determines your tone. As you go through the lesson, you'll learn two easy ways to eliminate unintentional tone mistakes.
When You Have to Say No
In this lesson, you'll learn why being able to say "no" with grace is a crucial business skill. A five-part format will give you a solid strategy for writing documents that say "no" while retaining the goodwill of your reader. You'll learn how to keep bad news letters, memos, and emails positive and helpful.
Email Etiquette
This lesson will provide an up-to-date review of all the ways that email is different from other kinds of business writing. It will teach you how to write emails that get the job done quickly and efficiently and explain their legal status in court. You'll also discover how to manage the tone of your emails so that you don't accidentally offend your reader.
What you will learn
Learn brainstorming techniques that will help make writing easier
Understand how to sequence your ideas to be more effective
Learn the important skills of revising, formatting, editing, and proofreading
Get a grammar refresher
Learn to get the tone right and take negative emotions out of your writing
Learn how to say "no" without offending your reader
How you will benefit
Gain a solid understanding of good writing and how to produce it
Learn to better communicate with peers and colleagues through your writing
Take charge of your career and gain confidence by developing and enhancing a skill you will use every day
Open the door to more career opportunities and promotions as you learn to effectively communicate
Ann Linquist
Ann Linquist is a continuing education instructor on college campuses, at corporations, and with non-profit organizations. She has helped thousands of adults learn to tackle their writing tasks with enthusiasm. Having written everything from novels to newsletters, articles to ad copy, Linquist is able to address the writing needs of each individual. The breadth of her background ensures a powerful, involving learning experience that builds on the strengths of each participant.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Learn powerful techniques to improve your decision-making skills at work.
Give yourself an employment advantage by developing analytical skills that are consistently in high demand. This course will teach you powerful quantitative methods that will have you making better, more informed, and more effective business decisions.
The days of making critical business decisions by instinct or coin toss are long gone. If you are planning a career in business, you cannot afford to miss this course!
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Give yourself an employment advantage by developing analytical skills that are consistently in high demand. This course will teach you powerful quantitative methods that will have you making better, more informed, and more effective business decisions.
Problem Solving and Decision-Making
Decision-making is one of the most important aspects of business, so you'll start things off by exploring a variety of analytical approaches that you can use for making business decisions. You'll also look at the basic steps involved in problem solving.
Introduction to Probability
This lesson will help you understand the probability of events. It will talk about basic probability concepts and how you can assign probabilities to experimental outcomes. You'll also find out how to apply probability concepts to business situations.
Introduction to Sampling and Surveys
In this lesson, you'll delve into the concepts of mean and standard deviation and how they're used in business. You'll also go over survey analysis, the various steps involved in doing a survey, and the most common errors that people make.
Decision Analysis
This lesson is all about the use of probability in decision-making. You'll explore an analytical approach called Decision Analysis. You'll learn how to structure a problem so that when you decide how to deal with it, you know what result to expect. The lesson will also talk about using an optimistic, conservative, and in-between approach when making decisions. Finally, you'll examine the concept of Expected Value.
Utility and Decision-Making
What if the decision you want to make isn't the most sensible one from a financial perspective? There are times when you need to base the worth of a decision on its value to you. An example of this would be deciding to buy a lottery ticket. Sometimes it's appropriate to make business decisions this way. This lesson will talk about this approach and where the different decisions can lead.
Forecasting
All businesses need to forecast sales and expenses, and the forecasts need to be accurate. This lesson will cover forecasting as it's done in business analysis. You'll learn about the two types of forecasting: qualitative and quantitative.
The Modeling Process
In this lesson, you'll discover modeling, which is the application of mathematical constructs to decision making. You'll explore simple, intermediate, and complex types of models and discuss the two approaches to model development: reductionist and holistic.
Modeling in a Corporate Environment
This lesson is about how models are developed within a business organization. It will talk about what needs to be done and who needs to do it in order to make the modeling effort a success. You'll explore the respective roles of the analyst (modeler) and the client for whom the model is being developed.
Financial Analysis
The most widely used type of business analysis is financial analysis. This probably doesn't surprise you too much since the point of any business is to make a profit. In this lesson, you'll look at financial analysis and how it differs from accounting. The lesson will discuss cost estimates and various types of business costs. You'll get familiar with the concepts of break-even analysis and cost/benefit analysis, both of which play a vital role in business analysis.
Project Management PERT/CPM
The techniques of PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) and CPM (Critical Path Method) have proven to be extremely valuable to project managers. This lesson will explain the basics of PERT/CPM and how to utilize these techniques in your work. You'll meet a simple technique called a Gantt chart, which works quite well for planning a simple project with a relatively small number of tasks.
Computer Simulation and Risk Analysis
Risk is a part of any business situation, which makes it something you need to consider when you do business analysis. Simulation is an excellent method of performing risk analysis, so this lesson will cover step-by-step procedures for creating and using a simulation model.
Computer-Based Information Systems
In the final lesson, you'll look at computer-based information systems. This includes such areas as Decision Support Systems, Optimization Analysis, and Knowledge-Based Systems. You'll learn what each of these areas constitutes and examine many business applications of each.
What you will learn
Learn quantitative methods that will have you making better, more informed, and more effective business decisions
Understand probability, sampling and surveys
Learn qualitative and quantitative forecasting
Understand modeling and how it is used to make better business decisions
Learn how financial analysis differs from accounting
Examine how to perform a risk analysis
How you will benefit
Make better, more informed, and more effective business decisions
Give yourself an employment advantage by developing analytical skills that are consistently in high demand
Matt Crabtree
Matt Crabtree, CFP ®, earned his Bachelor of Science in Business, Information Systems Management, in 1999, a mini MBA certificate from The School of Management at Yale University in 2004, a certificate in Financial Planning from Pepperdine University's Graziadio School of Business in 2012 and has received the financial industry's most rigorous and prestigious professional designation of Certified Financial Planner ™. After many years in project management, office management, and business sales, Matt began training individuals and organizations in areas of business finance, leadership development, successful negotiations, sales management, and customer service excellence. Matt has trained individuals and various units within the U.S. Department of Defense, as well as corporate organizations including IBM (technology), Accuray (healthcare-technology), and Gen-Probe (molecular diagnostics). Matt's natural aptitude for explaining his material in an easy-to-understand and enjoyable manner allows each student to gain insights into areas that are often considered challenging.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Lost for words? Don't be! Learn to build rapport, trust, warmth, and respect through conversation.
If you often find yourself at a loss for words or lack confidence in your communication abilities, you will appreciate this course. Each lesson works through the step by step process needed to become a great conversationalist. You will learn to use communication to build rapport and create environments of trust, warmth, and respect. Become more confident, create a great first impression, get along well with others, and create more and better personal and professional relationships.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Become more confident, make great first impressions, get along with others, and create better personal and professional relationships. This course provides a step by step process to become a great conversationalist as you use communication to build rapport and create trust, warmth, and respect.
Introduction to the Keys to Effective Communication
In this lesson, you will learn the qualities that make someone a great communicator, the five components of achievable goals, and how to create win-win situations. You will benefit from setting your own communication goals in clear steps that are easy to reach.
Rapport
Building rapport is the first great key to effective communication. In this lesson, you will learn how to build rapport with almost anyone. By doing so, you will become a better listener and know how to keep respect alive in your conversations. You will also learn the art of reflective listening from examples of how others turned frustrating communications into successful ones.
Pacing, Linking and Leading
In this lesson, you will learn how to pace and lead your conversations toward win-win outcomes. You will learn how to contain a conversation, keeping it on track and moving toward your goals. Interrupting gracefully and breaking rapport are skills you will learn to use in uncomfortable situations.
Mastering Learning Styles
In this lesson, you will master the three learning and communication styles. You will uncover your own learning style and learn to spot the communication style of others. These skills will help you share your views with anyone, even those you previously found difficult to communicate with.
Regaining Lost Rapport
This lesson explores some great ways to regain lost rapport and keep conversations positive. When you lose rapport, disagreements flourish, but a skilled communicator can regain lost rapport. You will also learn how to acquire communication flexibility and stay in great rapport with all types of people.
Mastering Motivation
This lesson covers useful motivation strategies. People motivate toward pleasure and away from pain. When you understand how to motivate yourself and others, you get more done. As you master your motivation skills, other things fall into place.
Group Presentations
This lesson focuses on presentation skills. An effective presenter knows how to communicate fluently and has a sense of the atmosphere in a room. An effective presenter creates win-wins so that everyone is happy with the outcome.
Communication in Leadership and Teamwork
Imagine that you're a part of a team in which the leadership is genuine. This lesson explores leadership and teamwork. You will learn how to build a great work or family team where each team member gives one another equal value and respect. You will see how a great leader can elicit and set the goals for their team and develop the vision for the group.
Communication With Children
In this lesson, you will learn how to communicate effectively with children. Guiding children is a huge responsibility. Children are very open, and adults' words go in deeply. You will learn why the early years of a child's life are so important. Information about brain development and early literacy dovetails beautifully with the other wonderful things you will learn in this course.
Subconscious Communication
Your subconscious mind is your deeper mind—it's the part of your mind that's beneath your conscious awareness. When you understand how to talk to your subconscious, you understand how to work with yourself and others to create greater success. In this lesson, you will find out how to use affirmations effectively.
Managing Stressful Communication and Anger
Anger is one of the biggest stumbling blocks to healthy relationships. Learning to manage and control your anger makes you a more powerful communicator and keeps goodwill strong. In this lesson, You will learn how to manage transition times so that change is graceful. You will learn how to hold efficient, productive, and fun family meetings.
Review of the Keys to Effective Communication
In this final lesson, you will reassess your communication goals to see how far you have come and set new goals, so you can apply your skills in other areas. You will gain further insight, enabling you to move past your stuck spots and into being a very effective communicator. You will use these strategies for the rest of your life.
What you will learn
Learn to use communication to build rapport and create environments of trust, warmth, and respect
Understand the process of becoming a great conversationalist
How you will benefit
Become more confident
Make great first impressions
Create more and better personal and professional relationships
Dawn Lianna
Dawn Lianna is an accomplished event manager, educator, and natural health expert with over 30 years of experience in event management, natural healing, and personal coaching. Her client list includes non-profit, community and educational organizations, along with corporations and individuals. As an event manager, she has planned, coordinated, and co-hosted over 500 successful events. She has a deep knowledge of the inner workings of the events space, which she shares with students as the instructor of the Event Management and Design course. She is also the author and instructor of the course, Keys to Effective Communication. Her MA in Counseling and Psychology, along with her status as Certified Hypnotherapist and Certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Practitioner, combine in her approach to trust, respect, and rapport in effective conversation. She is an active, certified coach who integrates alternative health practices and her personal studies of herbology, nutrition, positive thinking, intuition development, acupuncture, and massage in her work and her Introduction to Natural Health and Healing course.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Become indispensable to any organization by understanding how to identify and meet customer needs.
As someone who participates in delivering high levels of customer service, you're an important ambassador for your organization. In this course, you will discover a number of dynamite methods to bring out your best and also do the same for the people you work with. You will learn how to measure customer service—from your company's point of view and from the customers—and discover how to anticipate the needs of your customers.
You may already understand that top-notch customer service begins with knowing your customers and their needs, but do you know how to evaluate those customers, or better yet, what to do with the data once you have it? You will take a look at that, as well as identify how your customer service stacks up right now, and how you can build on even the sharpest of service policies. Plus, you will learn how to communicate, resolve complaints, and build long-lasting customer service programs.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Learn how to correctly anticipate and meet your customers' needs. This course will help you discover some effective methods to bring out your best and do the same for the other people you work with as you serve as an ambassador for your company.
Winning Customer Service
Do you know what winning customer service looks like? If you're like most of us, you know it when you see it, but you may not be able to replicate it easily within your organization. Well, that will soon change as you learn what it takes to provide the best service the first time.
Customers Revealed
Customers are complex and multidimensional, and the success of your organization depends on how well you can understand what your customers want and meet their needs. It's time to get to work by finding out who your customers are and how you can serve them best.
Customer Expectations
If you've ever handled a customer complaint, you know how expectations play a large role in ultimate customer satisfaction. Learn what motivates customers and the best way to appeal to them the right way, the first time.
Customer Service: Why Do It?
A lot of organizations still have the so what mentality when it comes to superb customer service. But you won't be one of them, will you? There are a lot of benefits to ramping up your customer service, one of which is making your current customers happy. You'll discover the secrets to doing so in this lesson.
The Decline (And Revival) of Customer Service
If you're like a lot of people, you've probably noticed that in some places, on some days, customer service seems to be a laughable misnomer. Ironically, the better the service, the greater the collective expectations for high quality follow-through and innovation. Learn about the decline and revival of customer service and see what you can do to capitalize on consumer expectations.
Moving Forward With the Four P's
Customers are happy when they get the right combination of product, price, and information. When you make the product available at the right time and place, you have a winning marketing mix—also known as the 4P's (product, price, place, and promotion). In this lesson, you'll see how you can help your organization grow by harnessing the power of the P.
Traits of Outstanding Customer Reps
You may already know which of your reps are top performers, and which of them are lackluster. But do you know how to cultivate the best qualities in every rep on your team? In this lesson, you'll unlock the secrets to efficient and friendly customer service.
Measuring Customer Service
It's great to know how to cultivate better service and how to pick the right team members, but it's also important to know how you measure the customer service you already provide every day. Get ready for a simplified, user-friendly tour of the measurements and math behind your customer service counter.
Customer Service Communication
Your success in satisfying customers largely depends on the level of your communication skills. So in this lesson, you'll see the importance of clear and direct communication. Plus, you'll find out how to solve communication problems, especially the ones that happen all the time when you're doing business over the phone.
Helping Upset Customers
In this lesson, you'll learn how to revive a troubled customer service program, deal with upset customers, and use technology to simplify your job duties. You'll also go over the steps to take when you face a difficult customer and review the use of call centers, email, and the Internet.
Motivating Your Team Part I
Your team of customer service personnel could probably stand a little more training and a lot more encouragement. Luckily, you'll soon know how to take your employees to the next level with motivation strategies that really work.
Motivating Your Team Part II
As you finish the course, it's important to reflect once again on how vital customer service reps are to the company. Learn the best ways to reward and motivate them to treat their jobs as careers, and their customers as friends. As you know, you only have one chance to make a first impression, and you don't want to waste it being busy or rude!
What you will learn
Learn what award winning customer service looks like
Discover who your customers are and how you can best serve them
Learn what motivates customers and the best way to appeal to them
Learn how you can capitalize on consumer expectations
Learn to motivate and reward the people on your service rep team
Discover how to deal with upset customers and the steps to take when you face a difficult customer
Cultivate better service by learning how to choose the right team members
How you will benefit
Discover methods to bring out your best and the other customer service reps on your team
Reflect on how vital customer service is to your organization and how important it is to treat your customers with courteousness and respect
Tony Swaim
Tony Swaim has helped many clients, colleagues, and students reach their professional and personal goals. He has been an online instructor since 1998 and has taught at colleges and universities across the United States since 1981. His focus areas are project management, Six Sigma, and supply chain management. Tony manages a successful consulting firm, and his industry experience includes 20 years of supply chain management. He earned a Doctorate in Business Administration from Kennesaw State University and holds professional certifications in six disciplines, including the Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI)® and Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB)® from the American Society for Quality (ASQ)®.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Discover how to harness the power of the Internet to build and sustain a profitable business. You will also learn the step-by-step process of creating a product, building a website, engaging a customer base, and finding new leads online.
Today, the Internet has changed everything. It is now entirely possible to create, launch, and build a profitable business from the convenience of your home with little to no upfront investment. This course will give you a solid foundation for building and growing a successful digital business.
You will be given a step-by-step approach that is easy to follow—from building a simplified strategy to branding your business. You will learn to create a product and how to build and launch your own website. You will learn to engage prospective customers, and implement a process that will drive fresh leads to your business. You simply need to know what to do and how to do it. So whether you are looking to generate a nice side income or even to replace your current income and ditch your full-time job, this course is for you.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
The Internet has changed the way people communicate and how businesses operate. It's also made it easier to fulfill your dreams of creating and building a business from the convenience of your own home. In the Starting Your Own Online Business course, you will learn how to develop a digital or traditional product or service and build a website to sell and deliver that product online. This course outlines a step-by-step approach that's easy to follow—from building a simplified strategy to branding your business. From start to finish, you will gain an understanding of what it takes to create, build, and maintain a profitable online business!
Build a Foundation for Your Online Business
In this lesson, we will build the foundation you need to start and grow a successful online business. You will understand what an online business is, the key components that make it work, and the steps for building your own. You will also learn about the three most popular online business models. Finally, you will be introduced to the concept of a Visual Business Strategy (VBS) diagram, which you will use to summarize your Internet business plan.
Create a Digital-Ready Business Brand
Learn how to build a business brand that's ready to be launched online. First, you will discover some secrets about developing an influential and recognizable name for your business. Next, you will learn how you can quickly and easily stake a claim to that business name throughout the Internet. After that, we'll examine ways to get a logo to support your business branding. Finally, you will gain an understanding of the importance of keywords and learn how to craft an effective keyword strategy for your business.
Build and Optimize a Product
See how to create products and services that you can sell as part of your online business. First, we'll explore the various types of products and services and how to build them. Next, you will consider what makes a "good" product and zero in on the right product for you. Finally, we'll look at how to tackle building your product, from creating your product development plan to leveraging your past efforts to develop your product more quickly and efficiently.
Develop and Launch an Engaging Website
Tackle the task of creating and launching a business website. You will understand what type of website you should build and learn how to align it with your business strategy. Then you will see how to develop an outline for your website, wireframe individual pages, and create or find the content you will need to make your web pages come alive. After that, we'll explore ways to build and launch your website without having to know anything about website design or coding. Finally, you will learn what it means to "host" your website.
Set up Your Online Selling Process
Gain an understanding of the basics of selling products on the Internet and learn how to design and document a sales process that aligns with your business strategy. Next, you will learn how to implement your newly created sales process by selecting the right mix of third-party tools and accounts that work with your website to conduct business transactions online. Finally, we'll examine how you can monitor, track, and measure the effectiveness of your sales process and use that information to increase your sales over time.
Install a Digital Communication Network
Learn what a digital communication network is and why you need to develop one for your business. Next, you will gain an understanding of the different types of digital communication methods and how you can use each to engage and develop relationships with your followers. Finally, we'll examine some advanced strategies that you can use to optimize and automate your communication with your prospects and customers consistently.
Your Email Management System
First, learn about the importance of utilizing an email management system to communicate with your prospects and customers. Next, we'll examine how you can set up your system, write engaging content, and deliver emails in a timely and automated manner. Finally, we'll explore some advanced email marketing strategies that you can use to help grow your email list and increase engagement.
Socialize Your Online Business
Build a foundation for using social media to grow your business. You will understand the definition of social media and explore critical principles to make sure that you're using social media in the right way. Next, you will learn about a process you can follow to consistently and effectively engage with prospects and customers. Finally, you will learn about different ways to generate and publish content quickly and easily.
Build Multiple Online Lead Streams
Examine the importance of generating leads to maintain a healthy and vibrant online business. First, we'll explore the concept of a lead generation process and review the types that exist. Next, we will work together to outline a lead generation strategy that is customized for your business. Finally, we'll outline the steps necessary to implement and systematize the lead generation processes you have selected to drive targeted prospects to your website.
Using Video to Grow Your Online Business
Why should you consider using video as one of your main lead generation processes to grow your online business? In this lesson, you will find out why, and we'll walk through the steps you can take to create compelling videos without being a video expert. Next, we'll take a peek at basic and advanced methods to create and distribute videos to gain exposure for your online business. Finally, you will learn how to host, record, and automate the delivery of videos through webinars.
Create an Online Partnership Program
Gain an understanding of how you can build a partnership program to introduce more people to your online business. First, you will learn what a partner program is and how it can help grow your business. Next, you will explore the critical aspects of any partnership program and how to integrate it into your website. Finally, we'll examine some crucial strategies for introducing your partnership program to prospects as well as new and future customers to generate an ongoing stream of fresh leads.
Implement an Online Support Center
See how to implement an online support center for your business. First, you will learn about what types of expectations online customers have for customer service and support and examine the essential pieces of any online support center. Next, we'll explore both basic and advanced ways that you can provide customer service support over the Internet and investigate various support solutions that you can use. Finally, we'll examine some key strategies for engaging with new and legacy customers to maximize customer satisfaction and minimize refunds.
What you will learn
Build a business brand that is ready to be launched online
Create products and services that you can sell as part of your online business
Create and launch a business website
Set up an email management system, write engaging content, and deliver emails in a timely manner
Generate leads to keep your business growing
Implement an online support center for your business
How you will benefit
Discover the techniques, tools, and strategies necessary to create a successful online business
Create a healthy and vibrant online business by generating leads to continually grow your business
Be able to supply your online customers with online support to increase customer satisfaction and minimize refunds
Brad Semp
Brad Semp, Ph.D., is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at a global corporation, a life-long entrepreneur, and a former professor of Bachelors and Masters of Science courses in Internet Marketing. Dr. Brad is active on social media platforms to engage with prospects and customers, expand relationships, and to grow businesses. He routinely coaches other entrepreneurs and business owners and consults with Fortune 500 organizations on how to design and implement effective social media systems, strategies, and tactics.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Stop dreaming and learn how to start your own successful small business.
Learn how to take your dream of starting a business and put it into action. In this class, you will learn everything you need to know about starting a business. You will begin by discovering the tricks to picking the right opportunity for you. Next, you will learn how to develop proven marketing techniques to easily build sales. Since every business needs money, this course discusses traditional and nontraditional financing options. Finally, you will learn easy-to-implement employee-management procedures and how to write business policies that help you build your business.
You, as a business owner, need to manage all your limited resources. One resource that often gets overlooked is your time. Throughout the course, you will learn time management techniques especially for entrepreneurs. While taking this course, you will discover the secrets that separate the successful entrepreneurs from the struggling ones.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Learn how to transform your passion and talent into a viable small business. This course will teach you about financing, marketing techniques, employee management, policy writing, and time management - everything you need to know to start your very own small business.
Starting Your Dream
If you've ever dreamed about starting a small business but didn't know where to start, then you have come to the right place. In this first lesson, you will learn why you should start a business, why now might be the perfect time to do it, and what separates successful business owners from those who remain dreamers.
Find Your Perfect Business Opportunity
In this lesson, you'll learn about the three different ways to start a business. You'll explore the advantages and disadvantages of buying a franchise, buying a business, and starting a business from scratch.
Creating a Truly Unique Business
No matter what business option you're leaning toward, you must find and exploit your unique selling proposition (USP). Your USP is the reason a customer would do business with you instead of someone else. In this lesson, you will develop your USP. Then you will discover the single most valuable asset in your business and how it can create all the wealth you will ever want.
Developing Your Business Plan
Alan Lakein, a leading expert on time management, says, "Failing to plan is planning to fail." In this lesson, you will learn all the advantages of having a written business plan. You will see how it helps you take advantage of more opportunities and keeps you focused on achieving your goals. If you need to find financing for your business, having a business plan becomes twice as important.
How to Legally Set Up Your Company
Once you have chosen the business opportunity you're going to pursue, you will need to legally set up your company. To do that, you will have to choose whether to be an S-corporation, a corporation, or a limited liability company. Each of these structures has advantages and disadvantages. In this lesson, you will find out how to decide which one would work best for you.
Power Marketing for Business Owners
Unless you have your own vault of money for marketing, you will need to know the best way to spend limited resources to create the most sales. As a future business owner, you need to understand the importance of direct-response marketing along with tracking and testing. You will learn about those things in this lesson as you discover how to expand marketing efforts that work and cut or improve those that are ineffective.
Advertising and Publicity to Skyrocket Your Business
This lesson continues the discussion on marketing and explores the pros and cons of two main forms of it: advertising and publicity. You learn about at free publicity, because it's one of the most cost-effective ways to market your business.
The Report Card for Your Business
No one can run a business effectively without proper accounting and financial statements. But few business owners take the time to understand the basics of bookkeeping. In this lesson, you will walk hand-in-hand with an actual business owner as she sets up her accounting records. By the end of this lesson, you will know the basics of accounting and be able to analyze and develop your own financial statements.
Finding Money for Your Business
Most new business owners need to find money to start their business. In this lesson, you will find out the most common, traditional ways to fund a business and a few nontraditional ways as well. Whichever method you choose, your desire to get your company going is what will make the difference. Many people give up too soon or don't use the feedback from a funding source to improve their plan. You don't have to be one of them.
Hiring, Motivating, and Parting With Employees
Employees can make or break a business. Just think about the businesses you wouldn't use again because of the poor service their employees provided. Bad employees can cost a company thousands of dollars, and you, as an owner, won't have the luxury of hiring and training employees on an ongoing basis. Hiring, training, motivating, and parting with employees are all complex processes. In this lesson, you will learn tips that make them easier.
Business Policies
Having effective business policies in place helps your business run efficiently. It also gives your employees a framework for knowing what's expected of them. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to develop your own business policies, including sexual harassment and ethics policies.
Managing You
To ensure success, business owners need to be able to use limited resources efficiently. In this final lesson, you will learn how best to manage your time, relationships, and personal financial position. You will leave this course knowing you have done all the preliminary groundwork to get your business off to a good start.
What you will learn
Learn the best ways to choose the right business opportunity
Develop proven marketing techniques that will help you build sales
Gain an understanding of traditional and non-traditional financing options
Learn effective employee-management procedures
Discover time management techniques designed to help entrepreneurs succeed
How you will benefit
Gain a complete understanding of what separates a successful business and how to avoid failure
Discover the single most valuable asset in your business and how it can help you create wealth
Develop the skills you need to effectively manage your time, relationships and personal financial position
Pursue your dream of owning a successful business by starting on the right track with proper structures and policies in place
Kris Solie-Johnson
Kris Solie-Johnson, chancellor and president of the American Institute of Small Business, best-selling author, educator, speaker, and mother of three, is an energetic and passionate entrepreneur. Her books are in public libraries, high schools, colleges, and military bases both nationally and internationally. Solie-Johnson has an MBA in Venture Management from the University of St. Thomas and over 19 years of experience helping entrepreneurs reach their goals quickly through joint venture partnerships, creative marketing programs, and innovative financial options. She's dedicated to motivating and inspiring owners to achieve beyond their dreams.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Learn to handle basic human resource functions to ensure the best possible results.
No matter what role you play in an organization, you are all affected by human resources. This course is designed to help people without experience in human resources to understand this very vital link in the organizational chain. It will prepare both managers and business owners to handle basic human resource functions in a way that will ensure the best possible result. In particular, attention is given to the hiring process, including ways to locate quality employees in a competitive labor market. Employee rights and the legal side of the human resource field are also covered.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Learn the essential role of human resources in successful organizations. This course will help you understand this very vital link in the organizational chain, so that managers and business owners can feel prepared to handle basic human resource functions.
The History of Human Resources
Do you ever wonder why the field of human resources is the way it is? How it has evolved? In your first lesson, you will travel through history to explore the roots of human resources. You will see how the modern human resource function has evolved from trade guilds, through the industrial revolution, to modern times.
Human Resources Functions in Today's Organization
What exactly does the human resource professional do on the job? In this lesson, you will take a look at the variety of vital activities that are frequently included in the human resources function. This variety can include everything from recruiting, hiring, and retaining employees, to labor management relations and workplace safety and training.
The Hiring Process: Part 1
How does someone go about finding and hiring a new employee? The initial preparation for hiring is often done in the quiet of an office, which may make it seem like new employees just magically appear. This lesson explores what goes on in that quiet office—focusing on preparing advertisements and application forms, reviewing and screening applications, conducting interviews, and verifying information.
The Hiring Process: Part 2
Interviews and background checks are key components of the hiring process. The interview is your chance to evaluate the job applicant in person to see how well their skills match your job requirements. This lesson looks at each part of the interview—from setting it up and to rating the person after the interview.
Finding Employees in a Competitive Labor Market
How do you get someone to apply for a job? Solid recruiting practices using both traditional and nontraditional techniques will ensure that you have a large pool of applicants from which to pick and choose. Traditionally, many companies simply run a classified job ad when they need a new employee, but in this lesson, you will explore other alternatives that may be equally effective in recruiting.
Retaining Quality Employees
What motivates a quality employee to stay on the job? What can you do to keep employees happy and working? In this lesson, you will learn how to analyze job satisfaction and the factors that keep employees happy.
Respecting Employee Rights
What rights do employees have? What are moral rights and how can the company protect them? What is the difference between a moral and a legal right? This lesson explores both moral and legal rights and how they can be used to benefit employees.
Laws Relating to Human Resources
What legal responsibilities does a company owe its employees? This lesson provides an overview of the many laws that impact the workplace. You will examine laws that govern union-management interactions, prohibit discrimination, set wage and hour requirements, and enforce safety standards.
Policy Making
Do you have a policy manual at work? What policies are included in the manual? How does anyone ever decide what policies to include? In this lesson, you will learn about policy manuals—what they should include, what policies are most common, and how you can ensure your policies comply with the law.
Employee Communications
How can workplace communication be effective? What should you do to ensure that communication is taking place on a regular basis? This lesson focuses on the need for effective communication programs at work and how to implement them. You will find out how to keep communication running smoothly throughout the organization.
Administration of Employee Benefit Programs
What should a strong employee benefit program include? What is involved in putting a benefit package together? Benefits are a great way to attract and keep employees. This lesson explores common employment benefits as insurance and retirement.
Human Resources—A Source of Quality
Have you ever wondered what makes a human resource professional successful? In your final lesson, you will learn the eight habits that successful professionals adopt. You will leave with the insight and ability to achieve excellence at work.
What you will learn
Learn to handle basic human resource functions effectively
Understand the hiring process, including ways to locate quality employees in a competitive labor market
Examine employee rights and the legal side of the human resource field
Learn how to conduct effective interviews
Gain a new respect for the vital role Human Resources plays in an organization
How you will benefit
Gain confidence in your ability to relate to employees and coworkers in an appropriate way
Learn to make better hires even in competitive markets
Open the door to new opportunities in entry-level HR positions
Ann Nevers
Ann Nevers holds a law degree and a master's in health law. She works in dispute resolution for business, employment, and health care and regularly teaches courses in these areas. She has published numerous academic articles, edited legal manuals, and written chapters on employment, dispute resolution, and health care topics.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Learn how to use the five most popular social media platforms—Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram—to grow and promote your business.
One of the biggest challenges for business owners is finding new customers. Over the past decade, some business owners have leveraged social media to do just that. Whether you're a social media novice or a seasoned veteran, this course will give you a solid foundation in social media marketing and using it to grow your business.
In today's globally connected environment, social media is a game changer for businesses. So, whether you're looking for a new way to market your business or simply want to better understand social media, this online social media marketing course will empower you.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Learn how to use the five most popular social media platforms-Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram-to grow and promote your business. This course will help you harness the power of social media to connect with new customers, advertise products, and promote your brand.
Developing a Social Media Foundation
In this lesson, you'll build the foundation you need to use social media to grow your business. You will discover the definition of social media, learn about its characteristics, and see what it can do for your business. Then, you'll explore the various types of social media and focus in on the ones that offer the greatest benefits.
Creating Your Social Media Strategy
You will see how you can build a strategy for using social media to grow your business. First, you will discover what a strategy is and why it's important to have one for your social media efforts. Then, you will gain an understanding of the critical elements of any social media strategy.
Building Your Social Media Organization
This lesson demonstrates how to develop a social media organization that will help you be as effective as possible. First, you will see how to choose from among the various platforms to select the ones that will serve your business best. Finally, you will learn how you can transform your simple diagram into a more detailed electronic file and add elements as your business grows.
Crafting High-Quality Content
In this lesson, you will learn how to produce social media content that engages your followers and entices them to comment. You will gain an understanding of how to write content that's optimized for distribution on social media platforms and to do so without it becoming a full-time job. Finally, you will learn the various ways that you can store, manage, search, and retrieve the social media content that you produce.
Facebook
Facebook is one of the most popular social networking sites. In this lesson, you will learn how you can use Facebook to effectively market and grow your business. First, you will get an overview of how Facebook works, and you will take a tour of a Facebook business page. Next, you learn how to create a Facebook account, set up a page for your business, and use strategies to gain awareness and exposure for your business.
Twitter
This lesson focuses on using Twitter to effectively market and grow your business. You will be guided through the steps required to create and brand a Twitter account for your business. Finally, you will learn several advanced strategies that you can use to gain awareness and exposure for your business.
LinkedIn
This lesson will teach you how to use LinkedIn to make connections, expand your personal network, and grow your business. You will explore a handful of strategies that you can use to gain awareness and exposure for your business.
Pinterest
In this lesson, you will learn how you can use Pinterest to share information and connect with others who are interested in your products and services. You will learn a handful of strategies that can help your business gain additional awareness and exposure.
Instagram
In this lesson, you'll learn how you can use Instagram to effectively market and grow your business. First, you'll look at an overview of the social media platform, see how it differs from others you've explored, and take a tour of its features. After that, you'll see how to create a personal account and how to decide whether or not to switch to a business profile. Finally, you'll examine several strategies that you can use to leverage Instagram to engage and interact and grow a base of followers for your business.
Social Media Automation
In this lesson, you will learn about social media automation. You will peek at the pros and cons and identify the most common pitfalls of using automation. This lesson also introduces the most popular free and paid automation tools that you can put to immediate use.
Social Media and Your Team
In this lesson, you will learn to minimize the time you spend on social media activities through delegation. First, this lesson investigates the types of tasks you can delegate and examine some common pitfalls to avoid. Next, you will explore processes for assigning tasks to team members and, if needed, hiring a part-time or full-time social media manager. Finally, you will gain some strategies for centralizing your social media information and get a preview of some software solutions for integrating your social media team's efforts.
Measuring Your Social Media Performance
How do you know if what you're doing is working? In this lesson, you will learn about tracking, monitoring, measuring and improving your social media activities. You'll investigate the most common types of metrics you will find in social media and then examine some popular third-party tools that can take your analysis to another level.
What you will learn
Describe the basics of online marketing and how Social Media works
Identify the main objectives for using social media in your business.
Select the right social media platform(s) that align with and support the identified business objectives
Demonstrate the ability to set up and configure the five most popular social media platforms.
Develop a process to test, measure, review, and continuously improve the effectiveness of your social media efforts.
How you will benefit
Confidently promote yourself as a social media marketer
Immediately apply what you learn in the lessons to promote your business and generate new leads
Gain the knowledge and develop the ability to implement a SOCIAL process to increase awareness, engagement and sales for your business.
Master the art of successfully using social media to promote a business and track your results - something most people can't do
Brad Semp
Brad Semp, Ph.D., is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at a global corporation, a life-long entrepreneur, and a former professor of Bachelors and Masters of Science courses in Internet Marketing. Dr. Brad is active on social media platforms to engage with prospects and customers, expand relationships, and to grow businesses. He routinely coaches other entrepreneurs and business owners and consults with Fortune 500 organizations on how to design and implement effective social media systems, strategies, and tactics.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Gain a marketable new skill by learning the basics of double-entry bookkeeping, financial reporting, and more.
In this comprehensive course, you will learn the basics of double-entry bookkeeping, as well as how to analyze and record financial transactions. You will get hands-on experience with handling accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll procedures, sales taxes, and various common banking activities.
Accounting Fundamentals covers all the bases, from writing checks to preparing an income statement and closing out accounts at the end of each fiscal period. Whether you're a sole proprietor looking to manage your business finances or you simply want to gain an understanding of accounting basics for career advancement or for personal use, this course will give you a solid foundation in financial matters.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
A calculator and a printer.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
If you want to increase your financial awareness and gain a marketable skill, this course is for you. You will learn the double-entry bookkeeping, financial transactions, financial reporting, and more.
Account Classifications, Account Titles, T Accounts, and the Accounting Equation
Welcome to Accounting Fundamentals! In this first lesson, you will learn all about account classifications, debits, credits, and T accounts. You will learn the difference between a liability and an asset and find out how to determine an owner's equity.
General Ledger Accounts and the Balance Sheet
Here's where you will begin your hands-on accounting practice: You will start by creating an imaginary company for which you will be the accountant. You will learn how to analyze your company's transactions to determine which amounts go into which accounts, then you will create your company's own General Ledger forms and post a few transactions into those accounts.
Journalizing Transactions and Posting to the General Ledger
Now that you understand the functions of the General Ledger, you're ready to move on to the next phase of recording transactions: the Journal. In this lesson, you will learn how to enter transactions into an 11-column journal and then post or transfer those amounts into appropriate General Ledger accounts.
Journalizing and Posting Cash and Charge Purchases and Payments on Account
In this lesson, you will learn all about Accounts Payable, which is money that you owe your vendors and suppliers. You will practice journalizing cash purchases and purchases on account, and you will get hands-on practice transferring those purchases to their corresponding Accounts Payable Ledger accounts.
Journalizing and Posting Cash and Charge Sales and Cash Received on Account
In this lesson, you will learn about Accounts Receivable, which is another name for money owed to your company by its customers. You will learn how to journalize and post those sales on account, how to enter charge sales into the journal, and how to transfer the information into an Accounts Receivable Ledger.
Payroll and Various Deductions
It's payday! This lesson will teach you how to determine gross pay, deductions, and net pay. You will learn how to prepare a payroll, write payroll checks, and how to prepare and maintain accurate payroll records.
Banking Services and Reports
In this lesson, you will learn all about banks and banking services: You will learn the proper way to write checks, make out deposit tickets, and reconcile your company's checking account with the bank statement. These are skills you will find valuable in both your business and personal life!
Posting Journal Totals to the General Ledger and Schedule of Accounts Payable and Schedule of Accounts Receivable
This lesson will teach you how to prepare a Schedule of Accounts Payable and a Schedule of Accounts Receivable. These reports can be used to compare the amount of money your business owes its creditors with the amount of money your customers owe your business.
End-Of-Year Worksheet
In this lesson, you will prepare a worksheet showing the net income or net loss for the fiscal period. The worksheet will show all income and expenses for the fiscal period as well as the assets, liabilities, and owner's equity account balances.
End-Of-Year Financial Reports
In this lesson, you will learn how to prepare various reports that are vital to the well-being of your company. You will learn how these reports can be used to make sound financial decisions in the next fiscal period. You will discover how to put together an Owner's Equity Statement, an Income Statement, and a Distribution of Net Income.
Journalizing and Posting Adjusting Entries
In this lesson, you will prepare for the end of the fiscal period by adjusting your asset account balances to accurately reflect the assets remaining at the end of the year. You will also find out how to journalize and post adjusting and closing entries to bring your company's General Ledger up to date.
Journalizing and Posting Closing Entries and Preparing a Post Closing Trial Balance
In the final lesson, you will prepare a Post Closing Trial Balance report to ensure that all of your debits and credits in the General Ledger balance out in preparation for the new fiscal period.
What you will learn
Learn the basics of double-entry bookkeeping, as well as how to analyze and record financial transactions
Get hands-on experience with handing accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll procedures, sales taxes, and various common banking activities
Learn about writing checks, preparing an income statement, and closing out accounts at the end of a fiscal period
How you will benefit
Learn everything you need to know to better manage your finances
Gain a solid understanding of accounting basics to be able to manage business finances or advance your career
Open the door to more career opportunities in the in-demand field of accounting and finance
Nancy Koenig
Nancy Koenig is an experienced industry professional with over 40 years in the workforce, including decades in finance. Nancy has worked in various finance roles in banking, insurance, and a hospital billing office. For the last 27 years of her career, she was an administrative assistant at a technical school, which involved running and overseeing the entire budget, amongst other duties. Nancy has also held part-time jobs as a bookkeeper for an auto parts store and a cable company, where she used QuickBooks computerized software. Over the past several years, she has also co-taught the Accounting Fundamentals and Accounting Fundamentals II courses with Charlene Messier.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Give yourself skills that are in high demand by exploring corporate accounting.
While it is true that accounting professionals are scarce, those with corporate accounting experience are even scarcer. This course will provide you with a solid understanding of corporate accounting practices.
In Accounting Fundamentals II, you will explore such topics as special journals, uncollectible accounts receivable, plant assets, depreciation, notes and interest, accrued revenue and expenses, dividends, retained earnings, and various financial reports for corporations.
If you're interested in increasing your financial awareness and accountability while also gaining a marketable skill, this is the course for you.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
A calculator and a printer.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Explore the world of corporate accounting and increase your financial know-how while gaining in-demand skills. This course will provide you with a solid understanding of recording and analyzing plant assets, depreciation, interest, dividends, revenue and other important corporate money matters.
Accounts Payable
In this lesson, you will learn all about accounts payable. You will be journalizing and posting your company's purchases and preparing a Schedule of Accounts Payable. This lesson will give you the tools you need to successfully track those accounts.
Accounts Receivable
In this lesson you will take a close look at accounts receivable. After completing this lesson, you will know how to enter charge sales into your Sales Journal and then post them to your General Ledger. You will have also learned how to journalize payments on account received from your charge customers.
Uncollectible Accounts Receivable
In this lesson you will learn about uncollectible accounts receivable. While many believe customers will always pay what they owe, that is not always the case. You will learn how to account for long overdue receivables that probably won't ever be paid.
Plant Assets and Depreciation
In this lesson, you will learn about plant assets and depreciation. Just like your car, business assets depreciate over time, so you will need to know how to account for that expense in your records. You will also need to record these assets and calculate their depreciation in a timely manner.
Notes Payable and Notes Receivable
This lesson is all about notes payable and notes receivable. You will learn all you need to know about accounting for these situations as you learn how to record the issuance and payment of these notes payables and notes receivables.
Accrued Income and Accrued Expenses
In this lesson, you will learn how to deal with accrued income and accrued expenses. Accrued income is money that the company earns in one fiscal period but doesn't receive until after another fiscal period begins.
Dividends and Starting the Year-End Worksheet
In this lesson, you will be dealing with dividends, which is money paid to the company's stockholders on their investment. You will learn how the business accounts for the dividends it pays to its stockholders. You will also look at retained earnings, or the amount of profit the corporation retains for future use.
Complete Year-End Worksheet With Adjustments
In this lesson, you will determine whether your business has a net income or a net loss by completing the worksheet started in the previous lesson. Because many General Ledger accounts change throughout the fiscal period, you will also need to bring these accounts up to date.
End-Of-Fiscal-Period Financial Reports
It's time to begin wrapping up your books for the end of the fiscal period. In this lesson, you will learn how to compile most of the various financial reports a corporation needs to complete at the end of the fiscal period.
Adjusting and Closing Entries and Post Closing Trial Balance
In this lesson, you will get the books all caught up and ready for the next fiscal period. You will go back and journalize those adjusting entries you entered into your worksheet, then you will enter closing entries into your journal.
Preparing a Payroll
This lesson covers every employee's favorite subject: Payroll. You will learn about various mandatory and voluntary deductions from employees' pay, as well as how to journalize and post an entire payroll. As an added bonus, after this lesson, you will be able to check the accuracy of your own paycheck.
Preparing Federal Tax Deposits and Year-End Tax Reports
The final lesson focuses on preparing a variety of end-of-year tax reports. Here's your chance to go step-by-step through a multitude of IRS forms with instructions that are much easier to understand. You will fill out the federal Form 941, then learn how to make federal income tax deposits.
What you will learn
Learn about accounts payable and receivable
Understand how to represent uncollectible accounts in reports
Learn about plant assets and timely depreciation of these assets
Learn how to deal with accrued income and accrued expenses
Understand stock dividends and retained earnings
Learn how to prepare year-end financial documents including tax forms
How you will benefit
Become more indispensable to any organization as you develop higher level accounting skills
Learn everything you need to know to accurately keep the books for any type of business
Become more aware of the accuracy of your own personal pay stubs and tax documents
Open the door to more career opportunities in accounting
Nancy Koenig
Nancy Koenig is an experienced industry professional with over 40 years in the workforce, including decades in finance. Nancy has worked in various finance roles in banking, insurance, and a hospital billing office. For the last 27 years of her career, she was an administrative assistant at a technical school, which involved running and overseeing the entire budget, amongst other duties. Nancy has also held part-time jobs as a bookkeeper for an auto parts store and a cable company, where she used QuickBooks computerized software. Over the past several years, she has also co-taught the Accounting Fundamentals and Accounting Fundamentals II courses with Charlene Messier.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Learn how to have more successful relationships with difficult bosses, co-workers, students, neighbors, or relatives.
This course will teach you how to see things from others' viewpoints based on their needs, values, beliefs, experiences, skills, knowledge, and self-interests. You will learn to approach difficult situations by answering the questions: who? what? where? when? how? and why? By answering these questions, you will understand who your difficult people are, what they're like, how you react to them, and their response to your actions.
You will also practice analyzing your interactions with those you share space with. By observing others closely, you will learn to read their identifying characteristics. Once you can identify which type of person you're dealing with, you will be able to choose appropriate reactions to their behaviors.
By the time you finish this course, you will understand that assertiveness involves taking responsibility when meeting your needs in a way that preserves the dignity and rights of others.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Do you want to know how to interact with anyone, regardless of how difficult you perceive them to be? This course will give you the skills to effectively meet your needs while protecting the dignity and rights of others to form more cooperative relationships.
Identifying Preferred Communication Styles
In the first lesson, you will find out the answers to four very important questions that impact the success of your relationships with others. The answers to these questions will help you identify your preferred communication styles.
Analyzing Your Own Difficult-Person Situation
In this lesson, you will begin to build a database about not only your difficult people—those who are different in communication style from you. You will also enhance your skills in reviewing and resolving problems with these people.
Dealing With Hostile-Aggressive Personality Types
This lesson discusses four types of hostile people. These are people who want to control everything and everyone but have no self-control. This group is called Hostile-Aggressives.
Dealing With Difficult Passive Personality Types
In this lesson, you will learn appropriate options for interacting well with those who are stubborn or critical—people known as Negative-Thinkers.
Dealing With Aggressive Subcategories of Difficult Intuitors
This lesson focuses on the appropriate way to effectively deal with aggressive individuals. You will learn how to recognize these people and share space with them.
Identifying and Dealing With Relators
In this lesson, you will take another look at another personality type called Relators. Plus, you will learn ways to effectively handle the difficult subcategories of this type.
Overcoming Your Own Difficult Characteristics
Some of your difficult people probably also feel that you're their difficult person, but you may be totally unaware of this. Do you feel that ignorance is really bliss? You will go through some exercises in this lesson that should help you figure it out.
Developing Skills to Become More Flexible
In this lesson, you will work toward improving your own flexibility skills: confidence, tolerance, empathy, positivity, and respect. To help, you will answer a few questions about each of your own skill sets as you move through the lesson's materials.
Exploring Resilience-Building Strategies
In this lesson, you will learn that a certain set of characteristics is essential if you want to relate well with others. As you will find out, you must first improve your versatility skills to maintain a positive attitude, and then learn to view obstacles and problems as "opportunities."
Discovering the Importance of Assertiveness to Positive Relationships
After finishing this lesson, you will understand what assertiveness is and what it isn't. You will begin to see why assertive behavior is so important to your success in getting along well with others. You will also carefully examine your own level of assertiveness and identify which of your skills need fine-tuning.
Changing Your Own Assertiveness Skills
This lesson focuses on simple, yet powerful assertive-communication techniques. You will learn to use self-disclosure appropriately to share information about yourself—your thoughts, feelings, and opinions—to build relationship trust and common ground.
Learning Techniques to Improve Your Listening Abilities
After this final lesson, you may be surprised to discover that your listening skills need improvement. Listening well is a complex process, and your own selective filtering often keeps you from real understanding.
What you will learn
Become proficient at identifying and working with different personality types
Build assertive communication skills that benefit your personal and professional life
Learn how to improve relationships with difficult, stubborn, or even hostile individuals
Develop awareness of your own tendencies and how these affect your relationships
How you will benefit
Improve relationships with family, friends, and co-workers
Get what you want out of people and be sure your personal needs are met
Become an expert communicator and listener
Understand the motivations behind the actions and behaviors of all people
Dawn Lianna
Dawn Lianna is an accomplished event manager, educator, and natural health expert with over 30 years of experience in event management, natural healing, and personal coaching. Her client list includes non-profit, community and educational organizations, along with corporations and individuals. As an event manager, she has planned, coordinated, and co-hosted over 500 successful events. She has a deep knowledge of the inner workings of the events space, which she shares with students as the instructor of the Event Management and Design course. She is also the author and instructor of the course, Keys to Effective Communication. Her MA in Counseling and Psychology, along with her status as Certified Hypnotherapist and Certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Practitioner, combine in her approach to trust, respect, and rapport in effective conversation. She is an active, certified coach who integrates alternative health practices and her personal studies of herbology, nutrition, positive thinking, intuition development, acupuncture, and massage in her work and her Introduction to Natural Health and Healing course.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Learn how to create your very own blog and podcast using the tools that you already have available on your computer.
Blogging and Podcasting for Beginners will teach you how to plan and create your very own blog and podcast. Through hands-on exercises, you will discover the benefits of using free web tools like Blogger, WordPress, Audacity, and YouTube. You will find that creating a blog and podcast is much easier than you ever imagined.
First, you will learn how to develop a plan for the content, setup, maintenance, and how to use free blogging software like Blogger and WordPress to put that plan into action. After that, learn how to record a professional-sounding audio podcast with a very simple recording tool you already have. You will edit the file with another free software program, add music to it, and then post it online for others to enjoy. Finally, you will find out how to record a video podcast. You will edit it, add special effects, drop in a podcasting-safe music file, and then publish it online.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac.
Mac users should expect to make adjustments based on their operating system differences especially during the podcast portion of the course. In addition, Mac users will download different versions of audio editing software and video editing software that will differ from the directions presented in the course.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
You should expect to download free online programs including an audio editing program during the class in order to create a blog and podcast.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Blogging and Podcasting are great ways to express yourself, but maybe you're not sure how to start. This course will teach you how to successfully plan and create your very own blog and podcast using hands-on exercises and free web tools.
Introduction
Welcome to the beginning of your blogging adventure! By course completion, you will know how to blog, produce your own audio and video podcasts, and how to market and promote your blog. In this first lesson, you will get acquainted with blogging terms, the parts of a blog, and the important differences between a blog and a website.
Blogging
It makes sense to give something a try before doing it yourself, right? This lesson will teach you how to participate in the blogosphere by commenting on a blog of your choosing. This lesson walks you through a series of questions to help you develop a sustainable plan for your blog's content, setup, and long-term maintenance.
Hosting and Software
This lesson explores your options for blogging software and hosting. You will learn about free online blog software options and work with two free blogging services, Blogger and WordPress. By the end of this lesson, your blog will be ready to go.
Appearance
Why settle for a cookie-cutter blog when you can create a custom blog look? In this lesson, you will pick the perfect image for your background and spice up your blog's header on your Blogger and WordPress blogs.
Privacy
In this lesson, you will get to decide who can read your blog. You will learn how to set your blog's privacy levels and comment field, in case you want to limit who can read or comment on your blog. Finally, this lesson teaches you how to add a few gadgets that help readers easily navigate your blog.
Styling
This lesson covers changing the font, color, and size of your text, and adding lists and links to enhance content and interactivity. You will also practice working with formatting tools to make your first post look great online.
Photos
You've mastered the process of formatting the text of your blog post, so now it's time to add some photos. After learning how to locate and incorporate appropriate images into your draft, create labels to categorize the content of your post. Next, learn the seven steps of promoting your blog, including how to utilize Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest as promotion tools.
Podcasts
It's time to explore the podcast. You will learn the podcasting terms needed to feel comfortable with this technology. This lesson introduces the PREP method of podcasting: planning your own podcast using an effective formula for developing content, setup, and maintenance.
Your First Audio Podcast
This lesson explores the minimum equipment needed to record your first audio podcast—as well as other equipment you may find of interest if you become a serious podcaster. And, after that, you will continue to follow the PREP method of podcasting by recording your first podcast using Audacity, a free audio recording program.
Editing and Publishing Audio Podcasts
This lesson focuses on the last two steps of the PREP method of podcasting: editing and publishing. You will learn how to cut out dead air and an unexpected sneeze, adjust the volume, and add effects so the sound fades in and out. Then, it will be time to publish your work.
Video Podcasts
Now that you know how to prepare, record, edit, and publish an audio podcast, doing the same for a video podcast is going to be a lot easier. In this lesson, you will learn the equipment you can use for video podcasting.
Editing Video Podcasts
It's time to fine-tune your video podcasting skills as well as your video podcast. In this final lesson, you will learn how to add transitions and video effects to your video file, trim unwanted portions out, and make audio enhancements.
What you will learn
Develop a plan for the content, setup, and long-term maintenance of a blog
Learn to use free blogging software like Blogger and WordPress to put that plan into action
Learn how to record a professional-sounding audio podcast, edit the file with a free software program, add music to it, and then post it online for others to enjoy
Find out how to successfully produce a video podcast with minimal equipment
How you will benefit
Learn everything you need to create a professional-level blog or podcast
Gain new career opportunities and/or a fun new hobby
Gain a new skill set that you can put to use on personal, business, educational, or even political projects
Richard Mansfield
Richard Mansfield is a best-selling author and widely recognized expert on computer programming. He holds a master's degree in English from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has written numerous articles and columns on computer topics, and was the editor of Compute!Magazine. In addition, he has authored or co-authored 44 books, including the best sellers Machine Language for Beginners (Compute!) and The Visual Guide to Visual Basic (Ventana). His more recent titles include Creating Web Pages for Dummies (co-authored, Wiley), XML for Dummies: All-in-One Desktop Reference (co-authored, Wiley), Mastering VBA for Office 2019 (Sybex), and Programming: A Beginner's Guide (McGraw-Hill). Richard's books have sold more than 600,000 copies worldwide and have been translated into 12 languages.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
This course will introduce different strategies employed during the budgeting process, the techniques and tools commonly used to make budgeting forecasts, the components of a basic operating budget, and how businesses make certain decisions that may impact their budgeted amounts.
If the idea of creating a budget for your business, department, or project seems overwhelming, this course will alleviate all of those fears. Taught in an approachable and relatable format, this course walks you through the budgeting process so you can go from numbers averse to budgeting super-hero. The downloadable templates included in the course allow you to easily and quickly take what you learn and apply it to your job. The storytelling used throughout the course makes the topic more approachable and engaging so you can obtain the soft skills that will help you be successful implementing and tracking a budget in the real world. Finally, the course challenge is something that will pique your curiosity at the beginning of the course and provide motivation to complete the course and continue learning the material.
A company's budgeting process involves a lot more than just rows and columns of numbers on a spreadsheet. The reality is that budgeting is a sometimes organic and sometimes organized process. Most often, it's an equal mix of both in an attempt to add some level of certainty to an uncertain future. These processes are what we are going to explore in this course. You will be introduced to different strategies employed during the budgeting process, the techniques and tools that are commonly used to make budgeting forecasts, the components of a basic operating budget, and how businesses make certain decisions that may impact their budgeted amounts.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox is preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
In this comprehensive, beginner-friendly course, you will learn the elementary skills needed to be successful in the budgeting process and work gradually work your way up to creating a budget. You will also discover how to best evaluate the results of your budget and make decisions to help your business maximize its profits.
Predicting the Future
In our first lesson, you'll explore how budgeting at its core is a process of looking forward. It's about making informed predictions about the future. Next, you'll see how a company's vision can lead to setting goals for the company. These visions are often aspirational and state the path for where the company plans to go in the future. Then, we'll also start the conversation about the human side of budgeting.
Budget Strategies
In this lesson, you'll begin to look at various budgeting strategies, including strategic, capital, and operations budgeting techniques. The lesson will include some real-life examples of planning activities, and to further bring these concepts to life, you'll work with a fictional company, Curly's Pool Service and Supplies, by helping Curly formulate some plans and budgets!
It's All About Sales!
This lesson will focus all on sales, specifically the role that sales play in the budgeting process. We'll examine the best practices for compiling a sales forecast and how to increase the chances that the sales forecast will actually mimic real life. We'll also discover how to create an inventory that needs a budget to determine just how much inventory to purchase based on a sales forecast. Finally, we'll discuss how to formulate a labor requirements budget to accurately project just how much labor you may need to employ to meet the needs of the company, again based on the sales forecast.
Cost Behavior – Part 1
In this lesson, we are going to detour a bit from the actual preparation of a budget and dive into how certain types of costs behave. Understanding how costs increase or decrease relative to an activity is an essential part of learning how to accurately budget for costs in a business. So, in the upcoming chapters, you're going to discover how to distinguish between variable, fixed, and mixed costs. We will use these cost types to calculate the contribution margin for the business. Then, we will show you how to use contribution margin to make certain predictions and decisions in a business. Most notably, you'll see how to use contribution margin to calculate the all-important break-even point and margin of safety for a business.
Cost Behavior – Part 2
This lesson will be a continuation of the discussion about cost behavior. In the lesson, you'll explore how to evaluate a company's sales mix and how to calculate operating leverage using tools given throughout the course. Operating leverage is just another key component of cost analysis that will allow you to, once again, easily make projections about the future. We'll end the lesson with a discussion about how companies set prices for the products and services they offer. You can probably guess that this process is a bit more involved than just selecting a price out of thin air. It's actually an essential part of a company's overall budgeting process and should not be taken lightly.
Expense and Manufacturing Production Budgets
In this lesson, we'll examine the steps needed to build both a direct materials budget and a direct labor budget. We'll also examine how a manufacturing company budgets for manufacturing overhead. All of these components are key to developing an overall production budget for a business that manufactures a product. Finally, we will end this lesson by describing the components of a production budget.
Cash Is King!
In this lesson, we'll discuss how to prepare a complete cash budget for a business. You'll get the chance to take an even closer look at how a company might forecast cash collections from credit sales and cash payments on credit purchases for big-ticket items like inventory or other expensive capital projects. We'll even take a look at how some companies mitigate the risk of running out of cash by utilizing lines of credit and other sources of cash instead of just relying on cash generated from sales.
Capital Budgeting
In this lesson, you'll learn some of the basic methodologies that can be applied in many different capital budgeting scenarios. The lesson will begin with an explanation of a technique that does not include an evaluation of how time impacts the valuation of money. Then, you'll learn how the passage of time and its impact on the value of a dollar is incorporated into capital budgeting decisions. Since capital projects often span years, or even decades in some cases, the time value of money is key to improving accuracy in budgeting for capital projects. The lesson will finish up with a thorough review of, perhaps, the most common technique that is used in capital budgeting decisions: net present value.
Business Decision-Making – Part 1
In this lesson and the one that follows, we're going to explore how businesses use budgeted data in combination with a formalized decision-making process to improve their chances of making better decisions. For a business, a better decision is one that maximizes profit and aligns with the company's goals and values. We'll start with an examination of what types of budgeted information are relevant to making a decision and what types of information you can ignore. You'll see the differences between quantitative and qualitative information and how each can be used to improve decision-making. Then we'll finish up with an example including some specific steps you can use as a model for making better decisions.
Business Decision-Making – Part 2
In this lesson, you'll continue to practice with these same techniques by applying them to a few other common business decisions. You'll start by examining how a business uses budgeted information to make the choice to replace an existing asset with a new asset, such as replacing an old piece of manufacturing equipment with a brand-new one. Next, you'll explore how a business might use budgeted information when deciding whether to eliminate a product or service that it offers. We'll finish up the lesson by examining one of the most critical business decisions you'll ever need to make: how to allocate your most scarce resource to maximize profit in your business.
Bringing It All Together
In this lesson and the one that follows, we will focus on how best to evaluate the financial stability and performance of the business using budgeted information. We'll start by taking a close look at using the components of a company's operating budget to compile the pro forma balance sheet. Next, we'll examine the steps needed to prepare the pro forma income statement, again by using the information found in many of the other operating budget components. To finish up the lesson, we'll dive into some straightforward techniques that are useful to evaluate the balances found on the pro forma balance sheet and income statements.
Evaluation, Control, and Methods
In our last lesson, we'll spend more time on the budget evaluation process by examining how companies use variance analysis to evaluate differences between actual results and the budget. To keep things manageable, we'll stick to the basics here so that you're equipped with some tools to take with you when applying these techniques in a real company. As part of this process, we'll take a look at how budget variances are defined and interpreted. Then, we'll discuss some techniques like flexible budgeting to evaluate and isolate certain budget fluctuations in a way that provides clarity to a business owner or manager. We'll finish up the lesson with a brief discussion of the budgetary control process and the soft skills needed for this process.
What you will learn
Learn about planning strategies and how they are used to keep a budget aligned with its vision
Obtain knowledge of cost behavior and how forecasts are used to ensure accuracy in future planning and budgeting
Develop various approaches to plan for general and administrative expenses
Gain tools and techniques used for a formal decision-making process
Master how best to evaluate the financial stability and performance of a business using budgeted information
How you will benefit
Learning how businesses think about budgeting will help you to make informed predictions about the future with strategic planning
Become more valuable to your employer or business by accurately budgeting costs
Make better business decisions with the knowledge about how businesses use budgeted data in combination with a formalized decision-making process
Increase success in your career with the skills, techniques, and tool kit provided by this course
Scott Paxton
Scott Paxton is a Certified Public Accountant and holds master's degrees in business administration and accounting. His background includes experience as a public accountant, a manager in the banking industry, an entrepreneur and a college business instructor. Paxton has also spent much of his career helping small business owners successfully optimize their business operations, budgets and strategic plans.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Turn your business ideas into a solid plan for financing and long-term success.
Turn your business ideas into a solid plan for financing and long-term success. Committing your idea to paper in the form of a business plan not only increases your chances of obtaining financing, but also in keeping your business strategically focused. You will work through all the major components of writing a business plan and emerge with your first draft in hand. Most importantly, you will have completed the first—and most difficult—step on the path to small business success.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Microsoft Word or other word processing program (not included in enrollment).
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Turn your business ideas into a solid plan for financing and long-term success. This course will guide you through all the major components of writing a business plan and you'll emerge with your first draft in hand.
A Strategy for Success
In this first lesson, you will meet several leading entrepreneurs and determine if you have similar passions and skill sets. You will discover that business plans are not just for funding your dream, but for guiding it along the path to success (as you choose to define it).
Defining Your Business
Now, you will start to mold your business. You will develop a vision and a mission for your enterprise. You will define and refine your product or service, and you will uncover your niche. This is the fun part of the journey—your only limitation is your imagination.
The Role of the Customer
This lesson will focus on the customer. Successful companies focus not on the products and services that they offer, but on the customers that they serve—on many levels. You will learn to position your company to be customer-centric, and how to move that customer from satisfied to loyal (and perhaps even an advocate for your business).
Structuring Your Organization
In this lesson, you will structure your organization so it's in the best position to provide your product or service to your targeted customers. You will discover the role that change plays in your entrepreneurial evolution. Change is good—it shows that you're thinking.
The Marketing Plan
This lesson explores the plan within the plan—the marketing section of your business plan. You will also discover the features and benefits of your product or service, and you will begin the ongoing task of market research. This is where you can differentiate your product or service from that of your competition.
The Competition
This lesson will explore three separate areas of marketing. First, you will learn about your competitors so that you can better position yourself and discover just how solid your business ideas are. Then, you will address one of the most difficult issues of new business—pricing. Finally, you will become a SWOT agent—analyzing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Marketing in Action
In this lesson, you will join a panel of outstanding marketing, public relations, and graphics experts who are also entrepreneurs and believe in the power of networking. You will explore graphic design, logos, image, public relations, and guerrilla marketing, as well as marketing in action.
Operations and Manufacturing
This lesson tackles operations and manufacturing concerns.
Understanding the Finance Section (Part I)
This lesson takes a bird's eye view of the financial section of a business plan. You will also briefly explore the capital equipment list, the balance sheet, and break-even analysis.
Understanding the Finance Section (Part II)
In this lesson, you will discover three additional financial components of the plan. You will explore the projected income statement, cash flow, and historical financial records. Be sure to take some time to explore the Supplemental Links area (in this lesson and in all the others) for outstanding online resources.
Financing Your Business
This lesson continues the focus on money, but from a different perspective than in the previous two. You will focus on funding and financing opportunities, and by the end, you should have a better understanding of financing. You will also find out where to locate traditional, and not so traditional, sources of funding.
The Final Document
In the final lesson, you will end one journey while beginning another. First, you will write an outstanding executive summary. You will receive a few important document formatting tips, and you will learn what supporting documents you should add to your final business plan. You now hold all the keys to the doors along your entrepreneurial path. Journey well.
What you will learn
Develop a strategy for success, starting with a detailed business plan
Learn the role of the customer in your new business venture
Gain an understanding of marketing and all the pieces you will need to know to succeed
Understand the financial aspects of starting and running a business
Learn how and where to obtain financing
How you will benefit
Learn what you will need to know to get a successful start as an entrepreneur
Understand how to surround yourself with the right people and tools for success
Feel more confident as you step out on your own to achieve your dreams
Kris Solie-Johnson
Kris Solie-Johnson, chancellor and president of the American Institute of Small Business, best-selling author, educator, speaker, and mother of three, is an energetic and passionate entrepreneur. Her books are in public libraries, high schools, colleges, and military bases both nationally and internationally. Solie-Johnson has an MBA in Venture Management from the University of St. Thomas and over 19 years of experience helping entrepreneurs reach their goals quickly through joint venture partnerships, creative marketing programs, and innovative financial options. She's dedicated to motivating and inspiring owners to achieve beyond their dreams.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Improve your career prospects by learning how to develop powerful written documents that draw readers in and keep them motivated to continue to the end.
Do you have a nagging suspicion that a small improvement in your writing skills might also improve your career prospects? Don't let small gaps in your business writing skills prevent you from reaching your full potential!
It doesn't matter whether you're a clerical worker, an engineer, or an executive. If you communicate with others in writing, you need this course to help you identify and eliminate problem areas. By the end of this course, you'll know the secret to developing powerful written documents that immediately draw readers in and keep them motivated to continue until your very last, well-chosen word.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Improve your career prospects by learning how to develop powerful written documents that draw readers in and keep them motivated to continue to the end. This course will help you identify gaps and eliminate problem areas in your writing skills.
Writing as Problem Solving
In this first lesson, you'll learn a brainstorming technique that will help make writing easier and more fun for you right away. You'll learn how to disentangle the efforts of your creative and critical sides, and you'll come to understand why both sides are important components of good writing. You'll also learn why writing is one of the best problem-solving tools around.
Why Write and Who Is Your Reader?
Here's where you'll learn a helpful system for organizing your writing, whether it's an email, a formal letter, or a company-wide memo. You'll start by picking out a document that you have to write anyway so that you can put your new writing knowledge to use right away. You may as well get some work done while you're learning, right? Next, you'll nail down why you're writing this particular document and who your reader is. A second brainstorming technique will help you have fun thinking through these two questions.
Benefits You Can Offer Your Reader
In this lesson, you'll learn to make your readers do what you want. Your readers will be happy, too, since they'll get what they want in this win/win system. You'll learn the seven basic benefits you can offer your reader and how to write the crucial first sentence of your document. You'll learn one more brainstorming technique that will help you capture good ideas, words, and phrases.
Sequencing Your Ideas and How to Write Your Ending
Master seven strategies for putting your ideas in order and learn how poor sequencing can sabotage your efforts. You'll also discover the best way to end any document. It's an idea that may surprise you!
Revising, Formatting, Editing, and Proofreading
Revising, formatting, editing, and proofreading may all sound similar, but they're four distinct activities. In this lesson, you'll learn how revision is a process of exploration and discovery. You'll learn formatting strategies that will invite your reader in. You'll also learn to be a ruthless editor and professional proofreader.
What Words to Take Out
In this lesson, you'll learn how to write clearly and concisely. You'll explore three mistaken notions that lead business writers to use lots of convoluted phrasing and needlessly long words. You'll examine the pitfalls of using business clichés, jammed modifiers, trendy words, jargon, foreign words, redundancies, and hedging adjectives.
What Words to Put In
In the last lesson you learned what words to remove from your document. In this lesson, you'll learn what words you should include to make your business writing more compelling. You'll learn the four parts of the written communication process. You'll find out why the verbs and nouns you choose make a major difference. You'll also learn more ways to make the task of writing more enjoyable for you.
Strategies for Good Spelling and Punctuation
In this lesson, you'll look at strategies for good spelling and punctuation. Everyone needs this review! To keep it fun, you'll get to deal with the topics of spelling and punctuation by taking some easy quizzes. It's a chance to learn by doing. See how good your spelling and punctuation skills really are. You'll learn that punctuation is not a tyranny of rules, but an evolving protocol to help you communicate. Finally, you'll capture your weak areas on a Tips Card.
One Easy Grammar Lesson
Why do you have to bother with grammar? You'll find out why in this lesson. Take the Grammar Blitz Quiz to discover your grammar strengths and weaknesses. It will help you fill in the gaps that remain after years of boring grammar classes. You'll learn why using the active instead of the passive voice can be a demonstration of your integrity. You'll also explore the traps pronouns set for those who are sensitive to gender issues.
Getting the Tone Right
Getting the tone right in business writing can be tricky, especially in email. In this lesson, you'll get to tackle your worst moods with one more brainstorming technique. You'll learn how to defuse any negative emotions that might get in the way of your problem solving. You'll also learn how your attitude toward your reader, your topic, and your own needs determines your tone. As you go through the lesson, you'll learn two easy ways to eliminate unintentional tone mistakes.
When You Have to Say No
In this lesson, you'll learn why being able to say "no" with grace is a crucial business skill. A five-part format will give you a solid strategy for writing documents that say "no" while retaining the goodwill of your reader. You'll learn how to keep bad news letters, memos, and emails positive and helpful.
Email Etiquette
This lesson will provide an up-to-date review of all the ways that email is different from other kinds of business writing. It will teach you how to write emails that get the job done quickly and efficiently and explain their legal status in court. You'll also discover how to manage the tone of your emails so that you don't accidentally offend your reader.
What you will learn
Learn brainstorming techniques that will help make writing easier
Understand how to sequence your ideas to be more effective
Learn the important skills of revising, formatting, editing, and proofreading
Get a grammar refresher
Learn to get the tone right and take negative emotions out of your writing
Learn how to say "no" without offending your reader
How you will benefit
Gain a solid understanding of good writing and how to produce it
Learn to better communicate with peers and colleagues through your writing
Take charge of your career and gain confidence by developing and enhancing a skill you will use every day
Open the door to more career opportunities and promotions as you learn to effectively communicate
Ann Linquist
Ann Linquist is a continuing education instructor on college campuses, at corporations, and with non-profit organizations. She has helped thousands of adults learn to tackle their writing tasks with enthusiasm. Having written everything from novels to newsletters, articles to ad copy, Linquist is able to address the writing needs of each individual. The breadth of her background ensures a powerful, involving learning experience that builds on the strengths of each participant.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Learn powerful techniques to improve your decision-making skills at work.
Give yourself an employment advantage by developing analytical skills that are consistently in high demand. This course will teach you powerful quantitative methods that will have you making better, more informed, and more effective business decisions.
The days of making critical business decisions by instinct or coin toss are long gone. If you are planning a career in business, you cannot afford to miss this course!
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Give yourself an employment advantage by developing analytical skills that are consistently in high demand. This course will teach you powerful quantitative methods that will have you making better, more informed, and more effective business decisions.
Problem Solving and Decision-Making
Decision-making is one of the most important aspects of business, so you'll start things off by exploring a variety of analytical approaches that you can use for making business decisions. You'll also look at the basic steps involved in problem solving.
Introduction to Probability
This lesson will help you understand the probability of events. It will talk about basic probability concepts and how you can assign probabilities to experimental outcomes. You'll also find out how to apply probability concepts to business situations.
Introduction to Sampling and Surveys
In this lesson, you'll delve into the concepts of mean and standard deviation and how they're used in business. You'll also go over survey analysis, the various steps involved in doing a survey, and the most common errors that people make.
Decision Analysis
This lesson is all about the use of probability in decision-making. You'll explore an analytical approach called Decision Analysis. You'll learn how to structure a problem so that when you decide how to deal with it, you know what result to expect. The lesson will also talk about using an optimistic, conservative, and in-between approach when making decisions. Finally, you'll examine the concept of Expected Value.
Utility and Decision-Making
What if the decision you want to make isn't the most sensible one from a financial perspective? There are times when you need to base the worth of a decision on its value to you. An example of this would be deciding to buy a lottery ticket. Sometimes it's appropriate to make business decisions this way. This lesson will talk about this approach and where the different decisions can lead.
Forecasting
All businesses need to forecast sales and expenses, and the forecasts need to be accurate. This lesson will cover forecasting as it's done in business analysis. You'll learn about the two types of forecasting: qualitative and quantitative.
The Modeling Process
In this lesson, you'll discover modeling, which is the application of mathematical constructs to decision making. You'll explore simple, intermediate, and complex types of models and discuss the two approaches to model development: reductionist and holistic.
Modeling in a Corporate Environment
This lesson is about how models are developed within a business organization. It will talk about what needs to be done and who needs to do it in order to make the modeling effort a success. You'll explore the respective roles of the analyst (modeler) and the client for whom the model is being developed.
Financial Analysis
The most widely used type of business analysis is financial analysis. This probably doesn't surprise you too much since the point of any business is to make a profit. In this lesson, you'll look at financial analysis and how it differs from accounting. The lesson will discuss cost estimates and various types of business costs. You'll get familiar with the concepts of break-even analysis and cost/benefit analysis, both of which play a vital role in business analysis.
Project Management PERT/CPM
The techniques of PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) and CPM (Critical Path Method) have proven to be extremely valuable to project managers. This lesson will explain the basics of PERT/CPM and how to utilize these techniques in your work. You'll meet a simple technique called a Gantt chart, which works quite well for planning a simple project with a relatively small number of tasks.
Computer Simulation and Risk Analysis
Risk is a part of any business situation, which makes it something you need to consider when you do business analysis. Simulation is an excellent method of performing risk analysis, so this lesson will cover step-by-step procedures for creating and using a simulation model.
Computer-Based Information Systems
In the final lesson, you'll look at computer-based information systems. This includes such areas as Decision Support Systems, Optimization Analysis, and Knowledge-Based Systems. You'll learn what each of these areas constitutes and examine many business applications of each.
What you will learn
Learn quantitative methods that will have you making better, more informed, and more effective business decisions
Understand probability, sampling and surveys
Learn qualitative and quantitative forecasting
Understand modeling and how it is used to make better business decisions
Learn how financial analysis differs from accounting
Examine how to perform a risk analysis
How you will benefit
Make better, more informed, and more effective business decisions
Give yourself an employment advantage by developing analytical skills that are consistently in high demand
Matt Crabtree
Matt Crabtree, CFP ®, earned his Bachelor of Science in Business, Information Systems Management, in 1999, a mini MBA certificate from The School of Management at Yale University in 2004, a certificate in Financial Planning from Pepperdine University's Graziadio School of Business in 2012 and has received the financial industry's most rigorous and prestigious professional designation of Certified Financial Planner ™. After many years in project management, office management, and business sales, Matt began training individuals and organizations in areas of business finance, leadership development, successful negotiations, sales management, and customer service excellence. Matt has trained individuals and various units within the U.S. Department of Defense, as well as corporate organizations including IBM (technology), Accuray (healthcare-technology), and Gen-Probe (molecular diagnostics). Matt's natural aptitude for explaining his material in an easy-to-understand and enjoyable manner allows each student to gain insights into areas that are often considered challenging.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Lost for words? Don't be! Learn to build rapport, trust, warmth, and respect through conversation.
If you often find yourself at a loss for words or lack confidence in your communication abilities, you will appreciate this course. Each lesson works through the step by step process needed to become a great conversationalist. You will learn to use communication to build rapport and create environments of trust, warmth, and respect. Become more confident, create a great first impression, get along well with others, and create more and better personal and professional relationships.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Become more confident, make great first impressions, get along with others, and create better personal and professional relationships. This course provides a step by step process to become a great conversationalist as you use communication to build rapport and create trust, warmth, and respect.
Introduction to the Keys to Effective Communication
In this lesson, you will learn the qualities that make someone a great communicator, the five components of achievable goals, and how to create win-win situations. You will benefit from setting your own communication goals in clear steps that are easy to reach.
Rapport
Building rapport is the first great key to effective communication. In this lesson, you will learn how to build rapport with almost anyone. By doing so, you will become a better listener and know how to keep respect alive in your conversations. You will also learn the art of reflective listening from examples of how others turned frustrating communications into successful ones.
Pacing, Linking and Leading
In this lesson, you will learn how to pace and lead your conversations toward win-win outcomes. You will learn how to contain a conversation, keeping it on track and moving toward your goals. Interrupting gracefully and breaking rapport are skills you will learn to use in uncomfortable situations.
Mastering Learning Styles
In this lesson, you will master the three learning and communication styles. You will uncover your own learning style and learn to spot the communication style of others. These skills will help you share your views with anyone, even those you previously found difficult to communicate with.
Regaining Lost Rapport
This lesson explores some great ways to regain lost rapport and keep conversations positive. When you lose rapport, disagreements flourish, but a skilled communicator can regain lost rapport. You will also learn how to acquire communication flexibility and stay in great rapport with all types of people.
Mastering Motivation
This lesson covers useful motivation strategies. People motivate toward pleasure and away from pain. When you understand how to motivate yourself and others, you get more done. As you master your motivation skills, other things fall into place.
Group Presentations
This lesson focuses on presentation skills. An effective presenter knows how to communicate fluently and has a sense of the atmosphere in a room. An effective presenter creates win-wins so that everyone is happy with the outcome.
Communication in Leadership and Teamwork
Imagine that you're a part of a team in which the leadership is genuine. This lesson explores leadership and teamwork. You will learn how to build a great work or family team where each team member gives one another equal value and respect. You will see how a great leader can elicit and set the goals for their team and develop the vision for the group.
Communication With Children
In this lesson, you will learn how to communicate effectively with children. Guiding children is a huge responsibility. Children are very open, and adults' words go in deeply. You will learn why the early years of a child's life are so important. Information about brain development and early literacy dovetails beautifully with the other wonderful things you will learn in this course.
Subconscious Communication
Your subconscious mind is your deeper mind—it's the part of your mind that's beneath your conscious awareness. When you understand how to talk to your subconscious, you understand how to work with yourself and others to create greater success. In this lesson, you will find out how to use affirmations effectively.
Managing Stressful Communication and Anger
Anger is one of the biggest stumbling blocks to healthy relationships. Learning to manage and control your anger makes you a more powerful communicator and keeps goodwill strong. In this lesson, You will learn how to manage transition times so that change is graceful. You will learn how to hold efficient, productive, and fun family meetings.
Review of the Keys to Effective Communication
In this final lesson, you will reassess your communication goals to see how far you have come and set new goals, so you can apply your skills in other areas. You will gain further insight, enabling you to move past your stuck spots and into being a very effective communicator. You will use these strategies for the rest of your life.
What you will learn
Learn to use communication to build rapport and create environments of trust, warmth, and respect
Understand the process of becoming a great conversationalist
How you will benefit
Become more confident
Make great first impressions
Create more and better personal and professional relationships
Dawn Lianna
Dawn Lianna is an accomplished event manager, educator, and natural health expert with over 30 years of experience in event management, natural healing, and personal coaching. Her client list includes non-profit, community and educational organizations, along with corporations and individuals. As an event manager, she has planned, coordinated, and co-hosted over 500 successful events. She has a deep knowledge of the inner workings of the events space, which she shares with students as the instructor of the Event Management and Design course. She is also the author and instructor of the course, Keys to Effective Communication. Her MA in Counseling and Psychology, along with her status as Certified Hypnotherapist and Certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Practitioner, combine in her approach to trust, respect, and rapport in effective conversation. She is an active, certified coach who integrates alternative health practices and her personal studies of herbology, nutrition, positive thinking, intuition development, acupuncture, and massage in her work and her Introduction to Natural Health and Healing course.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Become indispensable to any organization by understanding how to identify and meet customer needs.
As someone who participates in delivering high levels of customer service, you're an important ambassador for your organization. In this course, you will discover a number of dynamite methods to bring out your best and also do the same for the people you work with. You will learn how to measure customer service—from your company's point of view and from the customers—and discover how to anticipate the needs of your customers.
You may already understand that top-notch customer service begins with knowing your customers and their needs, but do you know how to evaluate those customers, or better yet, what to do with the data once you have it? You will take a look at that, as well as identify how your customer service stacks up right now, and how you can build on even the sharpest of service policies. Plus, you will learn how to communicate, resolve complaints, and build long-lasting customer service programs.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Learn how to correctly anticipate and meet your customers' needs. This course will help you discover some effective methods to bring out your best and do the same for the other people you work with as you serve as an ambassador for your company.
Winning Customer Service
Do you know what winning customer service looks like? If you're like most of us, you know it when you see it, but you may not be able to replicate it easily within your organization. Well, that will soon change as you learn what it takes to provide the best service the first time.
Customers Revealed
Customers are complex and multidimensional, and the success of your organization depends on how well you can understand what your customers want and meet their needs. It's time to get to work by finding out who your customers are and how you can serve them best.
Customer Expectations
If you've ever handled a customer complaint, you know how expectations play a large role in ultimate customer satisfaction. Learn what motivates customers and the best way to appeal to them the right way, the first time.
Customer Service: Why Do It?
A lot of organizations still have the so what mentality when it comes to superb customer service. But you won't be one of them, will you? There are a lot of benefits to ramping up your customer service, one of which is making your current customers happy. You'll discover the secrets to doing so in this lesson.
The Decline (And Revival) of Customer Service
If you're like a lot of people, you've probably noticed that in some places, on some days, customer service seems to be a laughable misnomer. Ironically, the better the service, the greater the collective expectations for high quality follow-through and innovation. Learn about the decline and revival of customer service and see what you can do to capitalize on consumer expectations.
Moving Forward With the Four P's
Customers are happy when they get the right combination of product, price, and information. When you make the product available at the right time and place, you have a winning marketing mix—also known as the 4P's (product, price, place, and promotion). In this lesson, you'll see how you can help your organization grow by harnessing the power of the P.
Traits of Outstanding Customer Reps
You may already know which of your reps are top performers, and which of them are lackluster. But do you know how to cultivate the best qualities in every rep on your team? In this lesson, you'll unlock the secrets to efficient and friendly customer service.
Measuring Customer Service
It's great to know how to cultivate better service and how to pick the right team members, but it's also important to know how you measure the customer service you already provide every day. Get ready for a simplified, user-friendly tour of the measurements and math behind your customer service counter.
Customer Service Communication
Your success in satisfying customers largely depends on the level of your communication skills. So in this lesson, you'll see the importance of clear and direct communication. Plus, you'll find out how to solve communication problems, especially the ones that happen all the time when you're doing business over the phone.
Helping Upset Customers
In this lesson, you'll learn how to revive a troubled customer service program, deal with upset customers, and use technology to simplify your job duties. You'll also go over the steps to take when you face a difficult customer and review the use of call centers, email, and the Internet.
Motivating Your Team Part I
Your team of customer service personnel could probably stand a little more training and a lot more encouragement. Luckily, you'll soon know how to take your employees to the next level with motivation strategies that really work.
Motivating Your Team Part II
As you finish the course, it's important to reflect once again on how vital customer service reps are to the company. Learn the best ways to reward and motivate them to treat their jobs as careers, and their customers as friends. As you know, you only have one chance to make a first impression, and you don't want to waste it being busy or rude!
What you will learn
Learn what award winning customer service looks like
Discover who your customers are and how you can best serve them
Learn what motivates customers and the best way to appeal to them
Learn how you can capitalize on consumer expectations
Learn to motivate and reward the people on your service rep team
Discover how to deal with upset customers and the steps to take when you face a difficult customer
Cultivate better service by learning how to choose the right team members
How you will benefit
Discover methods to bring out your best and the other customer service reps on your team
Reflect on how vital customer service is to your organization and how important it is to treat your customers with courteousness and respect
Tony Swaim
Tony Swaim has helped many clients, colleagues, and students reach their professional and personal goals. He has been an online instructor since 1998 and has taught at colleges and universities across the United States since 1981. His focus areas are project management, Six Sigma, and supply chain management. Tony manages a successful consulting firm, and his industry experience includes 20 years of supply chain management. He earned a Doctorate in Business Administration from Kennesaw State University and holds professional certifications in six disciplines, including the Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI)® and Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB)® from the American Society for Quality (ASQ)®.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Discover how to harness the power of the Internet to build and sustain a profitable business. You will also learn the step-by-step process of creating a product, building a website, engaging a customer base, and finding new leads online.
Today, the Internet has changed everything. It is now entirely possible to create, launch, and build a profitable business from the convenience of your home with little to no upfront investment. This course will give you a solid foundation for building and growing a successful digital business.
You will be given a step-by-step approach that is easy to follow—from building a simplified strategy to branding your business. You will learn to create a product and how to build and launch your own website. You will learn to engage prospective customers, and implement a process that will drive fresh leads to your business. You simply need to know what to do and how to do it. So whether you are looking to generate a nice side income or even to replace your current income and ditch your full-time job, this course is for you.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
The Internet has changed the way people communicate and how businesses operate. It's also made it easier to fulfill your dreams of creating and building a business from the convenience of your own home. In the Starting Your Own Online Business course, you will learn how to develop a digital or traditional product or service and build a website to sell and deliver that product online. This course outlines a step-by-step approach that's easy to follow—from building a simplified strategy to branding your business. From start to finish, you will gain an understanding of what it takes to create, build, and maintain a profitable online business!
Build a Foundation for Your Online Business
In this lesson, we will build the foundation you need to start and grow a successful online business. You will understand what an online business is, the key components that make it work, and the steps for building your own. You will also learn about the three most popular online business models. Finally, you will be introduced to the concept of a Visual Business Strategy (VBS) diagram, which you will use to summarize your Internet business plan.
Create a Digital-Ready Business Brand
Learn how to build a business brand that's ready to be launched online. First, you will discover some secrets about developing an influential and recognizable name for your business. Next, you will learn how you can quickly and easily stake a claim to that business name throughout the Internet. After that, we'll examine ways to get a logo to support your business branding. Finally, you will gain an understanding of the importance of keywords and learn how to craft an effective keyword strategy for your business.
Build and Optimize a Product
See how to create products and services that you can sell as part of your online business. First, we'll explore the various types of products and services and how to build them. Next, you will consider what makes a "good" product and zero in on the right product for you. Finally, we'll look at how to tackle building your product, from creating your product development plan to leveraging your past efforts to develop your product more quickly and efficiently.
Develop and Launch an Engaging Website
Tackle the task of creating and launching a business website. You will understand what type of website you should build and learn how to align it with your business strategy. Then you will see how to develop an outline for your website, wireframe individual pages, and create or find the content you will need to make your web pages come alive. After that, we'll explore ways to build and launch your website without having to know anything about website design or coding. Finally, you will learn what it means to "host" your website.
Set up Your Online Selling Process
Gain an understanding of the basics of selling products on the Internet and learn how to design and document a sales process that aligns with your business strategy. Next, you will learn how to implement your newly created sales process by selecting the right mix of third-party tools and accounts that work with your website to conduct business transactions online. Finally, we'll examine how you can monitor, track, and measure the effectiveness of your sales process and use that information to increase your sales over time.
Install a Digital Communication Network
Learn what a digital communication network is and why you need to develop one for your business. Next, you will gain an understanding of the different types of digital communication methods and how you can use each to engage and develop relationships with your followers. Finally, we'll examine some advanced strategies that you can use to optimize and automate your communication with your prospects and customers consistently.
Your Email Management System
First, learn about the importance of utilizing an email management system to communicate with your prospects and customers. Next, we'll examine how you can set up your system, write engaging content, and deliver emails in a timely and automated manner. Finally, we'll explore some advanced email marketing strategies that you can use to help grow your email list and increase engagement.
Socialize Your Online Business
Build a foundation for using social media to grow your business. You will understand the definition of social media and explore critical principles to make sure that you're using social media in the right way. Next, you will learn about a process you can follow to consistently and effectively engage with prospects and customers. Finally, you will learn about different ways to generate and publish content quickly and easily.
Build Multiple Online Lead Streams
Examine the importance of generating leads to maintain a healthy and vibrant online business. First, we'll explore the concept of a lead generation process and review the types that exist. Next, we will work together to outline a lead generation strategy that is customized for your business. Finally, we'll outline the steps necessary to implement and systematize the lead generation processes you have selected to drive targeted prospects to your website.
Using Video to Grow Your Online Business
Why should you consider using video as one of your main lead generation processes to grow your online business? In this lesson, you will find out why, and we'll walk through the steps you can take to create compelling videos without being a video expert. Next, we'll take a peek at basic and advanced methods to create and distribute videos to gain exposure for your online business. Finally, you will learn how to host, record, and automate the delivery of videos through webinars.
Create an Online Partnership Program
Gain an understanding of how you can build a partnership program to introduce more people to your online business. First, you will learn what a partner program is and how it can help grow your business. Next, you will explore the critical aspects of any partnership program and how to integrate it into your website. Finally, we'll examine some crucial strategies for introducing your partnership program to prospects as well as new and future customers to generate an ongoing stream of fresh leads.
Implement an Online Support Center
See how to implement an online support center for your business. First, you will learn about what types of expectations online customers have for customer service and support and examine the essential pieces of any online support center. Next, we'll explore both basic and advanced ways that you can provide customer service support over the Internet and investigate various support solutions that you can use. Finally, we'll examine some key strategies for engaging with new and legacy customers to maximize customer satisfaction and minimize refunds.
What you will learn
Build a business brand that is ready to be launched online
Create products and services that you can sell as part of your online business
Create and launch a business website
Set up an email management system, write engaging content, and deliver emails in a timely manner
Generate leads to keep your business growing
Implement an online support center for your business
How you will benefit
Discover the techniques, tools, and strategies necessary to create a successful online business
Create a healthy and vibrant online business by generating leads to continually grow your business
Be able to supply your online customers with online support to increase customer satisfaction and minimize refunds
Brad Semp
Brad Semp, Ph.D., is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at a global corporation, a life-long entrepreneur, and a former professor of Bachelors and Masters of Science courses in Internet Marketing. Dr. Brad is active on social media platforms to engage with prospects and customers, expand relationships, and to grow businesses. He routinely coaches other entrepreneurs and business owners and consults with Fortune 500 organizations on how to design and implement effective social media systems, strategies, and tactics.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Stop dreaming and learn how to start your own successful small business.
Learn how to take your dream of starting a business and put it into action. In this class, you will learn everything you need to know about starting a business. You will begin by discovering the tricks to picking the right opportunity for you. Next, you will learn how to develop proven marketing techniques to easily build sales. Since every business needs money, this course discusses traditional and nontraditional financing options. Finally, you will learn easy-to-implement employee-management procedures and how to write business policies that help you build your business.
You, as a business owner, need to manage all your limited resources. One resource that often gets overlooked is your time. Throughout the course, you will learn time management techniques especially for entrepreneurs. While taking this course, you will discover the secrets that separate the successful entrepreneurs from the struggling ones.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Learn how to transform your passion and talent into a viable small business. This course will teach you about financing, marketing techniques, employee management, policy writing, and time management - everything you need to know to start your very own small business.
Starting Your Dream
If you've ever dreamed about starting a small business but didn't know where to start, then you have come to the right place. In this first lesson, you will learn why you should start a business, why now might be the perfect time to do it, and what separates successful business owners from those who remain dreamers.
Find Your Perfect Business Opportunity
In this lesson, you'll learn about the three different ways to start a business. You'll explore the advantages and disadvantages of buying a franchise, buying a business, and starting a business from scratch.
Creating a Truly Unique Business
No matter what business option you're leaning toward, you must find and exploit your unique selling proposition (USP). Your USP is the reason a customer would do business with you instead of someone else. In this lesson, you will develop your USP. Then you will discover the single most valuable asset in your business and how it can create all the wealth you will ever want.
Developing Your Business Plan
Alan Lakein, a leading expert on time management, says, "Failing to plan is planning to fail." In this lesson, you will learn all the advantages of having a written business plan. You will see how it helps you take advantage of more opportunities and keeps you focused on achieving your goals. If you need to find financing for your business, having a business plan becomes twice as important.
How to Legally Set Up Your Company
Once you have chosen the business opportunity you're going to pursue, you will need to legally set up your company. To do that, you will have to choose whether to be an S-corporation, a corporation, or a limited liability company. Each of these structures has advantages and disadvantages. In this lesson, you will find out how to decide which one would work best for you.
Power Marketing for Business Owners
Unless you have your own vault of money for marketing, you will need to know the best way to spend limited resources to create the most sales. As a future business owner, you need to understand the importance of direct-response marketing along with tracking and testing. You will learn about those things in this lesson as you discover how to expand marketing efforts that work and cut or improve those that are ineffective.
Advertising and Publicity to Skyrocket Your Business
This lesson continues the discussion on marketing and explores the pros and cons of two main forms of it: advertising and publicity. You learn about at free publicity, because it's one of the most cost-effective ways to market your business.
The Report Card for Your Business
No one can run a business effectively without proper accounting and financial statements. But few business owners take the time to understand the basics of bookkeeping. In this lesson, you will walk hand-in-hand with an actual business owner as she sets up her accounting records. By the end of this lesson, you will know the basics of accounting and be able to analyze and develop your own financial statements.
Finding Money for Your Business
Most new business owners need to find money to start their business. In this lesson, you will find out the most common, traditional ways to fund a business and a few nontraditional ways as well. Whichever method you choose, your desire to get your company going is what will make the difference. Many people give up too soon or don't use the feedback from a funding source to improve their plan. You don't have to be one of them.
Hiring, Motivating, and Parting With Employees
Employees can make or break a business. Just think about the businesses you wouldn't use again because of the poor service their employees provided. Bad employees can cost a company thousands of dollars, and you, as an owner, won't have the luxury of hiring and training employees on an ongoing basis. Hiring, training, motivating, and parting with employees are all complex processes. In this lesson, you will learn tips that make them easier.
Business Policies
Having effective business policies in place helps your business run efficiently. It also gives your employees a framework for knowing what's expected of them. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to develop your own business policies, including sexual harassment and ethics policies.
Managing You
To ensure success, business owners need to be able to use limited resources efficiently. In this final lesson, you will learn how best to manage your time, relationships, and personal financial position. You will leave this course knowing you have done all the preliminary groundwork to get your business off to a good start.
What you will learn
Learn the best ways to choose the right business opportunity
Develop proven marketing techniques that will help you build sales
Gain an understanding of traditional and non-traditional financing options
Learn effective employee-management procedures
Discover time management techniques designed to help entrepreneurs succeed
How you will benefit
Gain a complete understanding of what separates a successful business and how to avoid failure
Discover the single most valuable asset in your business and how it can help you create wealth
Develop the skills you need to effectively manage your time, relationships and personal financial position
Pursue your dream of owning a successful business by starting on the right track with proper structures and policies in place
Kris Solie-Johnson
Kris Solie-Johnson, chancellor and president of the American Institute of Small Business, best-selling author, educator, speaker, and mother of three, is an energetic and passionate entrepreneur. Her books are in public libraries, high schools, colleges, and military bases both nationally and internationally. Solie-Johnson has an MBA in Venture Management from the University of St. Thomas and over 19 years of experience helping entrepreneurs reach their goals quickly through joint venture partnerships, creative marketing programs, and innovative financial options. She's dedicated to motivating and inspiring owners to achieve beyond their dreams.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Learn to handle basic human resource functions to ensure the best possible results.
No matter what role you play in an organization, you are all affected by human resources. This course is designed to help people without experience in human resources to understand this very vital link in the organizational chain. It will prepare both managers and business owners to handle basic human resource functions in a way that will ensure the best possible result. In particular, attention is given to the hiring process, including ways to locate quality employees in a competitive labor market. Employee rights and the legal side of the human resource field are also covered.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Learn the essential role of human resources in successful organizations. This course will help you understand this very vital link in the organizational chain, so that managers and business owners can feel prepared to handle basic human resource functions.
The History of Human Resources
Do you ever wonder why the field of human resources is the way it is? How it has evolved? In your first lesson, you will travel through history to explore the roots of human resources. You will see how the modern human resource function has evolved from trade guilds, through the industrial revolution, to modern times.
Human Resources Functions in Today's Organization
What exactly does the human resource professional do on the job? In this lesson, you will take a look at the variety of vital activities that are frequently included in the human resources function. This variety can include everything from recruiting, hiring, and retaining employees, to labor management relations and workplace safety and training.
The Hiring Process: Part 1
How does someone go about finding and hiring a new employee? The initial preparation for hiring is often done in the quiet of an office, which may make it seem like new employees just magically appear. This lesson explores what goes on in that quiet office—focusing on preparing advertisements and application forms, reviewing and screening applications, conducting interviews, and verifying information.
The Hiring Process: Part 2
Interviews and background checks are key components of the hiring process. The interview is your chance to evaluate the job applicant in person to see how well their skills match your job requirements. This lesson looks at each part of the interview—from setting it up and to rating the person after the interview.
Finding Employees in a Competitive Labor Market
How do you get someone to apply for a job? Solid recruiting practices using both traditional and nontraditional techniques will ensure that you have a large pool of applicants from which to pick and choose. Traditionally, many companies simply run a classified job ad when they need a new employee, but in this lesson, you will explore other alternatives that may be equally effective in recruiting.
Retaining Quality Employees
What motivates a quality employee to stay on the job? What can you do to keep employees happy and working? In this lesson, you will learn how to analyze job satisfaction and the factors that keep employees happy.
Respecting Employee Rights
What rights do employees have? What are moral rights and how can the company protect them? What is the difference between a moral and a legal right? This lesson explores both moral and legal rights and how they can be used to benefit employees.
Laws Relating to Human Resources
What legal responsibilities does a company owe its employees? This lesson provides an overview of the many laws that impact the workplace. You will examine laws that govern union-management interactions, prohibit discrimination, set wage and hour requirements, and enforce safety standards.
Policy Making
Do you have a policy manual at work? What policies are included in the manual? How does anyone ever decide what policies to include? In this lesson, you will learn about policy manuals—what they should include, what policies are most common, and how you can ensure your policies comply with the law.
Employee Communications
How can workplace communication be effective? What should you do to ensure that communication is taking place on a regular basis? This lesson focuses on the need for effective communication programs at work and how to implement them. You will find out how to keep communication running smoothly throughout the organization.
Administration of Employee Benefit Programs
What should a strong employee benefit program include? What is involved in putting a benefit package together? Benefits are a great way to attract and keep employees. This lesson explores common employment benefits as insurance and retirement.
Human Resources—A Source of Quality
Have you ever wondered what makes a human resource professional successful? In your final lesson, you will learn the eight habits that successful professionals adopt. You will leave with the insight and ability to achieve excellence at work.
What you will learn
Learn to handle basic human resource functions effectively
Understand the hiring process, including ways to locate quality employees in a competitive labor market
Examine employee rights and the legal side of the human resource field
Learn how to conduct effective interviews
Gain a new respect for the vital role Human Resources plays in an organization
How you will benefit
Gain confidence in your ability to relate to employees and coworkers in an appropriate way
Learn to make better hires even in competitive markets
Open the door to new opportunities in entry-level HR positions
Ann Nevers
Ann Nevers holds a law degree and a master's in health law. She works in dispute resolution for business, employment, and health care and regularly teaches courses in these areas. She has published numerous academic articles, edited legal manuals, and written chapters on employment, dispute resolution, and health care topics.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Learn how to use the five most popular social media platforms—Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram—to grow and promote your business.
One of the biggest challenges for business owners is finding new customers. Over the past decade, some business owners have leveraged social media to do just that. Whether you're a social media novice or a seasoned veteran, this course will give you a solid foundation in social media marketing and using it to grow your business.
In today's globally connected environment, social media is a game changer for businesses. So, whether you're looking for a new way to market your business or simply want to better understand social media, this online social media marketing course will empower you.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Learn how to use the five most popular social media platforms-Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram-to grow and promote your business. This course will help you harness the power of social media to connect with new customers, advertise products, and promote your brand.
Developing a Social Media Foundation
In this lesson, you'll build the foundation you need to use social media to grow your business. You will discover the definition of social media, learn about its characteristics, and see what it can do for your business. Then, you'll explore the various types of social media and focus in on the ones that offer the greatest benefits.
Creating Your Social Media Strategy
You will see how you can build a strategy for using social media to grow your business. First, you will discover what a strategy is and why it's important to have one for your social media efforts. Then, you will gain an understanding of the critical elements of any social media strategy.
Building Your Social Media Organization
This lesson demonstrates how to develop a social media organization that will help you be as effective as possible. First, you will see how to choose from among the various platforms to select the ones that will serve your business best. Finally, you will learn how you can transform your simple diagram into a more detailed electronic file and add elements as your business grows.
Crafting High-Quality Content
In this lesson, you will learn how to produce social media content that engages your followers and entices them to comment. You will gain an understanding of how to write content that's optimized for distribution on social media platforms and to do so without it becoming a full-time job. Finally, you will learn the various ways that you can store, manage, search, and retrieve the social media content that you produce.
Facebook
Facebook is one of the most popular social networking sites. In this lesson, you will learn how you can use Facebook to effectively market and grow your business. First, you will get an overview of how Facebook works, and you will take a tour of a Facebook business page. Next, you learn how to create a Facebook account, set up a page for your business, and use strategies to gain awareness and exposure for your business.
Twitter
This lesson focuses on using Twitter to effectively market and grow your business. You will be guided through the steps required to create and brand a Twitter account for your business. Finally, you will learn several advanced strategies that you can use to gain awareness and exposure for your business.
LinkedIn
This lesson will teach you how to use LinkedIn to make connections, expand your personal network, and grow your business. You will explore a handful of strategies that you can use to gain awareness and exposure for your business.
Pinterest
In this lesson, you will learn how you can use Pinterest to share information and connect with others who are interested in your products and services. You will learn a handful of strategies that can help your business gain additional awareness and exposure.
Instagram
In this lesson, you'll learn how you can use Instagram to effectively market and grow your business. First, you'll look at an overview of the social media platform, see how it differs from others you've explored, and take a tour of its features. After that, you'll see how to create a personal account and how to decide whether or not to switch to a business profile. Finally, you'll examine several strategies that you can use to leverage Instagram to engage and interact and grow a base of followers for your business.
Social Media Automation
In this lesson, you will learn about social media automation. You will peek at the pros and cons and identify the most common pitfalls of using automation. This lesson also introduces the most popular free and paid automation tools that you can put to immediate use.
Social Media and Your Team
In this lesson, you will learn to minimize the time you spend on social media activities through delegation. First, this lesson investigates the types of tasks you can delegate and examine some common pitfalls to avoid. Next, you will explore processes for assigning tasks to team members and, if needed, hiring a part-time or full-time social media manager. Finally, you will gain some strategies for centralizing your social media information and get a preview of some software solutions for integrating your social media team's efforts.
Measuring Your Social Media Performance
How do you know if what you're doing is working? In this lesson, you will learn about tracking, monitoring, measuring and improving your social media activities. You'll investigate the most common types of metrics you will find in social media and then examine some popular third-party tools that can take your analysis to another level.
What you will learn
Describe the basics of online marketing and how Social Media works
Identify the main objectives for using social media in your business.
Select the right social media platform(s) that align with and support the identified business objectives
Demonstrate the ability to set up and configure the five most popular social media platforms.
Develop a process to test, measure, review, and continuously improve the effectiveness of your social media efforts.
How you will benefit
Confidently promote yourself as a social media marketer
Immediately apply what you learn in the lessons to promote your business and generate new leads
Gain the knowledge and develop the ability to implement a SOCIAL process to increase awareness, engagement and sales for your business.
Master the art of successfully using social media to promote a business and track your results - something most people can't do
Brad Semp
Brad Semp, Ph.D., is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at a global corporation, a life-long entrepreneur, and a former professor of Bachelors and Masters of Science courses in Internet Marketing. Dr. Brad is active on social media platforms to engage with prospects and customers, expand relationships, and to grow businesses. He routinely coaches other entrepreneurs and business owners and consults with Fortune 500 organizations on how to design and implement effective social media systems, strategies, and tactics.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Gain a marketable new skill by learning the basics of double-entry bookkeeping, financial reporting, and more.
In this comprehensive course, you will learn the basics of double-entry bookkeeping, as well as how to analyze and record financial transactions. You will get hands-on experience with handling accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll procedures, sales taxes, and various common banking activities.
Accounting Fundamentals covers all the bases, from writing checks to preparing an income statement and closing out accounts at the end of each fiscal period. Whether you're a sole proprietor looking to manage your business finances or you simply want to gain an understanding of accounting basics for career advancement or for personal use, this course will give you a solid foundation in financial matters.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
A calculator and a printer.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
If you want to increase your financial awareness and gain a marketable skill, this course is for you. You will learn the double-entry bookkeeping, financial transactions, financial reporting, and more.
Account Classifications, Account Titles, T Accounts, and the Accounting Equation
Welcome to Accounting Fundamentals! In this first lesson, you will learn all about account classifications, debits, credits, and T accounts. You will learn the difference between a liability and an asset and find out how to determine an owner's equity.
General Ledger Accounts and the Balance Sheet
Here's where you will begin your hands-on accounting practice: You will start by creating an imaginary company for which you will be the accountant. You will learn how to analyze your company's transactions to determine which amounts go into which accounts, then you will create your company's own General Ledger forms and post a few transactions into those accounts.
Journalizing Transactions and Posting to the General Ledger
Now that you understand the functions of the General Ledger, you're ready to move on to the next phase of recording transactions: the Journal. In this lesson, you will learn how to enter transactions into an 11-column journal and then post or transfer those amounts into appropriate General Ledger accounts.
Journalizing and Posting Cash and Charge Purchases and Payments on Account
In this lesson, you will learn all about Accounts Payable, which is money that you owe your vendors and suppliers. You will practice journalizing cash purchases and purchases on account, and you will get hands-on practice transferring those purchases to their corresponding Accounts Payable Ledger accounts.
Journalizing and Posting Cash and Charge Sales and Cash Received on Account
In this lesson, you will learn about Accounts Receivable, which is another name for money owed to your company by its customers. You will learn how to journalize and post those sales on account, how to enter charge sales into the journal, and how to transfer the information into an Accounts Receivable Ledger.
Payroll and Various Deductions
It's payday! This lesson will teach you how to determine gross pay, deductions, and net pay. You will learn how to prepare a payroll, write payroll checks, and how to prepare and maintain accurate payroll records.
Banking Services and Reports
In this lesson, you will learn all about banks and banking services: You will learn the proper way to write checks, make out deposit tickets, and reconcile your company's checking account with the bank statement. These are skills you will find valuable in both your business and personal life!
Posting Journal Totals to the General Ledger and Schedule of Accounts Payable and Schedule of Accounts Receivable
This lesson will teach you how to prepare a Schedule of Accounts Payable and a Schedule of Accounts Receivable. These reports can be used to compare the amount of money your business owes its creditors with the amount of money your customers owe your business.
End-Of-Year Worksheet
In this lesson, you will prepare a worksheet showing the net income or net loss for the fiscal period. The worksheet will show all income and expenses for the fiscal period as well as the assets, liabilities, and owner's equity account balances.
End-Of-Year Financial Reports
In this lesson, you will learn how to prepare various reports that are vital to the well-being of your company. You will learn how these reports can be used to make sound financial decisions in the next fiscal period. You will discover how to put together an Owner's Equity Statement, an Income Statement, and a Distribution of Net Income.
Journalizing and Posting Adjusting Entries
In this lesson, you will prepare for the end of the fiscal period by adjusting your asset account balances to accurately reflect the assets remaining at the end of the year. You will also find out how to journalize and post adjusting and closing entries to bring your company's General Ledger up to date.
Journalizing and Posting Closing Entries and Preparing a Post Closing Trial Balance
In the final lesson, you will prepare a Post Closing Trial Balance report to ensure that all of your debits and credits in the General Ledger balance out in preparation for the new fiscal period.
What you will learn
Learn the basics of double-entry bookkeeping, as well as how to analyze and record financial transactions
Get hands-on experience with handing accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll procedures, sales taxes, and various common banking activities
Learn about writing checks, preparing an income statement, and closing out accounts at the end of a fiscal period
How you will benefit
Learn everything you need to know to better manage your finances
Gain a solid understanding of accounting basics to be able to manage business finances or advance your career
Open the door to more career opportunities in the in-demand field of accounting and finance
Nancy Koenig
Nancy Koenig is an experienced industry professional with over 40 years in the workforce, including decades in finance. Nancy has worked in various finance roles in banking, insurance, and a hospital billing office. For the last 27 years of her career, she was an administrative assistant at a technical school, which involved running and overseeing the entire budget, amongst other duties. Nancy has also held part-time jobs as a bookkeeper for an auto parts store and a cable company, where she used QuickBooks computerized software. Over the past several years, she has also co-taught the Accounting Fundamentals and Accounting Fundamentals II courses with Charlene Messier.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Give yourself skills that are in high demand by exploring corporate accounting.
While it is true that accounting professionals are scarce, those with corporate accounting experience are even scarcer. This course will provide you with a solid understanding of corporate accounting practices.
In Accounting Fundamentals II, you will explore such topics as special journals, uncollectible accounts receivable, plant assets, depreciation, notes and interest, accrued revenue and expenses, dividends, retained earnings, and various financial reports for corporations.
If you're interested in increasing your financial awareness and accountability while also gaining a marketable skill, this is the course for you.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
A calculator and a printer.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Explore the world of corporate accounting and increase your financial know-how while gaining in-demand skills. This course will provide you with a solid understanding of recording and analyzing plant assets, depreciation, interest, dividends, revenue and other important corporate money matters.
Accounts Payable
In this lesson, you will learn all about accounts payable. You will be journalizing and posting your company's purchases and preparing a Schedule of Accounts Payable. This lesson will give you the tools you need to successfully track those accounts.
Accounts Receivable
In this lesson you will take a close look at accounts receivable. After completing this lesson, you will know how to enter charge sales into your Sales Journal and then post them to your General Ledger. You will have also learned how to journalize payments on account received from your charge customers.
Uncollectible Accounts Receivable
In this lesson you will learn about uncollectible accounts receivable. While many believe customers will always pay what they owe, that is not always the case. You will learn how to account for long overdue receivables that probably won't ever be paid.
Plant Assets and Depreciation
In this lesson, you will learn about plant assets and depreciation. Just like your car, business assets depreciate over time, so you will need to know how to account for that expense in your records. You will also need to record these assets and calculate their depreciation in a timely manner.
Notes Payable and Notes Receivable
This lesson is all about notes payable and notes receivable. You will learn all you need to know about accounting for these situations as you learn how to record the issuance and payment of these notes payables and notes receivables.
Accrued Income and Accrued Expenses
In this lesson, you will learn how to deal with accrued income and accrued expenses. Accrued income is money that the company earns in one fiscal period but doesn't receive until after another fiscal period begins.
Dividends and Starting the Year-End Worksheet
In this lesson, you will be dealing with dividends, which is money paid to the company's stockholders on their investment. You will learn how the business accounts for the dividends it pays to its stockholders. You will also look at retained earnings, or the amount of profit the corporation retains for future use.
Complete Year-End Worksheet With Adjustments
In this lesson, you will determine whether your business has a net income or a net loss by completing the worksheet started in the previous lesson. Because many General Ledger accounts change throughout the fiscal period, you will also need to bring these accounts up to date.
End-Of-Fiscal-Period Financial Reports
It's time to begin wrapping up your books for the end of the fiscal period. In this lesson, you will learn how to compile most of the various financial reports a corporation needs to complete at the end of the fiscal period.
Adjusting and Closing Entries and Post Closing Trial Balance
In this lesson, you will get the books all caught up and ready for the next fiscal period. You will go back and journalize those adjusting entries you entered into your worksheet, then you will enter closing entries into your journal.
Preparing a Payroll
This lesson covers every employee's favorite subject: Payroll. You will learn about various mandatory and voluntary deductions from employees' pay, as well as how to journalize and post an entire payroll. As an added bonus, after this lesson, you will be able to check the accuracy of your own paycheck.
Preparing Federal Tax Deposits and Year-End Tax Reports
The final lesson focuses on preparing a variety of end-of-year tax reports. Here's your chance to go step-by-step through a multitude of IRS forms with instructions that are much easier to understand. You will fill out the federal Form 941, then learn how to make federal income tax deposits.
What you will learn
Learn about accounts payable and receivable
Understand how to represent uncollectible accounts in reports
Learn about plant assets and timely depreciation of these assets
Learn how to deal with accrued income and accrued expenses
Understand stock dividends and retained earnings
Learn how to prepare year-end financial documents including tax forms
How you will benefit
Become more indispensable to any organization as you develop higher level accounting skills
Learn everything you need to know to accurately keep the books for any type of business
Become more aware of the accuracy of your own personal pay stubs and tax documents
Open the door to more career opportunities in accounting
Nancy Koenig
Nancy Koenig is an experienced industry professional with over 40 years in the workforce, including decades in finance. Nancy has worked in various finance roles in banking, insurance, and a hospital billing office. For the last 27 years of her career, she was an administrative assistant at a technical school, which involved running and overseeing the entire budget, amongst other duties. Nancy has also held part-time jobs as a bookkeeper for an auto parts store and a cable company, where she used QuickBooks computerized software. Over the past several years, she has also co-taught the Accounting Fundamentals and Accounting Fundamentals II courses with Charlene Messier.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Learn how to have more successful relationships with difficult bosses, co-workers, students, neighbors, or relatives.
This course will teach you how to see things from others' viewpoints based on their needs, values, beliefs, experiences, skills, knowledge, and self-interests. You will learn to approach difficult situations by answering the questions: who? what? where? when? how? and why? By answering these questions, you will understand who your difficult people are, what they're like, how you react to them, and their response to your actions.
You will also practice analyzing your interactions with those you share space with. By observing others closely, you will learn to read their identifying characteristics. Once you can identify which type of person you're dealing with, you will be able to choose appropriate reactions to their behaviors.
By the time you finish this course, you will understand that assertiveness involves taking responsibility when meeting your needs in a way that preserves the dignity and rights of others.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Do you want to know how to interact with anyone, regardless of how difficult you perceive them to be? This course will give you the skills to effectively meet your needs while protecting the dignity and rights of others to form more cooperative relationships.
Identifying Preferred Communication Styles
In the first lesson, you will find out the answers to four very important questions that impact the success of your relationships with others. The answers to these questions will help you identify your preferred communication styles.
Analyzing Your Own Difficult-Person Situation
In this lesson, you will begin to build a database about not only your difficult people—those who are different in communication style from you. You will also enhance your skills in reviewing and resolving problems with these people.
Dealing With Hostile-Aggressive Personality Types
This lesson discusses four types of hostile people. These are people who want to control everything and everyone but have no self-control. This group is called Hostile-Aggressives.
Dealing With Difficult Passive Personality Types
In this lesson, you will learn appropriate options for interacting well with those who are stubborn or critical—people known as Negative-Thinkers.
Dealing With Aggressive Subcategories of Difficult Intuitors
This lesson focuses on the appropriate way to effectively deal with aggressive individuals. You will learn how to recognize these people and share space with them.
Identifying and Dealing With Relators
In this lesson, you will take another look at another personality type called Relators. Plus, you will learn ways to effectively handle the difficult subcategories of this type.
Overcoming Your Own Difficult Characteristics
Some of your difficult people probably also feel that you're their difficult person, but you may be totally unaware of this. Do you feel that ignorance is really bliss? You will go through some exercises in this lesson that should help you figure it out.
Developing Skills to Become More Flexible
In this lesson, you will work toward improving your own flexibility skills: confidence, tolerance, empathy, positivity, and respect. To help, you will answer a few questions about each of your own skill sets as you move through the lesson's materials.
Exploring Resilience-Building Strategies
In this lesson, you will learn that a certain set of characteristics is essential if you want to relate well with others. As you will find out, you must first improve your versatility skills to maintain a positive attitude, and then learn to view obstacles and problems as "opportunities."
Discovering the Importance of Assertiveness to Positive Relationships
After finishing this lesson, you will understand what assertiveness is and what it isn't. You will begin to see why assertive behavior is so important to your success in getting along well with others. You will also carefully examine your own level of assertiveness and identify which of your skills need fine-tuning.
Changing Your Own Assertiveness Skills
This lesson focuses on simple, yet powerful assertive-communication techniques. You will learn to use self-disclosure appropriately to share information about yourself—your thoughts, feelings, and opinions—to build relationship trust and common ground.
Learning Techniques to Improve Your Listening Abilities
After this final lesson, you may be surprised to discover that your listening skills need improvement. Listening well is a complex process, and your own selective filtering often keeps you from real understanding.
What you will learn
Become proficient at identifying and working with different personality types
Build assertive communication skills that benefit your personal and professional life
Learn how to improve relationships with difficult, stubborn, or even hostile individuals
Develop awareness of your own tendencies and how these affect your relationships
How you will benefit
Improve relationships with family, friends, and co-workers
Get what you want out of people and be sure your personal needs are met
Become an expert communicator and listener
Understand the motivations behind the actions and behaviors of all people
Dawn Lianna
Dawn Lianna is an accomplished event manager, educator, and natural health expert with over 30 years of experience in event management, natural healing, and personal coaching. Her client list includes non-profit, community and educational organizations, along with corporations and individuals. As an event manager, she has planned, coordinated, and co-hosted over 500 successful events. She has a deep knowledge of the inner workings of the events space, which she shares with students as the instructor of the Event Management and Design course. She is also the author and instructor of the course, Keys to Effective Communication. Her MA in Counseling and Psychology, along with her status as Certified Hypnotherapist and Certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Practitioner, combine in her approach to trust, respect, and rapport in effective conversation. She is an active, certified coach who integrates alternative health practices and her personal studies of herbology, nutrition, positive thinking, intuition development, acupuncture, and massage in her work and her Introduction to Natural Health and Healing course.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Learn how to create your very own blog and podcast using the tools that you already have available on your computer.
Blogging and Podcasting for Beginners will teach you how to plan and create your very own blog and podcast. Through hands-on exercises, you will discover the benefits of using free web tools like Blogger, WordPress, Audacity, and YouTube. You will find that creating a blog and podcast is much easier than you ever imagined.
First, you will learn how to develop a plan for the content, setup, maintenance, and how to use free blogging software like Blogger and WordPress to put that plan into action. After that, learn how to record a professional-sounding audio podcast with a very simple recording tool you already have. You will edit the file with another free software program, add music to it, and then post it online for others to enjoy. Finally, you will find out how to record a video podcast. You will edit it, add special effects, drop in a podcasting-safe music file, and then publish it online.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac.
Mac users should expect to make adjustments based on their operating system differences especially during the podcast portion of the course. In addition, Mac users will download different versions of audio editing software and video editing software that will differ from the directions presented in the course.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
You should expect to download free online programs including an audio editing program during the class in order to create a blog and podcast.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Blogging and Podcasting are great ways to express yourself, but maybe you're not sure how to start. This course will teach you how to successfully plan and create your very own blog and podcast using hands-on exercises and free web tools.
Introduction
Welcome to the beginning of your blogging adventure! By course completion, you will know how to blog, produce your own audio and video podcasts, and how to market and promote your blog. In this first lesson, you will get acquainted with blogging terms, the parts of a blog, and the important differences between a blog and a website.
Blogging
It makes sense to give something a try before doing it yourself, right? This lesson will teach you how to participate in the blogosphere by commenting on a blog of your choosing. This lesson walks you through a series of questions to help you develop a sustainable plan for your blog's content, setup, and long-term maintenance.
Hosting and Software
This lesson explores your options for blogging software and hosting. You will learn about free online blog software options and work with two free blogging services, Blogger and WordPress. By the end of this lesson, your blog will be ready to go.
Appearance
Why settle for a cookie-cutter blog when you can create a custom blog look? In this lesson, you will pick the perfect image for your background and spice up your blog's header on your Blogger and WordPress blogs.
Privacy
In this lesson, you will get to decide who can read your blog. You will learn how to set your blog's privacy levels and comment field, in case you want to limit who can read or comment on your blog. Finally, this lesson teaches you how to add a few gadgets that help readers easily navigate your blog.
Styling
This lesson covers changing the font, color, and size of your text, and adding lists and links to enhance content and interactivity. You will also practice working with formatting tools to make your first post look great online.
Photos
You've mastered the process of formatting the text of your blog post, so now it's time to add some photos. After learning how to locate and incorporate appropriate images into your draft, create labels to categorize the content of your post. Next, learn the seven steps of promoting your blog, including how to utilize Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest as promotion tools.
Podcasts
It's time to explore the podcast. You will learn the podcasting terms needed to feel comfortable with this technology. This lesson introduces the PREP method of podcasting: planning your own podcast using an effective formula for developing content, setup, and maintenance.
Your First Audio Podcast
This lesson explores the minimum equipment needed to record your first audio podcast—as well as other equipment you may find of interest if you become a serious podcaster. And, after that, you will continue to follow the PREP method of podcasting by recording your first podcast using Audacity, a free audio recording program.
Editing and Publishing Audio Podcasts
This lesson focuses on the last two steps of the PREP method of podcasting: editing and publishing. You will learn how to cut out dead air and an unexpected sneeze, adjust the volume, and add effects so the sound fades in and out. Then, it will be time to publish your work.
Video Podcasts
Now that you know how to prepare, record, edit, and publish an audio podcast, doing the same for a video podcast is going to be a lot easier. In this lesson, you will learn the equipment you can use for video podcasting.
Editing Video Podcasts
It's time to fine-tune your video podcasting skills as well as your video podcast. In this final lesson, you will learn how to add transitions and video effects to your video file, trim unwanted portions out, and make audio enhancements.
What you will learn
Develop a plan for the content, setup, and long-term maintenance of a blog
Learn to use free blogging software like Blogger and WordPress to put that plan into action
Learn how to record a professional-sounding audio podcast, edit the file with a free software program, add music to it, and then post it online for others to enjoy
Find out how to successfully produce a video podcast with minimal equipment
How you will benefit
Learn everything you need to create a professional-level blog or podcast
Gain new career opportunities and/or a fun new hobby
Gain a new skill set that you can put to use on personal, business, educational, or even political projects
Richard Mansfield
Richard Mansfield is a best-selling author and widely recognized expert on computer programming. He holds a master's degree in English from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has written numerous articles and columns on computer topics, and was the editor of Compute!Magazine. In addition, he has authored or co-authored 44 books, including the best sellers Machine Language for Beginners (Compute!) and The Visual Guide to Visual Basic (Ventana). His more recent titles include Creating Web Pages for Dummies (co-authored, Wiley), XML for Dummies: All-in-One Desktop Reference (co-authored, Wiley), Mastering VBA for Office 2019 (Sybex), and Programming: A Beginner's Guide (McGraw-Hill). Richard's books have sold more than 600,000 copies worldwide and have been translated into 12 languages.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
This course will introduce different strategies employed during the budgeting process, the techniques and tools commonly used to make budgeting forecasts, the components of a basic operating budget, and how businesses make certain decisions that may impact their budgeted amounts.
If the idea of creating a budget for your business, department, or project seems overwhelming, this course will alleviate all of those fears. Taught in an approachable and relatable format, this course walks you through the budgeting process so you can go from numbers averse to budgeting super-hero. The downloadable templates included in the course allow you to easily and quickly take what you learn and apply it to your job. The storytelling used throughout the course makes the topic more approachable and engaging so you can obtain the soft skills that will help you be successful implementing and tracking a budget in the real world. Finally, the course challenge is something that will pique your curiosity at the beginning of the course and provide motivation to complete the course and continue learning the material.
A company's budgeting process involves a lot more than just rows and columns of numbers on a spreadsheet. The reality is that budgeting is a sometimes organic and sometimes organized process. Most often, it's an equal mix of both in an attempt to add some level of certainty to an uncertain future. These processes are what we are going to explore in this course. You will be introduced to different strategies employed during the budgeting process, the techniques and tools that are commonly used to make budgeting forecasts, the components of a basic operating budget, and how businesses make certain decisions that may impact their budgeted amounts.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox is preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
In this comprehensive, beginner-friendly course, you will learn the elementary skills needed to be successful in the budgeting process and work gradually work your way up to creating a budget. You will also discover how to best evaluate the results of your budget and make decisions to help your business maximize its profits.
Predicting the Future
In our first lesson, you'll explore how budgeting at its core is a process of looking forward. It's about making informed predictions about the future. Next, you'll see how a company's vision can lead to setting goals for the company. These visions are often aspirational and state the path for where the company plans to go in the future. Then, we'll also start the conversation about the human side of budgeting.
Budget Strategies
In this lesson, you'll begin to look at various budgeting strategies, including strategic, capital, and operations budgeting techniques. The lesson will include some real-life examples of planning activities, and to further bring these concepts to life, you'll work with a fictional company, Curly's Pool Service and Supplies, by helping Curly formulate some plans and budgets!
It's All About Sales!
This lesson will focus all on sales, specifically the role that sales play in the budgeting process. We'll examine the best practices for compiling a sales forecast and how to increase the chances that the sales forecast will actually mimic real life. We'll also discover how to create an inventory that needs a budget to determine just how much inventory to purchase based on a sales forecast. Finally, we'll discuss how to formulate a labor requirements budget to accurately project just how much labor you may need to employ to meet the needs of the company, again based on the sales forecast.
Cost Behavior – Part 1
In this lesson, we are going to detour a bit from the actual preparation of a budget and dive into how certain types of costs behave. Understanding how costs increase or decrease relative to an activity is an essential part of learning how to accurately budget for costs in a business. So, in the upcoming chapters, you're going to discover how to distinguish between variable, fixed, and mixed costs. We will use these cost types to calculate the contribution margin for the business. Then, we will show you how to use contribution margin to make certain predictions and decisions in a business. Most notably, you'll see how to use contribution margin to calculate the all-important break-even point and margin of safety for a business.
Cost Behavior – Part 2
This lesson will be a continuation of the discussion about cost behavior. In the lesson, you'll explore how to evaluate a company's sales mix and how to calculate operating leverage using tools given throughout the course. Operating leverage is just another key component of cost analysis that will allow you to, once again, easily make projections about the future. We'll end the lesson with a discussion about how companies set prices for the products and services they offer. You can probably guess that this process is a bit more involved than just selecting a price out of thin air. It's actually an essential part of a company's overall budgeting process and should not be taken lightly.
Expense and Manufacturing Production Budgets
In this lesson, we'll examine the steps needed to build both a direct materials budget and a direct labor budget. We'll also examine how a manufacturing company budgets for manufacturing overhead. All of these components are key to developing an overall production budget for a business that manufactures a product. Finally, we will end this lesson by describing the components of a production budget.
Cash Is King!
In this lesson, we'll discuss how to prepare a complete cash budget for a business. You'll get the chance to take an even closer look at how a company might forecast cash collections from credit sales and cash payments on credit purchases for big-ticket items like inventory or other expensive capital projects. We'll even take a look at how some companies mitigate the risk of running out of cash by utilizing lines of credit and other sources of cash instead of just relying on cash generated from sales.
Capital Budgeting
In this lesson, you'll learn some of the basic methodologies that can be applied in many different capital budgeting scenarios. The lesson will begin with an explanation of a technique that does not include an evaluation of how time impacts the valuation of money. Then, you'll learn how the passage of time and its impact on the value of a dollar is incorporated into capital budgeting decisions. Since capital projects often span years, or even decades in some cases, the time value of money is key to improving accuracy in budgeting for capital projects. The lesson will finish up with a thorough review of, perhaps, the most common technique that is used in capital budgeting decisions: net present value.
Business Decision-Making – Part 1
In this lesson and the one that follows, we're going to explore how businesses use budgeted data in combination with a formalized decision-making process to improve their chances of making better decisions. For a business, a better decision is one that maximizes profit and aligns with the company's goals and values. We'll start with an examination of what types of budgeted information are relevant to making a decision and what types of information you can ignore. You'll see the differences between quantitative and qualitative information and how each can be used to improve decision-making. Then we'll finish up with an example including some specific steps you can use as a model for making better decisions.
Business Decision-Making – Part 2
In this lesson, you'll continue to practice with these same techniques by applying them to a few other common business decisions. You'll start by examining how a business uses budgeted information to make the choice to replace an existing asset with a new asset, such as replacing an old piece of manufacturing equipment with a brand-new one. Next, you'll explore how a business might use budgeted information when deciding whether to eliminate a product or service that it offers. We'll finish up the lesson by examining one of the most critical business decisions you'll ever need to make: how to allocate your most scarce resource to maximize profit in your business.
Bringing It All Together
In this lesson and the one that follows, we will focus on how best to evaluate the financial stability and performance of the business using budgeted information. We'll start by taking a close look at using the components of a company's operating budget to compile the pro forma balance sheet. Next, we'll examine the steps needed to prepare the pro forma income statement, again by using the information found in many of the other operating budget components. To finish up the lesson, we'll dive into some straightforward techniques that are useful to evaluate the balances found on the pro forma balance sheet and income statements.
Evaluation, Control, and Methods
In our last lesson, we'll spend more time on the budget evaluation process by examining how companies use variance analysis to evaluate differences between actual results and the budget. To keep things manageable, we'll stick to the basics here so that you're equipped with some tools to take with you when applying these techniques in a real company. As part of this process, we'll take a look at how budget variances are defined and interpreted. Then, we'll discuss some techniques like flexible budgeting to evaluate and isolate certain budget fluctuations in a way that provides clarity to a business owner or manager. We'll finish up the lesson with a brief discussion of the budgetary control process and the soft skills needed for this process.
What you will learn
Learn about planning strategies and how they are used to keep a budget aligned with its vision
Obtain knowledge of cost behavior and how forecasts are used to ensure accuracy in future planning and budgeting
Develop various approaches to plan for general and administrative expenses
Gain tools and techniques used for a formal decision-making process
Master how best to evaluate the financial stability and performance of a business using budgeted information
How you will benefit
Learning how businesses think about budgeting will help you to make informed predictions about the future with strategic planning
Become more valuable to your employer or business by accurately budgeting costs
Make better business decisions with the knowledge about how businesses use budgeted data in combination with a formalized decision-making process
Increase success in your career with the skills, techniques, and tool kit provided by this course
Scott Paxton
Scott Paxton is a Certified Public Accountant and holds master's degrees in business administration and accounting. His background includes experience as a public accountant, a manager in the banking industry, an entrepreneur and a college business instructor. Paxton has also spent much of his career helping small business owners successfully optimize their business operations, budgets and strategic plans.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Turn your business ideas into a solid plan for financing and long-term success.
Turn your business ideas into a solid plan for financing and long-term success. Committing your idea to paper in the form of a business plan not only increases your chances of obtaining financing, but also in keeping your business strategically focused. You will work through all the major components of writing a business plan and emerge with your first draft in hand. Most importantly, you will have completed the first—and most difficult—step on the path to small business success.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Microsoft Word or other word processing program (not included in enrollment).
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Turn your business ideas into a solid plan for financing and long-term success. This course will guide you through all the major components of writing a business plan and you'll emerge with your first draft in hand.
A Strategy for Success
In this first lesson, you will meet several leading entrepreneurs and determine if you have similar passions and skill sets. You will discover that business plans are not just for funding your dream, but for guiding it along the path to success (as you choose to define it).
Defining Your Business
Now, you will start to mold your business. You will develop a vision and a mission for your enterprise. You will define and refine your product or service, and you will uncover your niche. This is the fun part of the journey—your only limitation is your imagination.
The Role of the Customer
This lesson will focus on the customer. Successful companies focus not on the products and services that they offer, but on the customers that they serve—on many levels. You will learn to position your company to be customer-centric, and how to move that customer from satisfied to loyal (and perhaps even an advocate for your business).
Structuring Your Organization
In this lesson, you will structure your organization so it's in the best position to provide your product or service to your targeted customers. You will discover the role that change plays in your entrepreneurial evolution. Change is good—it shows that you're thinking.
The Marketing Plan
This lesson explores the plan within the plan—the marketing section of your business plan. You will also discover the features and benefits of your product or service, and you will begin the ongoing task of market research. This is where you can differentiate your product or service from that of your competition.
The Competition
This lesson will explore three separate areas of marketing. First, you will learn about your competitors so that you can better position yourself and discover just how solid your business ideas are. Then, you will address one of the most difficult issues of new business—pricing. Finally, you will become a SWOT agent—analyzing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Marketing in Action
In this lesson, you will join a panel of outstanding marketing, public relations, and graphics experts who are also entrepreneurs and believe in the power of networking. You will explore graphic design, logos, image, public relations, and guerrilla marketing, as well as marketing in action.
Operations and Manufacturing
This lesson tackles operations and manufacturing concerns.
Understanding the Finance Section (Part I)
This lesson takes a bird's eye view of the financial section of a business plan. You will also briefly explore the capital equipment list, the balance sheet, and break-even analysis.
Understanding the Finance Section (Part II)
In this lesson, you will discover three additional financial components of the plan. You will explore the projected income statement, cash flow, and historical financial records. Be sure to take some time to explore the Supplemental Links area (in this lesson and in all the others) for outstanding online resources.
Financing Your Business
This lesson continues the focus on money, but from a different perspective than in the previous two. You will focus on funding and financing opportunities, and by the end, you should have a better understanding of financing. You will also find out where to locate traditional, and not so traditional, sources of funding.
The Final Document
In the final lesson, you will end one journey while beginning another. First, you will write an outstanding executive summary. You will receive a few important document formatting tips, and you will learn what supporting documents you should add to your final business plan. You now hold all the keys to the doors along your entrepreneurial path. Journey well.
What you will learn
Develop a strategy for success, starting with a detailed business plan
Learn the role of the customer in your new business venture
Gain an understanding of marketing and all the pieces you will need to know to succeed
Understand the financial aspects of starting and running a business
Learn how and where to obtain financing
How you will benefit
Learn what you will need to know to get a successful start as an entrepreneur
Understand how to surround yourself with the right people and tools for success
Feel more confident as you step out on your own to achieve your dreams
Kris Solie-Johnson
Kris Solie-Johnson, chancellor and president of the American Institute of Small Business, best-selling author, educator, speaker, and mother of three, is an energetic and passionate entrepreneur. Her books are in public libraries, high schools, colleges, and military bases both nationally and internationally. Solie-Johnson has an MBA in Venture Management from the University of St. Thomas and over 19 years of experience helping entrepreneurs reach their goals quickly through joint venture partnerships, creative marketing programs, and innovative financial options. She's dedicated to motivating and inspiring owners to achieve beyond their dreams.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Improve your career prospects by learning how to develop powerful written documents that draw readers in and keep them motivated to continue to the end.
Do you have a nagging suspicion that a small improvement in your writing skills might also improve your career prospects? Don't let small gaps in your business writing skills prevent you from reaching your full potential!
It doesn't matter whether you're a clerical worker, an engineer, or an executive. If you communicate with others in writing, you need this course to help you identify and eliminate problem areas. By the end of this course, you'll know the secret to developing powerful written documents that immediately draw readers in and keep them motivated to continue until your very last, well-chosen word.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Improve your career prospects by learning how to develop powerful written documents that draw readers in and keep them motivated to continue to the end. This course will help you identify gaps and eliminate problem areas in your writing skills.
Writing as Problem Solving
In this first lesson, you'll learn a brainstorming technique that will help make writing easier and more fun for you right away. You'll learn how to disentangle the efforts of your creative and critical sides, and you'll come to understand why both sides are important components of good writing. You'll also learn why writing is one of the best problem-solving tools around.
Why Write and Who Is Your Reader?
Here's where you'll learn a helpful system for organizing your writing, whether it's an email, a formal letter, or a company-wide memo. You'll start by picking out a document that you have to write anyway so that you can put your new writing knowledge to use right away. You may as well get some work done while you're learning, right? Next, you'll nail down why you're writing this particular document and who your reader is. A second brainstorming technique will help you have fun thinking through these two questions.
Benefits You Can Offer Your Reader
In this lesson, you'll learn to make your readers do what you want. Your readers will be happy, too, since they'll get what they want in this win/win system. You'll learn the seven basic benefits you can offer your reader and how to write the crucial first sentence of your document. You'll learn one more brainstorming technique that will help you capture good ideas, words, and phrases.
Sequencing Your Ideas and How to Write Your Ending
Master seven strategies for putting your ideas in order and learn how poor sequencing can sabotage your efforts. You'll also discover the best way to end any document. It's an idea that may surprise you!
Revising, Formatting, Editing, and Proofreading
Revising, formatting, editing, and proofreading may all sound similar, but they're four distinct activities. In this lesson, you'll learn how revision is a process of exploration and discovery. You'll learn formatting strategies that will invite your reader in. You'll also learn to be a ruthless editor and professional proofreader.
What Words to Take Out
In this lesson, you'll learn how to write clearly and concisely. You'll explore three mistaken notions that lead business writers to use lots of convoluted phrasing and needlessly long words. You'll examine the pitfalls of using business clichés, jammed modifiers, trendy words, jargon, foreign words, redundancies, and hedging adjectives.
What Words to Put In
In the last lesson you learned what words to remove from your document. In this lesson, you'll learn what words you should include to make your business writing more compelling. You'll learn the four parts of the written communication process. You'll find out why the verbs and nouns you choose make a major difference. You'll also learn more ways to make the task of writing more enjoyable for you.
Strategies for Good Spelling and Punctuation
In this lesson, you'll look at strategies for good spelling and punctuation. Everyone needs this review! To keep it fun, you'll get to deal with the topics of spelling and punctuation by taking some easy quizzes. It's a chance to learn by doing. See how good your spelling and punctuation skills really are. You'll learn that punctuation is not a tyranny of rules, but an evolving protocol to help you communicate. Finally, you'll capture your weak areas on a Tips Card.
One Easy Grammar Lesson
Why do you have to bother with grammar? You'll find out why in this lesson. Take the Grammar Blitz Quiz to discover your grammar strengths and weaknesses. It will help you fill in the gaps that remain after years of boring grammar classes. You'll learn why using the active instead of the passive voice can be a demonstration of your integrity. You'll also explore the traps pronouns set for those who are sensitive to gender issues.
Getting the Tone Right
Getting the tone right in business writing can be tricky, especially in email. In this lesson, you'll get to tackle your worst moods with one more brainstorming technique. You'll learn how to defuse any negative emotions that might get in the way of your problem solving. You'll also learn how your attitude toward your reader, your topic, and your own needs determines your tone. As you go through the lesson, you'll learn two easy ways to eliminate unintentional tone mistakes.
When You Have to Say No
In this lesson, you'll learn why being able to say "no" with grace is a crucial business skill. A five-part format will give you a solid strategy for writing documents that say "no" while retaining the goodwill of your reader. You'll learn how to keep bad news letters, memos, and emails positive and helpful.
Email Etiquette
This lesson will provide an up-to-date review of all the ways that email is different from other kinds of business writing. It will teach you how to write emails that get the job done quickly and efficiently and explain their legal status in court. You'll also discover how to manage the tone of your emails so that you don't accidentally offend your reader.
What you will learn
Learn brainstorming techniques that will help make writing easier
Understand how to sequence your ideas to be more effective
Learn the important skills of revising, formatting, editing, and proofreading
Get a grammar refresher
Learn to get the tone right and take negative emotions out of your writing
Learn how to say "no" without offending your reader
How you will benefit
Gain a solid understanding of good writing and how to produce it
Learn to better communicate with peers and colleagues through your writing
Take charge of your career and gain confidence by developing and enhancing a skill you will use every day
Open the door to more career opportunities and promotions as you learn to effectively communicate
Ann Linquist
Ann Linquist is a continuing education instructor on college campuses, at corporations, and with non-profit organizations. She has helped thousands of adults learn to tackle their writing tasks with enthusiasm. Having written everything from novels to newsletters, articles to ad copy, Linquist is able to address the writing needs of each individual. The breadth of her background ensures a powerful, involving learning experience that builds on the strengths of each participant.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Learn powerful techniques to improve your decision-making skills at work.
Give yourself an employment advantage by developing analytical skills that are consistently in high demand. This course will teach you powerful quantitative methods that will have you making better, more informed, and more effective business decisions.
The days of making critical business decisions by instinct or coin toss are long gone. If you are planning a career in business, you cannot afford to miss this course!
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Give yourself an employment advantage by developing analytical skills that are consistently in high demand. This course will teach you powerful quantitative methods that will have you making better, more informed, and more effective business decisions.
Problem Solving and Decision-Making
Decision-making is one of the most important aspects of business, so you'll start things off by exploring a variety of analytical approaches that you can use for making business decisions. You'll also look at the basic steps involved in problem solving.
Introduction to Probability
This lesson will help you understand the probability of events. It will talk about basic probability concepts and how you can assign probabilities to experimental outcomes. You'll also find out how to apply probability concepts to business situations.
Introduction to Sampling and Surveys
In this lesson, you'll delve into the concepts of mean and standard deviation and how they're used in business. You'll also go over survey analysis, the various steps involved in doing a survey, and the most common errors that people make.
Decision Analysis
This lesson is all about the use of probability in decision-making. You'll explore an analytical approach called Decision Analysis. You'll learn how to structure a problem so that when you decide how to deal with it, you know what result to expect. The lesson will also talk about using an optimistic, conservative, and in-between approach when making decisions. Finally, you'll examine the concept of Expected Value.
Utility and Decision-Making
What if the decision you want to make isn't the most sensible one from a financial perspective? There are times when you need to base the worth of a decision on its value to you. An example of this would be deciding to buy a lottery ticket. Sometimes it's appropriate to make business decisions this way. This lesson will talk about this approach and where the different decisions can lead.
Forecasting
All businesses need to forecast sales and expenses, and the forecasts need to be accurate. This lesson will cover forecasting as it's done in business analysis. You'll learn about the two types of forecasting: qualitative and quantitative.
The Modeling Process
In this lesson, you'll discover modeling, which is the application of mathematical constructs to decision making. You'll explore simple, intermediate, and complex types of models and discuss the two approaches to model development: reductionist and holistic.
Modeling in a Corporate Environment
This lesson is about how models are developed within a business organization. It will talk about what needs to be done and who needs to do it in order to make the modeling effort a success. You'll explore the respective roles of the analyst (modeler) and the client for whom the model is being developed.
Financial Analysis
The most widely used type of business analysis is financial analysis. This probably doesn't surprise you too much since the point of any business is to make a profit. In this lesson, you'll look at financial analysis and how it differs from accounting. The lesson will discuss cost estimates and various types of business costs. You'll get familiar with the concepts of break-even analysis and cost/benefit analysis, both of which play a vital role in business analysis.
Project Management PERT/CPM
The techniques of PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) and CPM (Critical Path Method) have proven to be extremely valuable to project managers. This lesson will explain the basics of PERT/CPM and how to utilize these techniques in your work. You'll meet a simple technique called a Gantt chart, which works quite well for planning a simple project with a relatively small number of tasks.
Computer Simulation and Risk Analysis
Risk is a part of any business situation, which makes it something you need to consider when you do business analysis. Simulation is an excellent method of performing risk analysis, so this lesson will cover step-by-step procedures for creating and using a simulation model.
Computer-Based Information Systems
In the final lesson, you'll look at computer-based information systems. This includes such areas as Decision Support Systems, Optimization Analysis, and Knowledge-Based Systems. You'll learn what each of these areas constitutes and examine many business applications of each.
What you will learn
Learn quantitative methods that will have you making better, more informed, and more effective business decisions
Understand probability, sampling and surveys
Learn qualitative and quantitative forecasting
Understand modeling and how it is used to make better business decisions
Learn how financial analysis differs from accounting
Examine how to perform a risk analysis
How you will benefit
Make better, more informed, and more effective business decisions
Give yourself an employment advantage by developing analytical skills that are consistently in high demand
Matt Crabtree
Matt Crabtree, CFP ®, earned his Bachelor of Science in Business, Information Systems Management, in 1999, a mini MBA certificate from The School of Management at Yale University in 2004, a certificate in Financial Planning from Pepperdine University's Graziadio School of Business in 2012 and has received the financial industry's most rigorous and prestigious professional designation of Certified Financial Planner ™. After many years in project management, office management, and business sales, Matt began training individuals and organizations in areas of business finance, leadership development, successful negotiations, sales management, and customer service excellence. Matt has trained individuals and various units within the U.S. Department of Defense, as well as corporate organizations including IBM (technology), Accuray (healthcare-technology), and Gen-Probe (molecular diagnostics). Matt's natural aptitude for explaining his material in an easy-to-understand and enjoyable manner allows each student to gain insights into areas that are often considered challenging.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Lost for words? Don't be! Learn to build rapport, trust, warmth, and respect through conversation.
If you often find yourself at a loss for words or lack confidence in your communication abilities, you will appreciate this course. Each lesson works through the step by step process needed to become a great conversationalist. You will learn to use communication to build rapport and create environments of trust, warmth, and respect. Become more confident, create a great first impression, get along well with others, and create more and better personal and professional relationships.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Become more confident, make great first impressions, get along with others, and create better personal and professional relationships. This course provides a step by step process to become a great conversationalist as you use communication to build rapport and create trust, warmth, and respect.
Introduction to the Keys to Effective Communication
In this lesson, you will learn the qualities that make someone a great communicator, the five components of achievable goals, and how to create win-win situations. You will benefit from setting your own communication goals in clear steps that are easy to reach.
Rapport
Building rapport is the first great key to effective communication. In this lesson, you will learn how to build rapport with almost anyone. By doing so, you will become a better listener and know how to keep respect alive in your conversations. You will also learn the art of reflective listening from examples of how others turned frustrating communications into successful ones.
Pacing, Linking and Leading
In this lesson, you will learn how to pace and lead your conversations toward win-win outcomes. You will learn how to contain a conversation, keeping it on track and moving toward your goals. Interrupting gracefully and breaking rapport are skills you will learn to use in uncomfortable situations.
Mastering Learning Styles
In this lesson, you will master the three learning and communication styles. You will uncover your own learning style and learn to spot the communication style of others. These skills will help you share your views with anyone, even those you previously found difficult to communicate with.
Regaining Lost Rapport
This lesson explores some great ways to regain lost rapport and keep conversations positive. When you lose rapport, disagreements flourish, but a skilled communicator can regain lost rapport. You will also learn how to acquire communication flexibility and stay in great rapport with all types of people.
Mastering Motivation
This lesson covers useful motivation strategies. People motivate toward pleasure and away from pain. When you understand how to motivate yourself and others, you get more done. As you master your motivation skills, other things fall into place.
Group Presentations
This lesson focuses on presentation skills. An effective presenter knows how to communicate fluently and has a sense of the atmosphere in a room. An effective presenter creates win-wins so that everyone is happy with the outcome.
Communication in Leadership and Teamwork
Imagine that you're a part of a team in which the leadership is genuine. This lesson explores leadership and teamwork. You will learn how to build a great work or family team where each team member gives one another equal value and respect. You will see how a great leader can elicit and set the goals for their team and develop the vision for the group.
Communication With Children
In this lesson, you will learn how to communicate effectively with children. Guiding children is a huge responsibility. Children are very open, and adults' words go in deeply. You will learn why the early years of a child's life are so important. Information about brain development and early literacy dovetails beautifully with the other wonderful things you will learn in this course.
Subconscious Communication
Your subconscious mind is your deeper mind—it's the part of your mind that's beneath your conscious awareness. When you understand how to talk to your subconscious, you understand how to work with yourself and others to create greater success. In this lesson, you will find out how to use affirmations effectively.
Managing Stressful Communication and Anger
Anger is one of the biggest stumbling blocks to healthy relationships. Learning to manage and control your anger makes you a more powerful communicator and keeps goodwill strong. In this lesson, You will learn how to manage transition times so that change is graceful. You will learn how to hold efficient, productive, and fun family meetings.
Review of the Keys to Effective Communication
In this final lesson, you will reassess your communication goals to see how far you have come and set new goals, so you can apply your skills in other areas. You will gain further insight, enabling you to move past your stuck spots and into being a very effective communicator. You will use these strategies for the rest of your life.
What you will learn
Learn to use communication to build rapport and create environments of trust, warmth, and respect
Understand the process of becoming a great conversationalist
How you will benefit
Become more confident
Make great first impressions
Create more and better personal and professional relationships
Dawn Lianna
Dawn Lianna is an accomplished event manager, educator, and natural health expert with over 30 years of experience in event management, natural healing, and personal coaching. Her client list includes non-profit, community and educational organizations, along with corporations and individuals. As an event manager, she has planned, coordinated, and co-hosted over 500 successful events. She has a deep knowledge of the inner workings of the events space, which she shares with students as the instructor of the Event Management and Design course. She is also the author and instructor of the course, Keys to Effective Communication. Her MA in Counseling and Psychology, along with her status as Certified Hypnotherapist and Certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Practitioner, combine in her approach to trust, respect, and rapport in effective conversation. She is an active, certified coach who integrates alternative health practices and her personal studies of herbology, nutrition, positive thinking, intuition development, acupuncture, and massage in her work and her Introduction to Natural Health and Healing course.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Become indispensable to any organization by understanding how to identify and meet customer needs.
As someone who participates in delivering high levels of customer service, you're an important ambassador for your organization. In this course, you will discover a number of dynamite methods to bring out your best and also do the same for the people you work with. You will learn how to measure customer service—from your company's point of view and from the customers—and discover how to anticipate the needs of your customers.
You may already understand that top-notch customer service begins with knowing your customers and their needs, but do you know how to evaluate those customers, or better yet, what to do with the data once you have it? You will take a look at that, as well as identify how your customer service stacks up right now, and how you can build on even the sharpest of service policies. Plus, you will learn how to communicate, resolve complaints, and build long-lasting customer service programs.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Learn how to correctly anticipate and meet your customers' needs. This course will help you discover some effective methods to bring out your best and do the same for the other people you work with as you serve as an ambassador for your company.
Winning Customer Service
Do you know what winning customer service looks like? If you're like most of us, you know it when you see it, but you may not be able to replicate it easily within your organization. Well, that will soon change as you learn what it takes to provide the best service the first time.
Customers Revealed
Customers are complex and multidimensional, and the success of your organization depends on how well you can understand what your customers want and meet their needs. It's time to get to work by finding out who your customers are and how you can serve them best.
Customer Expectations
If you've ever handled a customer complaint, you know how expectations play a large role in ultimate customer satisfaction. Learn what motivates customers and the best way to appeal to them the right way, the first time.
Customer Service: Why Do It?
A lot of organizations still have the so what mentality when it comes to superb customer service. But you won't be one of them, will you? There are a lot of benefits to ramping up your customer service, one of which is making your current customers happy. You'll discover the secrets to doing so in this lesson.
The Decline (And Revival) of Customer Service
If you're like a lot of people, you've probably noticed that in some places, on some days, customer service seems to be a laughable misnomer. Ironically, the better the service, the greater the collective expectations for high quality follow-through and innovation. Learn about the decline and revival of customer service and see what you can do to capitalize on consumer expectations.
Moving Forward With the Four P's
Customers are happy when they get the right combination of product, price, and information. When you make the product available at the right time and place, you have a winning marketing mix—also known as the 4P's (product, price, place, and promotion). In this lesson, you'll see how you can help your organization grow by harnessing the power of the P.
Traits of Outstanding Customer Reps
You may already know which of your reps are top performers, and which of them are lackluster. But do you know how to cultivate the best qualities in every rep on your team? In this lesson, you'll unlock the secrets to efficient and friendly customer service.
Measuring Customer Service
It's great to know how to cultivate better service and how to pick the right team members, but it's also important to know how you measure the customer service you already provide every day. Get ready for a simplified, user-friendly tour of the measurements and math behind your customer service counter.
Customer Service Communication
Your success in satisfying customers largely depends on the level of your communication skills. So in this lesson, you'll see the importance of clear and direct communication. Plus, you'll find out how to solve communication problems, especially the ones that happen all the time when you're doing business over the phone.
Helping Upset Customers
In this lesson, you'll learn how to revive a troubled customer service program, deal with upset customers, and use technology to simplify your job duties. You'll also go over the steps to take when you face a difficult customer and review the use of call centers, email, and the Internet.
Motivating Your Team Part I
Your team of customer service personnel could probably stand a little more training and a lot more encouragement. Luckily, you'll soon know how to take your employees to the next level with motivation strategies that really work.
Motivating Your Team Part II
As you finish the course, it's important to reflect once again on how vital customer service reps are to the company. Learn the best ways to reward and motivate them to treat their jobs as careers, and their customers as friends. As you know, you only have one chance to make a first impression, and you don't want to waste it being busy or rude!
What you will learn
Learn what award winning customer service looks like
Discover who your customers are and how you can best serve them
Learn what motivates customers and the best way to appeal to them
Learn how you can capitalize on consumer expectations
Learn to motivate and reward the people on your service rep team
Discover how to deal with upset customers and the steps to take when you face a difficult customer
Cultivate better service by learning how to choose the right team members
How you will benefit
Discover methods to bring out your best and the other customer service reps on your team
Reflect on how vital customer service is to your organization and how important it is to treat your customers with courteousness and respect
Tony Swaim
Tony Swaim has helped many clients, colleagues, and students reach their professional and personal goals. He has been an online instructor since 1998 and has taught at colleges and universities across the United States since 1981. His focus areas are project management, Six Sigma, and supply chain management. Tony manages a successful consulting firm, and his industry experience includes 20 years of supply chain management. He earned a Doctorate in Business Administration from Kennesaw State University and holds professional certifications in six disciplines, including the Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI)® and Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB)® from the American Society for Quality (ASQ)®.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Discover how to harness the power of the Internet to build and sustain a profitable business. You will also learn the step-by-step process of creating a product, building a website, engaging a customer base, and finding new leads online.
Today, the Internet has changed everything. It is now entirely possible to create, launch, and build a profitable business from the convenience of your home with little to no upfront investment. This course will give you a solid foundation for building and growing a successful digital business.
You will be given a step-by-step approach that is easy to follow—from building a simplified strategy to branding your business. You will learn to create a product and how to build and launch your own website. You will learn to engage prospective customers, and implement a process that will drive fresh leads to your business. You simply need to know what to do and how to do it. So whether you are looking to generate a nice side income or even to replace your current income and ditch your full-time job, this course is for you.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
The Internet has changed the way people communicate and how businesses operate. It's also made it easier to fulfill your dreams of creating and building a business from the convenience of your own home. In the Starting Your Own Online Business course, you will learn how to develop a digital or traditional product or service and build a website to sell and deliver that product online. This course outlines a step-by-step approach that's easy to follow—from building a simplified strategy to branding your business. From start to finish, you will gain an understanding of what it takes to create, build, and maintain a profitable online business!
Build a Foundation for Your Online Business
In this lesson, we will build the foundation you need to start and grow a successful online business. You will understand what an online business is, the key components that make it work, and the steps for building your own. You will also learn about the three most popular online business models. Finally, you will be introduced to the concept of a Visual Business Strategy (VBS) diagram, which you will use to summarize your Internet business plan.
Create a Digital-Ready Business Brand
Learn how to build a business brand that's ready to be launched online. First, you will discover some secrets about developing an influential and recognizable name for your business. Next, you will learn how you can quickly and easily stake a claim to that business name throughout the Internet. After that, we'll examine ways to get a logo to support your business branding. Finally, you will gain an understanding of the importance of keywords and learn how to craft an effective keyword strategy for your business.
Build and Optimize a Product
See how to create products and services that you can sell as part of your online business. First, we'll explore the various types of products and services and how to build them. Next, you will consider what makes a "good" product and zero in on the right product for you. Finally, we'll look at how to tackle building your product, from creating your product development plan to leveraging your past efforts to develop your product more quickly and efficiently.
Develop and Launch an Engaging Website
Tackle the task of creating and launching a business website. You will understand what type of website you should build and learn how to align it with your business strategy. Then you will see how to develop an outline for your website, wireframe individual pages, and create or find the content you will need to make your web pages come alive. After that, we'll explore ways to build and launch your website without having to know anything about website design or coding. Finally, you will learn what it means to "host" your website.
Set up Your Online Selling Process
Gain an understanding of the basics of selling products on the Internet and learn how to design and document a sales process that aligns with your business strategy. Next, you will learn how to implement your newly created sales process by selecting the right mix of third-party tools and accounts that work with your website to conduct business transactions online. Finally, we'll examine how you can monitor, track, and measure the effectiveness of your sales process and use that information to increase your sales over time.
Install a Digital Communication Network
Learn what a digital communication network is and why you need to develop one for your business. Next, you will gain an understanding of the different types of digital communication methods and how you can use each to engage and develop relationships with your followers. Finally, we'll examine some advanced strategies that you can use to optimize and automate your communication with your prospects and customers consistently.
Your Email Management System
First, learn about the importance of utilizing an email management system to communicate with your prospects and customers. Next, we'll examine how you can set up your system, write engaging content, and deliver emails in a timely and automated manner. Finally, we'll explore some advanced email marketing strategies that you can use to help grow your email list and increase engagement.
Socialize Your Online Business
Build a foundation for using social media to grow your business. You will understand the definition of social media and explore critical principles to make sure that you're using social media in the right way. Next, you will learn about a process you can follow to consistently and effectively engage with prospects and customers. Finally, you will learn about different ways to generate and publish content quickly and easily.
Build Multiple Online Lead Streams
Examine the importance of generating leads to maintain a healthy and vibrant online business. First, we'll explore the concept of a lead generation process and review the types that exist. Next, we will work together to outline a lead generation strategy that is customized for your business. Finally, we'll outline the steps necessary to implement and systematize the lead generation processes you have selected to drive targeted prospects to your website.
Using Video to Grow Your Online Business
Why should you consider using video as one of your main lead generation processes to grow your online business? In this lesson, you will find out why, and we'll walk through the steps you can take to create compelling videos without being a video expert. Next, we'll take a peek at basic and advanced methods to create and distribute videos to gain exposure for your online business. Finally, you will learn how to host, record, and automate the delivery of videos through webinars.
Create an Online Partnership Program
Gain an understanding of how you can build a partnership program to introduce more people to your online business. First, you will learn what a partner program is and how it can help grow your business. Next, you will explore the critical aspects of any partnership program and how to integrate it into your website. Finally, we'll examine some crucial strategies for introducing your partnership program to prospects as well as new and future customers to generate an ongoing stream of fresh leads.
Implement an Online Support Center
See how to implement an online support center for your business. First, you will learn about what types of expectations online customers have for customer service and support and examine the essential pieces of any online support center. Next, we'll explore both basic and advanced ways that you can provide customer service support over the Internet and investigate various support solutions that you can use. Finally, we'll examine some key strategies for engaging with new and legacy customers to maximize customer satisfaction and minimize refunds.
What you will learn
Build a business brand that is ready to be launched online
Create products and services that you can sell as part of your online business
Create and launch a business website
Set up an email management system, write engaging content, and deliver emails in a timely manner
Generate leads to keep your business growing
Implement an online support center for your business
How you will benefit
Discover the techniques, tools, and strategies necessary to create a successful online business
Create a healthy and vibrant online business by generating leads to continually grow your business
Be able to supply your online customers with online support to increase customer satisfaction and minimize refunds
Brad Semp
Brad Semp, Ph.D., is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at a global corporation, a life-long entrepreneur, and a former professor of Bachelors and Masters of Science courses in Internet Marketing. Dr. Brad is active on social media platforms to engage with prospects and customers, expand relationships, and to grow businesses. He routinely coaches other entrepreneurs and business owners and consults with Fortune 500 organizations on how to design and implement effective social media systems, strategies, and tactics.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Stop dreaming and learn how to start your own successful small business.
Learn how to take your dream of starting a business and put it into action. In this class, you will learn everything you need to know about starting a business. You will begin by discovering the tricks to picking the right opportunity for you. Next, you will learn how to develop proven marketing techniques to easily build sales. Since every business needs money, this course discusses traditional and nontraditional financing options. Finally, you will learn easy-to-implement employee-management procedures and how to write business policies that help you build your business.
You, as a business owner, need to manage all your limited resources. One resource that often gets overlooked is your time. Throughout the course, you will learn time management techniques especially for entrepreneurs. While taking this course, you will discover the secrets that separate the successful entrepreneurs from the struggling ones.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Learn how to transform your passion and talent into a viable small business. This course will teach you about financing, marketing techniques, employee management, policy writing, and time management - everything you need to know to start your very own small business.
Starting Your Dream
If you've ever dreamed about starting a small business but didn't know where to start, then you have come to the right place. In this first lesson, you will learn why you should start a business, why now might be the perfect time to do it, and what separates successful business owners from those who remain dreamers.
Find Your Perfect Business Opportunity
In this lesson, you'll learn about the three different ways to start a business. You'll explore the advantages and disadvantages of buying a franchise, buying a business, and starting a business from scratch.
Creating a Truly Unique Business
No matter what business option you're leaning toward, you must find and exploit your unique selling proposition (USP). Your USP is the reason a customer would do business with you instead of someone else. In this lesson, you will develop your USP. Then you will discover the single most valuable asset in your business and how it can create all the wealth you will ever want.
Developing Your Business Plan
Alan Lakein, a leading expert on time management, says, "Failing to plan is planning to fail." In this lesson, you will learn all the advantages of having a written business plan. You will see how it helps you take advantage of more opportunities and keeps you focused on achieving your goals. If you need to find financing for your business, having a business plan becomes twice as important.
How to Legally Set Up Your Company
Once you have chosen the business opportunity you're going to pursue, you will need to legally set up your company. To do that, you will have to choose whether to be an S-corporation, a corporation, or a limited liability company. Each of these structures has advantages and disadvantages. In this lesson, you will find out how to decide which one would work best for you.
Power Marketing for Business Owners
Unless you have your own vault of money for marketing, you will need to know the best way to spend limited resources to create the most sales. As a future business owner, you need to understand the importance of direct-response marketing along with tracking and testing. You will learn about those things in this lesson as you discover how to expand marketing efforts that work and cut or improve those that are ineffective.
Advertising and Publicity to Skyrocket Your Business
This lesson continues the discussion on marketing and explores the pros and cons of two main forms of it: advertising and publicity. You learn about at free publicity, because it's one of the most cost-effective ways to market your business.
The Report Card for Your Business
No one can run a business effectively without proper accounting and financial statements. But few business owners take the time to understand the basics of bookkeeping. In this lesson, you will walk hand-in-hand with an actual business owner as she sets up her accounting records. By the end of this lesson, you will know the basics of accounting and be able to analyze and develop your own financial statements.
Finding Money for Your Business
Most new business owners need to find money to start their business. In this lesson, you will find out the most common, traditional ways to fund a business and a few nontraditional ways as well. Whichever method you choose, your desire to get your company going is what will make the difference. Many people give up too soon or don't use the feedback from a funding source to improve their plan. You don't have to be one of them.
Hiring, Motivating, and Parting With Employees
Employees can make or break a business. Just think about the businesses you wouldn't use again because of the poor service their employees provided. Bad employees can cost a company thousands of dollars, and you, as an owner, won't have the luxury of hiring and training employees on an ongoing basis. Hiring, training, motivating, and parting with employees are all complex processes. In this lesson, you will learn tips that make them easier.
Business Policies
Having effective business policies in place helps your business run efficiently. It also gives your employees a framework for knowing what's expected of them. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to develop your own business policies, including sexual harassment and ethics policies.
Managing You
To ensure success, business owners need to be able to use limited resources efficiently. In this final lesson, you will learn how best to manage your time, relationships, and personal financial position. You will leave this course knowing you have done all the preliminary groundwork to get your business off to a good start.
What you will learn
Learn the best ways to choose the right business opportunity
Develop proven marketing techniques that will help you build sales
Gain an understanding of traditional and non-traditional financing options
Learn effective employee-management procedures
Discover time management techniques designed to help entrepreneurs succeed
How you will benefit
Gain a complete understanding of what separates a successful business and how to avoid failure
Discover the single most valuable asset in your business and how it can help you create wealth
Develop the skills you need to effectively manage your time, relationships and personal financial position
Pursue your dream of owning a successful business by starting on the right track with proper structures and policies in place
Kris Solie-Johnson
Kris Solie-Johnson, chancellor and president of the American Institute of Small Business, best-selling author, educator, speaker, and mother of three, is an energetic and passionate entrepreneur. Her books are in public libraries, high schools, colleges, and military bases both nationally and internationally. Solie-Johnson has an MBA in Venture Management from the University of St. Thomas and over 19 years of experience helping entrepreneurs reach their goals quickly through joint venture partnerships, creative marketing programs, and innovative financial options. She's dedicated to motivating and inspiring owners to achieve beyond their dreams.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Learn to handle basic human resource functions to ensure the best possible results.
No matter what role you play in an organization, you are all affected by human resources. This course is designed to help people without experience in human resources to understand this very vital link in the organizational chain. It will prepare both managers and business owners to handle basic human resource functions in a way that will ensure the best possible result. In particular, attention is given to the hiring process, including ways to locate quality employees in a competitive labor market. Employee rights and the legal side of the human resource field are also covered.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Learn the essential role of human resources in successful organizations. This course will help you understand this very vital link in the organizational chain, so that managers and business owners can feel prepared to handle basic human resource functions.
The History of Human Resources
Do you ever wonder why the field of human resources is the way it is? How it has evolved? In your first lesson, you will travel through history to explore the roots of human resources. You will see how the modern human resource function has evolved from trade guilds, through the industrial revolution, to modern times.
Human Resources Functions in Today's Organization
What exactly does the human resource professional do on the job? In this lesson, you will take a look at the variety of vital activities that are frequently included in the human resources function. This variety can include everything from recruiting, hiring, and retaining employees, to labor management relations and workplace safety and training.
The Hiring Process: Part 1
How does someone go about finding and hiring a new employee? The initial preparation for hiring is often done in the quiet of an office, which may make it seem like new employees just magically appear. This lesson explores what goes on in that quiet office—focusing on preparing advertisements and application forms, reviewing and screening applications, conducting interviews, and verifying information.
The Hiring Process: Part 2
Interviews and background checks are key components of the hiring process. The interview is your chance to evaluate the job applicant in person to see how well their skills match your job requirements. This lesson looks at each part of the interview—from setting it up and to rating the person after the interview.
Finding Employees in a Competitive Labor Market
How do you get someone to apply for a job? Solid recruiting practices using both traditional and nontraditional techniques will ensure that you have a large pool of applicants from which to pick and choose. Traditionally, many companies simply run a classified job ad when they need a new employee, but in this lesson, you will explore other alternatives that may be equally effective in recruiting.
Retaining Quality Employees
What motivates a quality employee to stay on the job? What can you do to keep employees happy and working? In this lesson, you will learn how to analyze job satisfaction and the factors that keep employees happy.
Respecting Employee Rights
What rights do employees have? What are moral rights and how can the company protect them? What is the difference between a moral and a legal right? This lesson explores both moral and legal rights and how they can be used to benefit employees.
Laws Relating to Human Resources
What legal responsibilities does a company owe its employees? This lesson provides an overview of the many laws that impact the workplace. You will examine laws that govern union-management interactions, prohibit discrimination, set wage and hour requirements, and enforce safety standards.
Policy Making
Do you have a policy manual at work? What policies are included in the manual? How does anyone ever decide what policies to include? In this lesson, you will learn about policy manuals—what they should include, what policies are most common, and how you can ensure your policies comply with the law.
Employee Communications
How can workplace communication be effective? What should you do to ensure that communication is taking place on a regular basis? This lesson focuses on the need for effective communication programs at work and how to implement them. You will find out how to keep communication running smoothly throughout the organization.
Administration of Employee Benefit Programs
What should a strong employee benefit program include? What is involved in putting a benefit package together? Benefits are a great way to attract and keep employees. This lesson explores common employment benefits as insurance and retirement.
Human Resources—A Source of Quality
Have you ever wondered what makes a human resource professional successful? In your final lesson, you will learn the eight habits that successful professionals adopt. You will leave with the insight and ability to achieve excellence at work.
What you will learn
Learn to handle basic human resource functions effectively
Understand the hiring process, including ways to locate quality employees in a competitive labor market
Examine employee rights and the legal side of the human resource field
Learn how to conduct effective interviews
Gain a new respect for the vital role Human Resources plays in an organization
How you will benefit
Gain confidence in your ability to relate to employees and coworkers in an appropriate way
Learn to make better hires even in competitive markets
Open the door to new opportunities in entry-level HR positions
Ann Nevers
Ann Nevers holds a law degree and a master's in health law. She works in dispute resolution for business, employment, and health care and regularly teaches courses in these areas. She has published numerous academic articles, edited legal manuals, and written chapters on employment, dispute resolution, and health care topics.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Learn how to use the five most popular social media platforms—Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram—to grow and promote your business.
One of the biggest challenges for business owners is finding new customers. Over the past decade, some business owners have leveraged social media to do just that. Whether you're a social media novice or a seasoned veteran, this course will give you a solid foundation in social media marketing and using it to grow your business.
In today's globally connected environment, social media is a game changer for businesses. So, whether you're looking for a new way to market your business or simply want to better understand social media, this online social media marketing course will empower you.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Learn how to use the five most popular social media platforms-Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram-to grow and promote your business. This course will help you harness the power of social media to connect with new customers, advertise products, and promote your brand.
Developing a Social Media Foundation
In this lesson, you'll build the foundation you need to use social media to grow your business. You will discover the definition of social media, learn about its characteristics, and see what it can do for your business. Then, you'll explore the various types of social media and focus in on the ones that offer the greatest benefits.
Creating Your Social Media Strategy
You will see how you can build a strategy for using social media to grow your business. First, you will discover what a strategy is and why it's important to have one for your social media efforts. Then, you will gain an understanding of the critical elements of any social media strategy.
Building Your Social Media Organization
This lesson demonstrates how to develop a social media organization that will help you be as effective as possible. First, you will see how to choose from among the various platforms to select the ones that will serve your business best. Finally, you will learn how you can transform your simple diagram into a more detailed electronic file and add elements as your business grows.
Crafting High-Quality Content
In this lesson, you will learn how to produce social media content that engages your followers and entices them to comment. You will gain an understanding of how to write content that's optimized for distribution on social media platforms and to do so without it becoming a full-time job. Finally, you will learn the various ways that you can store, manage, search, and retrieve the social media content that you produce.
Facebook
Facebook is one of the most popular social networking sites. In this lesson, you will learn how you can use Facebook to effectively market and grow your business. First, you will get an overview of how Facebook works, and you will take a tour of a Facebook business page. Next, you learn how to create a Facebook account, set up a page for your business, and use strategies to gain awareness and exposure for your business.
Twitter
This lesson focuses on using Twitter to effectively market and grow your business. You will be guided through the steps required to create and brand a Twitter account for your business. Finally, you will learn several advanced strategies that you can use to gain awareness and exposure for your business.
LinkedIn
This lesson will teach you how to use LinkedIn to make connections, expand your personal network, and grow your business. You will explore a handful of strategies that you can use to gain awareness and exposure for your business.
Pinterest
In this lesson, you will learn how you can use Pinterest to share information and connect with others who are interested in your products and services. You will learn a handful of strategies that can help your business gain additional awareness and exposure.
Instagram
In this lesson, you'll learn how you can use Instagram to effectively market and grow your business. First, you'll look at an overview of the social media platform, see how it differs from others you've explored, and take a tour of its features. After that, you'll see how to create a personal account and how to decide whether or not to switch to a business profile. Finally, you'll examine several strategies that you can use to leverage Instagram to engage and interact and grow a base of followers for your business.
Social Media Automation
In this lesson, you will learn about social media automation. You will peek at the pros and cons and identify the most common pitfalls of using automation. This lesson also introduces the most popular free and paid automation tools that you can put to immediate use.
Social Media and Your Team
In this lesson, you will learn to minimize the time you spend on social media activities through delegation. First, this lesson investigates the types of tasks you can delegate and examine some common pitfalls to avoid. Next, you will explore processes for assigning tasks to team members and, if needed, hiring a part-time or full-time social media manager. Finally, you will gain some strategies for centralizing your social media information and get a preview of some software solutions for integrating your social media team's efforts.
Measuring Your Social Media Performance
How do you know if what you're doing is working? In this lesson, you will learn about tracking, monitoring, measuring and improving your social media activities. You'll investigate the most common types of metrics you will find in social media and then examine some popular third-party tools that can take your analysis to another level.
What you will learn
Describe the basics of online marketing and how Social Media works
Identify the main objectives for using social media in your business.
Select the right social media platform(s) that align with and support the identified business objectives
Demonstrate the ability to set up and configure the five most popular social media platforms.
Develop a process to test, measure, review, and continuously improve the effectiveness of your social media efforts.
How you will benefit
Confidently promote yourself as a social media marketer
Immediately apply what you learn in the lessons to promote your business and generate new leads
Gain the knowledge and develop the ability to implement a SOCIAL process to increase awareness, engagement and sales for your business.
Master the art of successfully using social media to promote a business and track your results - something most people can't do
Brad Semp
Brad Semp, Ph.D., is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at a global corporation, a life-long entrepreneur, and a former professor of Bachelors and Masters of Science courses in Internet Marketing. Dr. Brad is active on social media platforms to engage with prospects and customers, expand relationships, and to grow businesses. He routinely coaches other entrepreneurs and business owners and consults with Fortune 500 organizations on how to design and implement effective social media systems, strategies, and tactics.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Gain a marketable new skill by learning the basics of double-entry bookkeeping, financial reporting, and more.
In this comprehensive course, you will learn the basics of double-entry bookkeeping, as well as how to analyze and record financial transactions. You will get hands-on experience with handling accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll procedures, sales taxes, and various common banking activities.
Accounting Fundamentals covers all the bases, from writing checks to preparing an income statement and closing out accounts at the end of each fiscal period. Whether you're a sole proprietor looking to manage your business finances or you simply want to gain an understanding of accounting basics for career advancement or for personal use, this course will give you a solid foundation in financial matters.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
A calculator and a printer.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
If you want to increase your financial awareness and gain a marketable skill, this course is for you. You will learn the double-entry bookkeeping, financial transactions, financial reporting, and more.
Account Classifications, Account Titles, T Accounts, and the Accounting Equation
Welcome to Accounting Fundamentals! In this first lesson, you will learn all about account classifications, debits, credits, and T accounts. You will learn the difference between a liability and an asset and find out how to determine an owner's equity.
General Ledger Accounts and the Balance Sheet
Here's where you will begin your hands-on accounting practice: You will start by creating an imaginary company for which you will be the accountant. You will learn how to analyze your company's transactions to determine which amounts go into which accounts, then you will create your company's own General Ledger forms and post a few transactions into those accounts.
Journalizing Transactions and Posting to the General Ledger
Now that you understand the functions of the General Ledger, you're ready to move on to the next phase of recording transactions: the Journal. In this lesson, you will learn how to enter transactions into an 11-column journal and then post or transfer those amounts into appropriate General Ledger accounts.
Journalizing and Posting Cash and Charge Purchases and Payments on Account
In this lesson, you will learn all about Accounts Payable, which is money that you owe your vendors and suppliers. You will practice journalizing cash purchases and purchases on account, and you will get hands-on practice transferring those purchases to their corresponding Accounts Payable Ledger accounts.
Journalizing and Posting Cash and Charge Sales and Cash Received on Account
In this lesson, you will learn about Accounts Receivable, which is another name for money owed to your company by its customers. You will learn how to journalize and post those sales on account, how to enter charge sales into the journal, and how to transfer the information into an Accounts Receivable Ledger.
Payroll and Various Deductions
It's payday! This lesson will teach you how to determine gross pay, deductions, and net pay. You will learn how to prepare a payroll, write payroll checks, and how to prepare and maintain accurate payroll records.
Banking Services and Reports
In this lesson, you will learn all about banks and banking services: You will learn the proper way to write checks, make out deposit tickets, and reconcile your company's checking account with the bank statement. These are skills you will find valuable in both your business and personal life!
Posting Journal Totals to the General Ledger and Schedule of Accounts Payable and Schedule of Accounts Receivable
This lesson will teach you how to prepare a Schedule of Accounts Payable and a Schedule of Accounts Receivable. These reports can be used to compare the amount of money your business owes its creditors with the amount of money your customers owe your business.
End-Of-Year Worksheet
In this lesson, you will prepare a worksheet showing the net income or net loss for the fiscal period. The worksheet will show all income and expenses for the fiscal period as well as the assets, liabilities, and owner's equity account balances.
End-Of-Year Financial Reports
In this lesson, you will learn how to prepare various reports that are vital to the well-being of your company. You will learn how these reports can be used to make sound financial decisions in the next fiscal period. You will discover how to put together an Owner's Equity Statement, an Income Statement, and a Distribution of Net Income.
Journalizing and Posting Adjusting Entries
In this lesson, you will prepare for the end of the fiscal period by adjusting your asset account balances to accurately reflect the assets remaining at the end of the year. You will also find out how to journalize and post adjusting and closing entries to bring your company's General Ledger up to date.
Journalizing and Posting Closing Entries and Preparing a Post Closing Trial Balance
In the final lesson, you will prepare a Post Closing Trial Balance report to ensure that all of your debits and credits in the General Ledger balance out in preparation for the new fiscal period.
What you will learn
Learn the basics of double-entry bookkeeping, as well as how to analyze and record financial transactions
Get hands-on experience with handing accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll procedures, sales taxes, and various common banking activities
Learn about writing checks, preparing an income statement, and closing out accounts at the end of a fiscal period
How you will benefit
Learn everything you need to know to better manage your finances
Gain a solid understanding of accounting basics to be able to manage business finances or advance your career
Open the door to more career opportunities in the in-demand field of accounting and finance
Nancy Koenig
Nancy Koenig is an experienced industry professional with over 40 years in the workforce, including decades in finance. Nancy has worked in various finance roles in banking, insurance, and a hospital billing office. For the last 27 years of her career, she was an administrative assistant at a technical school, which involved running and overseeing the entire budget, amongst other duties. Nancy has also held part-time jobs as a bookkeeper for an auto parts store and a cable company, where she used QuickBooks computerized software. Over the past several years, she has also co-taught the Accounting Fundamentals and Accounting Fundamentals II courses with Charlene Messier.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Give yourself skills that are in high demand by exploring corporate accounting.
While it is true that accounting professionals are scarce, those with corporate accounting experience are even scarcer. This course will provide you with a solid understanding of corporate accounting practices.
In Accounting Fundamentals II, you will explore such topics as special journals, uncollectible accounts receivable, plant assets, depreciation, notes and interest, accrued revenue and expenses, dividends, retained earnings, and various financial reports for corporations.
If you're interested in increasing your financial awareness and accountability while also gaining a marketable skill, this is the course for you.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
A calculator and a printer.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Explore the world of corporate accounting and increase your financial know-how while gaining in-demand skills. This course will provide you with a solid understanding of recording and analyzing plant assets, depreciation, interest, dividends, revenue and other important corporate money matters.
Accounts Payable
In this lesson, you will learn all about accounts payable. You will be journalizing and posting your company's purchases and preparing a Schedule of Accounts Payable. This lesson will give you the tools you need to successfully track those accounts.
Accounts Receivable
In this lesson you will take a close look at accounts receivable. After completing this lesson, you will know how to enter charge sales into your Sales Journal and then post them to your General Ledger. You will have also learned how to journalize payments on account received from your charge customers.
Uncollectible Accounts Receivable
In this lesson you will learn about uncollectible accounts receivable. While many believe customers will always pay what they owe, that is not always the case. You will learn how to account for long overdue receivables that probably won't ever be paid.
Plant Assets and Depreciation
In this lesson, you will learn about plant assets and depreciation. Just like your car, business assets depreciate over time, so you will need to know how to account for that expense in your records. You will also need to record these assets and calculate their depreciation in a timely manner.
Notes Payable and Notes Receivable
This lesson is all about notes payable and notes receivable. You will learn all you need to know about accounting for these situations as you learn how to record the issuance and payment of these notes payables and notes receivables.
Accrued Income and Accrued Expenses
In this lesson, you will learn how to deal with accrued income and accrued expenses. Accrued income is money that the company earns in one fiscal period but doesn't receive until after another fiscal period begins.
Dividends and Starting the Year-End Worksheet
In this lesson, you will be dealing with dividends, which is money paid to the company's stockholders on their investment. You will learn how the business accounts for the dividends it pays to its stockholders. You will also look at retained earnings, or the amount of profit the corporation retains for future use.
Complete Year-End Worksheet With Adjustments
In this lesson, you will determine whether your business has a net income or a net loss by completing the worksheet started in the previous lesson. Because many General Ledger accounts change throughout the fiscal period, you will also need to bring these accounts up to date.
End-Of-Fiscal-Period Financial Reports
It's time to begin wrapping up your books for the end of the fiscal period. In this lesson, you will learn how to compile most of the various financial reports a corporation needs to complete at the end of the fiscal period.
Adjusting and Closing Entries and Post Closing Trial Balance
In this lesson, you will get the books all caught up and ready for the next fiscal period. You will go back and journalize those adjusting entries you entered into your worksheet, then you will enter closing entries into your journal.
Preparing a Payroll
This lesson covers every employee's favorite subject: Payroll. You will learn about various mandatory and voluntary deductions from employees' pay, as well as how to journalize and post an entire payroll. As an added bonus, after this lesson, you will be able to check the accuracy of your own paycheck.
Preparing Federal Tax Deposits and Year-End Tax Reports
The final lesson focuses on preparing a variety of end-of-year tax reports. Here's your chance to go step-by-step through a multitude of IRS forms with instructions that are much easier to understand. You will fill out the federal Form 941, then learn how to make federal income tax deposits.
What you will learn
Learn about accounts payable and receivable
Understand how to represent uncollectible accounts in reports
Learn about plant assets and timely depreciation of these assets
Learn how to deal with accrued income and accrued expenses
Understand stock dividends and retained earnings
Learn how to prepare year-end financial documents including tax forms
How you will benefit
Become more indispensable to any organization as you develop higher level accounting skills
Learn everything you need to know to accurately keep the books for any type of business
Become more aware of the accuracy of your own personal pay stubs and tax documents
Open the door to more career opportunities in accounting
Nancy Koenig
Nancy Koenig is an experienced industry professional with over 40 years in the workforce, including decades in finance. Nancy has worked in various finance roles in banking, insurance, and a hospital billing office. For the last 27 years of her career, she was an administrative assistant at a technical school, which involved running and overseeing the entire budget, amongst other duties. Nancy has also held part-time jobs as a bookkeeper for an auto parts store and a cable company, where she used QuickBooks computerized software. Over the past several years, she has also co-taught the Accounting Fundamentals and Accounting Fundamentals II courses with Charlene Messier.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Learn how to have more successful relationships with difficult bosses, co-workers, students, neighbors, or relatives.
This course will teach you how to see things from others' viewpoints based on their needs, values, beliefs, experiences, skills, knowledge, and self-interests. You will learn to approach difficult situations by answering the questions: who? what? where? when? how? and why? By answering these questions, you will understand who your difficult people are, what they're like, how you react to them, and their response to your actions.
You will also practice analyzing your interactions with those you share space with. By observing others closely, you will learn to read their identifying characteristics. Once you can identify which type of person you're dealing with, you will be able to choose appropriate reactions to their behaviors.
By the time you finish this course, you will understand that assertiveness involves taking responsibility when meeting your needs in a way that preserves the dignity and rights of others.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Do you want to know how to interact with anyone, regardless of how difficult you perceive them to be? This course will give you the skills to effectively meet your needs while protecting the dignity and rights of others to form more cooperative relationships.
Identifying Preferred Communication Styles
In the first lesson, you will find out the answers to four very important questions that impact the success of your relationships with others. The answers to these questions will help you identify your preferred communication styles.
Analyzing Your Own Difficult-Person Situation
In this lesson, you will begin to build a database about not only your difficult people—those who are different in communication style from you. You will also enhance your skills in reviewing and resolving problems with these people.
Dealing With Hostile-Aggressive Personality Types
This lesson discusses four types of hostile people. These are people who want to control everything and everyone but have no self-control. This group is called Hostile-Aggressives.
Dealing With Difficult Passive Personality Types
In this lesson, you will learn appropriate options for interacting well with those who are stubborn or critical—people known as Negative-Thinkers.
Dealing With Aggressive Subcategories of Difficult Intuitors
This lesson focuses on the appropriate way to effectively deal with aggressive individuals. You will learn how to recognize these people and share space with them.
Identifying and Dealing With Relators
In this lesson, you will take another look at another personality type called Relators. Plus, you will learn ways to effectively handle the difficult subcategories of this type.
Overcoming Your Own Difficult Characteristics
Some of your difficult people probably also feel that you're their difficult person, but you may be totally unaware of this. Do you feel that ignorance is really bliss? You will go through some exercises in this lesson that should help you figure it out.
Developing Skills to Become More Flexible
In this lesson, you will work toward improving your own flexibility skills: confidence, tolerance, empathy, positivity, and respect. To help, you will answer a few questions about each of your own skill sets as you move through the lesson's materials.
Exploring Resilience-Building Strategies
In this lesson, you will learn that a certain set of characteristics is essential if you want to relate well with others. As you will find out, you must first improve your versatility skills to maintain a positive attitude, and then learn to view obstacles and problems as "opportunities."
Discovering the Importance of Assertiveness to Positive Relationships
After finishing this lesson, you will understand what assertiveness is and what it isn't. You will begin to see why assertive behavior is so important to your success in getting along well with others. You will also carefully examine your own level of assertiveness and identify which of your skills need fine-tuning.
Changing Your Own Assertiveness Skills
This lesson focuses on simple, yet powerful assertive-communication techniques. You will learn to use self-disclosure appropriately to share information about yourself—your thoughts, feelings, and opinions—to build relationship trust and common ground.
Learning Techniques to Improve Your Listening Abilities
After this final lesson, you may be surprised to discover that your listening skills need improvement. Listening well is a complex process, and your own selective filtering often keeps you from real understanding.
What you will learn
Become proficient at identifying and working with different personality types
Build assertive communication skills that benefit your personal and professional life
Learn how to improve relationships with difficult, stubborn, or even hostile individuals
Develop awareness of your own tendencies and how these affect your relationships
How you will benefit
Improve relationships with family, friends, and co-workers
Get what you want out of people and be sure your personal needs are met
Become an expert communicator and listener
Understand the motivations behind the actions and behaviors of all people
Dawn Lianna
Dawn Lianna is an accomplished event manager, educator, and natural health expert with over 30 years of experience in event management, natural healing, and personal coaching. Her client list includes non-profit, community and educational organizations, along with corporations and individuals. As an event manager, she has planned, coordinated, and co-hosted over 500 successful events. She has a deep knowledge of the inner workings of the events space, which she shares with students as the instructor of the Event Management and Design course. She is also the author and instructor of the course, Keys to Effective Communication. Her MA in Counseling and Psychology, along with her status as Certified Hypnotherapist and Certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Practitioner, combine in her approach to trust, respect, and rapport in effective conversation. She is an active, certified coach who integrates alternative health practices and her personal studies of herbology, nutrition, positive thinking, intuition development, acupuncture, and massage in her work and her Introduction to Natural Health and Healing course.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Learn how to create your very own blog and podcast using the tools that you already have available on your computer.
Blogging and Podcasting for Beginners will teach you how to plan and create your very own blog and podcast. Through hands-on exercises, you will discover the benefits of using free web tools like Blogger, WordPress, Audacity, and YouTube. You will find that creating a blog and podcast is much easier than you ever imagined.
First, you will learn how to develop a plan for the content, setup, maintenance, and how to use free blogging software like Blogger and WordPress to put that plan into action. After that, learn how to record a professional-sounding audio podcast with a very simple recording tool you already have. You will edit the file with another free software program, add music to it, and then post it online for others to enjoy. Finally, you will find out how to record a video podcast. You will edit it, add special effects, drop in a podcasting-safe music file, and then publish it online.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac.
Mac users should expect to make adjustments based on their operating system differences especially during the podcast portion of the course. In addition, Mac users will download different versions of audio editing software and video editing software that will differ from the directions presented in the course.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
You should expect to download free online programs including an audio editing program during the class in order to create a blog and podcast.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Blogging and Podcasting are great ways to express yourself, but maybe you're not sure how to start. This course will teach you how to successfully plan and create your very own blog and podcast using hands-on exercises and free web tools.
Introduction
Welcome to the beginning of your blogging adventure! By course completion, you will know how to blog, produce your own audio and video podcasts, and how to market and promote your blog. In this first lesson, you will get acquainted with blogging terms, the parts of a blog, and the important differences between a blog and a website.
Blogging
It makes sense to give something a try before doing it yourself, right? This lesson will teach you how to participate in the blogosphere by commenting on a blog of your choosing. This lesson walks you through a series of questions to help you develop a sustainable plan for your blog's content, setup, and long-term maintenance.
Hosting and Software
This lesson explores your options for blogging software and hosting. You will learn about free online blog software options and work with two free blogging services, Blogger and WordPress. By the end of this lesson, your blog will be ready to go.
Appearance
Why settle for a cookie-cutter blog when you can create a custom blog look? In this lesson, you will pick the perfect image for your background and spice up your blog's header on your Blogger and WordPress blogs.
Privacy
In this lesson, you will get to decide who can read your blog. You will learn how to set your blog's privacy levels and comment field, in case you want to limit who can read or comment on your blog. Finally, this lesson teaches you how to add a few gadgets that help readers easily navigate your blog.
Styling
This lesson covers changing the font, color, and size of your text, and adding lists and links to enhance content and interactivity. You will also practice working with formatting tools to make your first post look great online.
Photos
You've mastered the process of formatting the text of your blog post, so now it's time to add some photos. After learning how to locate and incorporate appropriate images into your draft, create labels to categorize the content of your post. Next, learn the seven steps of promoting your blog, including how to utilize Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest as promotion tools.
Podcasts
It's time to explore the podcast. You will learn the podcasting terms needed to feel comfortable with this technology. This lesson introduces the PREP method of podcasting: planning your own podcast using an effective formula for developing content, setup, and maintenance.
Your First Audio Podcast
This lesson explores the minimum equipment needed to record your first audio podcast—as well as other equipment you may find of interest if you become a serious podcaster. And, after that, you will continue to follow the PREP method of podcasting by recording your first podcast using Audacity, a free audio recording program.
Editing and Publishing Audio Podcasts
This lesson focuses on the last two steps of the PREP method of podcasting: editing and publishing. You will learn how to cut out dead air and an unexpected sneeze, adjust the volume, and add effects so the sound fades in and out. Then, it will be time to publish your work.
Video Podcasts
Now that you know how to prepare, record, edit, and publish an audio podcast, doing the same for a video podcast is going to be a lot easier. In this lesson, you will learn the equipment you can use for video podcasting.
Editing Video Podcasts
It's time to fine-tune your video podcasting skills as well as your video podcast. In this final lesson, you will learn how to add transitions and video effects to your video file, trim unwanted portions out, and make audio enhancements.
What you will learn
Develop a plan for the content, setup, and long-term maintenance of a blog
Learn to use free blogging software like Blogger and WordPress to put that plan into action
Learn how to record a professional-sounding audio podcast, edit the file with a free software program, add music to it, and then post it online for others to enjoy
Find out how to successfully produce a video podcast with minimal equipment
How you will benefit
Learn everything you need to create a professional-level blog or podcast
Gain new career opportunities and/or a fun new hobby
Gain a new skill set that you can put to use on personal, business, educational, or even political projects
Richard Mansfield
Richard Mansfield is a best-selling author and widely recognized expert on computer programming. He holds a master's degree in English from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has written numerous articles and columns on computer topics, and was the editor of Compute!Magazine. In addition, he has authored or co-authored 44 books, including the best sellers Machine Language for Beginners (Compute!) and The Visual Guide to Visual Basic (Ventana). His more recent titles include Creating Web Pages for Dummies (co-authored, Wiley), XML for Dummies: All-in-One Desktop Reference (co-authored, Wiley), Mastering VBA for Office 2019 (Sybex), and Programming: A Beginner's Guide (McGraw-Hill). Richard's books have sold more than 600,000 copies worldwide and have been translated into 12 languages.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
This course will introduce different strategies employed during the budgeting process, the techniques and tools commonly used to make budgeting forecasts, the components of a basic operating budget, and how businesses make certain decisions that may impact their budgeted amounts.
If the idea of creating a budget for your business, department, or project seems overwhelming, this course will alleviate all of those fears. Taught in an approachable and relatable format, this course walks you through the budgeting process so you can go from numbers averse to budgeting super-hero. The downloadable templates included in the course allow you to easily and quickly take what you learn and apply it to your job. The storytelling used throughout the course makes the topic more approachable and engaging so you can obtain the soft skills that will help you be successful implementing and tracking a budget in the real world. Finally, the course challenge is something that will pique your curiosity at the beginning of the course and provide motivation to complete the course and continue learning the material.
A company's budgeting process involves a lot more than just rows and columns of numbers on a spreadsheet. The reality is that budgeting is a sometimes organic and sometimes organized process. Most often, it's an equal mix of both in an attempt to add some level of certainty to an uncertain future. These processes are what we are going to explore in this course. You will be introduced to different strategies employed during the budgeting process, the techniques and tools that are commonly used to make budgeting forecasts, the components of a basic operating budget, and how businesses make certain decisions that may impact their budgeted amounts.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox is preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
In this comprehensive, beginner-friendly course, you will learn the elementary skills needed to be successful in the budgeting process and work gradually work your way up to creating a budget. You will also discover how to best evaluate the results of your budget and make decisions to help your business maximize its profits.
Predicting the Future
In our first lesson, you'll explore how budgeting at its core is a process of looking forward. It's about making informed predictions about the future. Next, you'll see how a company's vision can lead to setting goals for the company. These visions are often aspirational and state the path for where the company plans to go in the future. Then, we'll also start the conversation about the human side of budgeting.
Budget Strategies
In this lesson, you'll begin to look at various budgeting strategies, including strategic, capital, and operations budgeting techniques. The lesson will include some real-life examples of planning activities, and to further bring these concepts to life, you'll work with a fictional company, Curly's Pool Service and Supplies, by helping Curly formulate some plans and budgets!
It's All About Sales!
This lesson will focus all on sales, specifically the role that sales play in the budgeting process. We'll examine the best practices for compiling a sales forecast and how to increase the chances that the sales forecast will actually mimic real life. We'll also discover how to create an inventory that needs a budget to determine just how much inventory to purchase based on a sales forecast. Finally, we'll discuss how to formulate a labor requirements budget to accurately project just how much labor you may need to employ to meet the needs of the company, again based on the sales forecast.
Cost Behavior – Part 1
In this lesson, we are going to detour a bit from the actual preparation of a budget and dive into how certain types of costs behave. Understanding how costs increase or decrease relative to an activity is an essential part of learning how to accurately budget for costs in a business. So, in the upcoming chapters, you're going to discover how to distinguish between variable, fixed, and mixed costs. We will use these cost types to calculate the contribution margin for the business. Then, we will show you how to use contribution margin to make certain predictions and decisions in a business. Most notably, you'll see how to use contribution margin to calculate the all-important break-even point and margin of safety for a business.
Cost Behavior – Part 2
This lesson will be a continuation of the discussion about cost behavior. In the lesson, you'll explore how to evaluate a company's sales mix and how to calculate operating leverage using tools given throughout the course. Operating leverage is just another key component of cost analysis that will allow you to, once again, easily make projections about the future. We'll end the lesson with a discussion about how companies set prices for the products and services they offer. You can probably guess that this process is a bit more involved than just selecting a price out of thin air. It's actually an essential part of a company's overall budgeting process and should not be taken lightly.
Expense and Manufacturing Production Budgets
In this lesson, we'll examine the steps needed to build both a direct materials budget and a direct labor budget. We'll also examine how a manufacturing company budgets for manufacturing overhead. All of these components are key to developing an overall production budget for a business that manufactures a product. Finally, we will end this lesson by describing the components of a production budget.
Cash Is King!
In this lesson, we'll discuss how to prepare a complete cash budget for a business. You'll get the chance to take an even closer look at how a company might forecast cash collections from credit sales and cash payments on credit purchases for big-ticket items like inventory or other expensive capital projects. We'll even take a look at how some companies mitigate the risk of running out of cash by utilizing lines of credit and other sources of cash instead of just relying on cash generated from sales.
Capital Budgeting
In this lesson, you'll learn some of the basic methodologies that can be applied in many different capital budgeting scenarios. The lesson will begin with an explanation of a technique that does not include an evaluation of how time impacts the valuation of money. Then, you'll learn how the passage of time and its impact on the value of a dollar is incorporated into capital budgeting decisions. Since capital projects often span years, or even decades in some cases, the time value of money is key to improving accuracy in budgeting for capital projects. The lesson will finish up with a thorough review of, perhaps, the most common technique that is used in capital budgeting decisions: net present value.
Business Decision-Making – Part 1
In this lesson and the one that follows, we're going to explore how businesses use budgeted data in combination with a formalized decision-making process to improve their chances of making better decisions. For a business, a better decision is one that maximizes profit and aligns with the company's goals and values. We'll start with an examination of what types of budgeted information are relevant to making a decision and what types of information you can ignore. You'll see the differences between quantitative and qualitative information and how each can be used to improve decision-making. Then we'll finish up with an example including some specific steps you can use as a model for making better decisions.
Business Decision-Making – Part 2
In this lesson, you'll continue to practice with these same techniques by applying them to a few other common business decisions. You'll start by examining how a business uses budgeted information to make the choice to replace an existing asset with a new asset, such as replacing an old piece of manufacturing equipment with a brand-new one. Next, you'll explore how a business might use budgeted information when deciding whether to eliminate a product or service that it offers. We'll finish up the lesson by examining one of the most critical business decisions you'll ever need to make: how to allocate your most scarce resource to maximize profit in your business.
Bringing It All Together
In this lesson and the one that follows, we will focus on how best to evaluate the financial stability and performance of the business using budgeted information. We'll start by taking a close look at using the components of a company's operating budget to compile the pro forma balance sheet. Next, we'll examine the steps needed to prepare the pro forma income statement, again by using the information found in many of the other operating budget components. To finish up the lesson, we'll dive into some straightforward techniques that are useful to evaluate the balances found on the pro forma balance sheet and income statements.
Evaluation, Control, and Methods
In our last lesson, we'll spend more time on the budget evaluation process by examining how companies use variance analysis to evaluate differences between actual results and the budget. To keep things manageable, we'll stick to the basics here so that you're equipped with some tools to take with you when applying these techniques in a real company. As part of this process, we'll take a look at how budget variances are defined and interpreted. Then, we'll discuss some techniques like flexible budgeting to evaluate and isolate certain budget fluctuations in a way that provides clarity to a business owner or manager. We'll finish up the lesson with a brief discussion of the budgetary control process and the soft skills needed for this process.
What you will learn
Learn about planning strategies and how they are used to keep a budget aligned with its vision
Obtain knowledge of cost behavior and how forecasts are used to ensure accuracy in future planning and budgeting
Develop various approaches to plan for general and administrative expenses
Gain tools and techniques used for a formal decision-making process
Master how best to evaluate the financial stability and performance of a business using budgeted information
How you will benefit
Learning how businesses think about budgeting will help you to make informed predictions about the future with strategic planning
Become more valuable to your employer or business by accurately budgeting costs
Make better business decisions with the knowledge about how businesses use budgeted data in combination with a formalized decision-making process
Increase success in your career with the skills, techniques, and tool kit provided by this course
Scott Paxton
Scott Paxton is a Certified Public Accountant and holds master's degrees in business administration and accounting. His background includes experience as a public accountant, a manager in the banking industry, an entrepreneur and a college business instructor. Paxton has also spent much of his career helping small business owners successfully optimize their business operations, budgets and strategic plans.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Turn your business ideas into a solid plan for financing and long-term success.
Turn your business ideas into a solid plan for financing and long-term success. Committing your idea to paper in the form of a business plan not only increases your chances of obtaining financing, but also in keeping your business strategically focused. You will work through all the major components of writing a business plan and emerge with your first draft in hand. Most importantly, you will have completed the first—and most difficult—step on the path to small business success.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Microsoft Word or other word processing program (not included in enrollment).
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Turn your business ideas into a solid plan for financing and long-term success. This course will guide you through all the major components of writing a business plan and you'll emerge with your first draft in hand.
A Strategy for Success
In this first lesson, you will meet several leading entrepreneurs and determine if you have similar passions and skill sets. You will discover that business plans are not just for funding your dream, but for guiding it along the path to success (as you choose to define it).
Defining Your Business
Now, you will start to mold your business. You will develop a vision and a mission for your enterprise. You will define and refine your product or service, and you will uncover your niche. This is the fun part of the journey—your only limitation is your imagination.
The Role of the Customer
This lesson will focus on the customer. Successful companies focus not on the products and services that they offer, but on the customers that they serve—on many levels. You will learn to position your company to be customer-centric, and how to move that customer from satisfied to loyal (and perhaps even an advocate for your business).
Structuring Your Organization
In this lesson, you will structure your organization so it's in the best position to provide your product or service to your targeted customers. You will discover the role that change plays in your entrepreneurial evolution. Change is good—it shows that you're thinking.
The Marketing Plan
This lesson explores the plan within the plan—the marketing section of your business plan. You will also discover the features and benefits of your product or service, and you will begin the ongoing task of market research. This is where you can differentiate your product or service from that of your competition.
The Competition
This lesson will explore three separate areas of marketing. First, you will learn about your competitors so that you can better position yourself and discover just how solid your business ideas are. Then, you will address one of the most difficult issues of new business—pricing. Finally, you will become a SWOT agent—analyzing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Marketing in Action
In this lesson, you will join a panel of outstanding marketing, public relations, and graphics experts who are also entrepreneurs and believe in the power of networking. You will explore graphic design, logos, image, public relations, and guerrilla marketing, as well as marketing in action.
Operations and Manufacturing
This lesson tackles operations and manufacturing concerns.
Understanding the Finance Section (Part I)
This lesson takes a bird's eye view of the financial section of a business plan. You will also briefly explore the capital equipment list, the balance sheet, and break-even analysis.
Understanding the Finance Section (Part II)
In this lesson, you will discover three additional financial components of the plan. You will explore the projected income statement, cash flow, and historical financial records. Be sure to take some time to explore the Supplemental Links area (in this lesson and in all the others) for outstanding online resources.
Financing Your Business
This lesson continues the focus on money, but from a different perspective than in the previous two. You will focus on funding and financing opportunities, and by the end, you should have a better understanding of financing. You will also find out where to locate traditional, and not so traditional, sources of funding.
The Final Document
In the final lesson, you will end one journey while beginning another. First, you will write an outstanding executive summary. You will receive a few important document formatting tips, and you will learn what supporting documents you should add to your final business plan. You now hold all the keys to the doors along your entrepreneurial path. Journey well.
What you will learn
Develop a strategy for success, starting with a detailed business plan
Learn the role of the customer in your new business venture
Gain an understanding of marketing and all the pieces you will need to know to succeed
Understand the financial aspects of starting and running a business
Learn how and where to obtain financing
How you will benefit
Learn what you will need to know to get a successful start as an entrepreneur
Understand how to surround yourself with the right people and tools for success
Feel more confident as you step out on your own to achieve your dreams
Kris Solie-Johnson
Kris Solie-Johnson, chancellor and president of the American Institute of Small Business, best-selling author, educator, speaker, and mother of three, is an energetic and passionate entrepreneur. Her books are in public libraries, high schools, colleges, and military bases both nationally and internationally. Solie-Johnson has an MBA in Venture Management from the University of St. Thomas and over 19 years of experience helping entrepreneurs reach their goals quickly through joint venture partnerships, creative marketing programs, and innovative financial options. She's dedicated to motivating and inspiring owners to achieve beyond their dreams.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Improve your career prospects by learning how to develop powerful written documents that draw readers in and keep them motivated to continue to the end.
Do you have a nagging suspicion that a small improvement in your writing skills might also improve your career prospects? Don't let small gaps in your business writing skills prevent you from reaching your full potential!
It doesn't matter whether you're a clerical worker, an engineer, or an executive. If you communicate with others in writing, you need this course to help you identify and eliminate problem areas. By the end of this course, you'll know the secret to developing powerful written documents that immediately draw readers in and keep them motivated to continue until your very last, well-chosen word.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Improve your career prospects by learning how to develop powerful written documents that draw readers in and keep them motivated to continue to the end. This course will help you identify gaps and eliminate problem areas in your writing skills.
Writing as Problem Solving
In this first lesson, you'll learn a brainstorming technique that will help make writing easier and more fun for you right away. You'll learn how to disentangle the efforts of your creative and critical sides, and you'll come to understand why both sides are important components of good writing. You'll also learn why writing is one of the best problem-solving tools around.
Why Write and Who Is Your Reader?
Here's where you'll learn a helpful system for organizing your writing, whether it's an email, a formal letter, or a company-wide memo. You'll start by picking out a document that you have to write anyway so that you can put your new writing knowledge to use right away. You may as well get some work done while you're learning, right? Next, you'll nail down why you're writing this particular document and who your reader is. A second brainstorming technique will help you have fun thinking through these two questions.
Benefits You Can Offer Your Reader
In this lesson, you'll learn to make your readers do what you want. Your readers will be happy, too, since they'll get what they want in this win/win system. You'll learn the seven basic benefits you can offer your reader and how to write the crucial first sentence of your document. You'll learn one more brainstorming technique that will help you capture good ideas, words, and phrases.
Sequencing Your Ideas and How to Write Your Ending
Master seven strategies for putting your ideas in order and learn how poor sequencing can sabotage your efforts. You'll also discover the best way to end any document. It's an idea that may surprise you!
Revising, Formatting, Editing, and Proofreading
Revising, formatting, editing, and proofreading may all sound similar, but they're four distinct activities. In this lesson, you'll learn how revision is a process of exploration and discovery. You'll learn formatting strategies that will invite your reader in. You'll also learn to be a ruthless editor and professional proofreader.
What Words to Take Out
In this lesson, you'll learn how to write clearly and concisely. You'll explore three mistaken notions that lead business writers to use lots of convoluted phrasing and needlessly long words. You'll examine the pitfalls of using business clichés, jammed modifiers, trendy words, jargon, foreign words, redundancies, and hedging adjectives.
What Words to Put In
In the last lesson you learned what words to remove from your document. In this lesson, you'll learn what words you should include to make your business writing more compelling. You'll learn the four parts of the written communication process. You'll find out why the verbs and nouns you choose make a major difference. You'll also learn more ways to make the task of writing more enjoyable for you.
Strategies for Good Spelling and Punctuation
In this lesson, you'll look at strategies for good spelling and punctuation. Everyone needs this review! To keep it fun, you'll get to deal with the topics of spelling and punctuation by taking some easy quizzes. It's a chance to learn by doing. See how good your spelling and punctuation skills really are. You'll learn that punctuation is not a tyranny of rules, but an evolving protocol to help you communicate. Finally, you'll capture your weak areas on a Tips Card.
One Easy Grammar Lesson
Why do you have to bother with grammar? You'll find out why in this lesson. Take the Grammar Blitz Quiz to discover your grammar strengths and weaknesses. It will help you fill in the gaps that remain after years of boring grammar classes. You'll learn why using the active instead of the passive voice can be a demonstration of your integrity. You'll also explore the traps pronouns set for those who are sensitive to gender issues.
Getting the Tone Right
Getting the tone right in business writing can be tricky, especially in email. In this lesson, you'll get to tackle your worst moods with one more brainstorming technique. You'll learn how to defuse any negative emotions that might get in the way of your problem solving. You'll also learn how your attitude toward your reader, your topic, and your own needs determines your tone. As you go through the lesson, you'll learn two easy ways to eliminate unintentional tone mistakes.
When You Have to Say No
In this lesson, you'll learn why being able to say "no" with grace is a crucial business skill. A five-part format will give you a solid strategy for writing documents that say "no" while retaining the goodwill of your reader. You'll learn how to keep bad news letters, memos, and emails positive and helpful.
Email Etiquette
This lesson will provide an up-to-date review of all the ways that email is different from other kinds of business writing. It will teach you how to write emails that get the job done quickly and efficiently and explain their legal status in court. You'll also discover how to manage the tone of your emails so that you don't accidentally offend your reader.
What you will learn
Learn brainstorming techniques that will help make writing easier
Understand how to sequence your ideas to be more effective
Learn the important skills of revising, formatting, editing, and proofreading
Get a grammar refresher
Learn to get the tone right and take negative emotions out of your writing
Learn how to say "no" without offending your reader
How you will benefit
Gain a solid understanding of good writing and how to produce it
Learn to better communicate with peers and colleagues through your writing
Take charge of your career and gain confidence by developing and enhancing a skill you will use every day
Open the door to more career opportunities and promotions as you learn to effectively communicate
Ann Linquist
Ann Linquist is a continuing education instructor on college campuses, at corporations, and with non-profit organizations. She has helped thousands of adults learn to tackle their writing tasks with enthusiasm. Having written everything from novels to newsletters, articles to ad copy, Linquist is able to address the writing needs of each individual. The breadth of her background ensures a powerful, involving learning experience that builds on the strengths of each participant.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Learn powerful techniques to improve your decision-making skills at work.
Give yourself an employment advantage by developing analytical skills that are consistently in high demand. This course will teach you powerful quantitative methods that will have you making better, more informed, and more effective business decisions.
The days of making critical business decisions by instinct or coin toss are long gone. If you are planning a career in business, you cannot afford to miss this course!
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Give yourself an employment advantage by developing analytical skills that are consistently in high demand. This course will teach you powerful quantitative methods that will have you making better, more informed, and more effective business decisions.
Problem Solving and Decision-Making
Decision-making is one of the most important aspects of business, so you'll start things off by exploring a variety of analytical approaches that you can use for making business decisions. You'll also look at the basic steps involved in problem solving.
Introduction to Probability
This lesson will help you understand the probability of events. It will talk about basic probability concepts and how you can assign probabilities to experimental outcomes. You'll also find out how to apply probability concepts to business situations.
Introduction to Sampling and Surveys
In this lesson, you'll delve into the concepts of mean and standard deviation and how they're used in business. You'll also go over survey analysis, the various steps involved in doing a survey, and the most common errors that people make.
Decision Analysis
This lesson is all about the use of probability in decision-making. You'll explore an analytical approach called Decision Analysis. You'll learn how to structure a problem so that when you decide how to deal with it, you know what result to expect. The lesson will also talk about using an optimistic, conservative, and in-between approach when making decisions. Finally, you'll examine the concept of Expected Value.
Utility and Decision-Making
What if the decision you want to make isn't the most sensible one from a financial perspective? There are times when you need to base the worth of a decision on its value to you. An example of this would be deciding to buy a lottery ticket. Sometimes it's appropriate to make business decisions this way. This lesson will talk about this approach and where the different decisions can lead.
Forecasting
All businesses need to forecast sales and expenses, and the forecasts need to be accurate. This lesson will cover forecasting as it's done in business analysis. You'll learn about the two types of forecasting: qualitative and quantitative.
The Modeling Process
In this lesson, you'll discover modeling, which is the application of mathematical constructs to decision making. You'll explore simple, intermediate, and complex types of models and discuss the two approaches to model development: reductionist and holistic.
Modeling in a Corporate Environment
This lesson is about how models are developed within a business organization. It will talk about what needs to be done and who needs to do it in order to make the modeling effort a success. You'll explore the respective roles of the analyst (modeler) and the client for whom the model is being developed.
Financial Analysis
The most widely used type of business analysis is financial analysis. This probably doesn't surprise you too much since the point of any business is to make a profit. In this lesson, you'll look at financial analysis and how it differs from accounting. The lesson will discuss cost estimates and various types of business costs. You'll get familiar with the concepts of break-even analysis and cost/benefit analysis, both of which play a vital role in business analysis.
Project Management PERT/CPM
The techniques of PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) and CPM (Critical Path Method) have proven to be extremely valuable to project managers. This lesson will explain the basics of PERT/CPM and how to utilize these techniques in your work. You'll meet a simple technique called a Gantt chart, which works quite well for planning a simple project with a relatively small number of tasks.
Computer Simulation and Risk Analysis
Risk is a part of any business situation, which makes it something you need to consider when you do business analysis. Simulation is an excellent method of performing risk analysis, so this lesson will cover step-by-step procedures for creating and using a simulation model.
Computer-Based Information Systems
In the final lesson, you'll look at computer-based information systems. This includes such areas as Decision Support Systems, Optimization Analysis, and Knowledge-Based Systems. You'll learn what each of these areas constitutes and examine many business applications of each.
What you will learn
Learn quantitative methods that will have you making better, more informed, and more effective business decisions
Understand probability, sampling and surveys
Learn qualitative and quantitative forecasting
Understand modeling and how it is used to make better business decisions
Learn how financial analysis differs from accounting
Examine how to perform a risk analysis
How you will benefit
Make better, more informed, and more effective business decisions
Give yourself an employment advantage by developing analytical skills that are consistently in high demand
Matt Crabtree
Matt Crabtree, CFP ®, earned his Bachelor of Science in Business, Information Systems Management, in 1999, a mini MBA certificate from The School of Management at Yale University in 2004, a certificate in Financial Planning from Pepperdine University's Graziadio School of Business in 2012 and has received the financial industry's most rigorous and prestigious professional designation of Certified Financial Planner ™. After many years in project management, office management, and business sales, Matt began training individuals and organizations in areas of business finance, leadership development, successful negotiations, sales management, and customer service excellence. Matt has trained individuals and various units within the U.S. Department of Defense, as well as corporate organizations including IBM (technology), Accuray (healthcare-technology), and Gen-Probe (molecular diagnostics). Matt's natural aptitude for explaining his material in an easy-to-understand and enjoyable manner allows each student to gain insights into areas that are often considered challenging.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Lost for words? Don't be! Learn to build rapport, trust, warmth, and respect through conversation.
If you often find yourself at a loss for words or lack confidence in your communication abilities, you will appreciate this course. Each lesson works through the step by step process needed to become a great conversationalist. You will learn to use communication to build rapport and create environments of trust, warmth, and respect. Become more confident, create a great first impression, get along well with others, and create more and better personal and professional relationships.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Become more confident, make great first impressions, get along with others, and create better personal and professional relationships. This course provides a step by step process to become a great conversationalist as you use communication to build rapport and create trust, warmth, and respect.
Introduction to the Keys to Effective Communication
In this lesson, you will learn the qualities that make someone a great communicator, the five components of achievable goals, and how to create win-win situations. You will benefit from setting your own communication goals in clear steps that are easy to reach.
Rapport
Building rapport is the first great key to effective communication. In this lesson, you will learn how to build rapport with almost anyone. By doing so, you will become a better listener and know how to keep respect alive in your conversations. You will also learn the art of reflective listening from examples of how others turned frustrating communications into successful ones.
Pacing, Linking and Leading
In this lesson, you will learn how to pace and lead your conversations toward win-win outcomes. You will learn how to contain a conversation, keeping it on track and moving toward your goals. Interrupting gracefully and breaking rapport are skills you will learn to use in uncomfortable situations.
Mastering Learning Styles
In this lesson, you will master the three learning and communication styles. You will uncover your own learning style and learn to spot the communication style of others. These skills will help you share your views with anyone, even those you previously found difficult to communicate with.
Regaining Lost Rapport
This lesson explores some great ways to regain lost rapport and keep conversations positive. When you lose rapport, disagreements flourish, but a skilled communicator can regain lost rapport. You will also learn how to acquire communication flexibility and stay in great rapport with all types of people.
Mastering Motivation
This lesson covers useful motivation strategies. People motivate toward pleasure and away from pain. When you understand how to motivate yourself and others, you get more done. As you master your motivation skills, other things fall into place.
Group Presentations
This lesson focuses on presentation skills. An effective presenter knows how to communicate fluently and has a sense of the atmosphere in a room. An effective presenter creates win-wins so that everyone is happy with the outcome.
Communication in Leadership and Teamwork
Imagine that you're a part of a team in which the leadership is genuine. This lesson explores leadership and teamwork. You will learn how to build a great work or family team where each team member gives one another equal value and respect. You will see how a great leader can elicit and set the goals for their team and develop the vision for the group.
Communication With Children
In this lesson, you will learn how to communicate effectively with children. Guiding children is a huge responsibility. Children are very open, and adults' words go in deeply. You will learn why the early years of a child's life are so important. Information about brain development and early literacy dovetails beautifully with the other wonderful things you will learn in this course.
Subconscious Communication
Your subconscious mind is your deeper mind—it's the part of your mind that's beneath your conscious awareness. When you understand how to talk to your subconscious, you understand how to work with yourself and others to create greater success. In this lesson, you will find out how to use affirmations effectively.
Managing Stressful Communication and Anger
Anger is one of the biggest stumbling blocks to healthy relationships. Learning to manage and control your anger makes you a more powerful communicator and keeps goodwill strong. In this lesson, You will learn how to manage transition times so that change is graceful. You will learn how to hold efficient, productive, and fun family meetings.
Review of the Keys to Effective Communication
In this final lesson, you will reassess your communication goals to see how far you have come and set new goals, so you can apply your skills in other areas. You will gain further insight, enabling you to move past your stuck spots and into being a very effective communicator. You will use these strategies for the rest of your life.
What you will learn
Learn to use communication to build rapport and create environments of trust, warmth, and respect
Understand the process of becoming a great conversationalist
How you will benefit
Become more confident
Make great first impressions
Create more and better personal and professional relationships
Dawn Lianna
Dawn Lianna is an accomplished event manager, educator, and natural health expert with over 30 years of experience in event management, natural healing, and personal coaching. Her client list includes non-profit, community and educational organizations, along with corporations and individuals. As an event manager, she has planned, coordinated, and co-hosted over 500 successful events. She has a deep knowledge of the inner workings of the events space, which she shares with students as the instructor of the Event Management and Design course. She is also the author and instructor of the course, Keys to Effective Communication. Her MA in Counseling and Psychology, along with her status as Certified Hypnotherapist and Certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Practitioner, combine in her approach to trust, respect, and rapport in effective conversation. She is an active, certified coach who integrates alternative health practices and her personal studies of herbology, nutrition, positive thinking, intuition development, acupuncture, and massage in her work and her Introduction to Natural Health and Healing course.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Become indispensable to any organization by understanding how to identify and meet customer needs.
As someone who participates in delivering high levels of customer service, you're an important ambassador for your organization. In this course, you will discover a number of dynamite methods to bring out your best and also do the same for the people you work with. You will learn how to measure customer service—from your company's point of view and from the customers—and discover how to anticipate the needs of your customers.
You may already understand that top-notch customer service begins with knowing your customers and their needs, but do you know how to evaluate those customers, or better yet, what to do with the data once you have it? You will take a look at that, as well as identify how your customer service stacks up right now, and how you can build on even the sharpest of service policies. Plus, you will learn how to communicate, resolve complaints, and build long-lasting customer service programs.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Learn how to correctly anticipate and meet your customers' needs. This course will help you discover some effective methods to bring out your best and do the same for the other people you work with as you serve as an ambassador for your company.
Winning Customer Service
Do you know what winning customer service looks like? If you're like most of us, you know it when you see it, but you may not be able to replicate it easily within your organization. Well, that will soon change as you learn what it takes to provide the best service the first time.
Customers Revealed
Customers are complex and multidimensional, and the success of your organization depends on how well you can understand what your customers want and meet their needs. It's time to get to work by finding out who your customers are and how you can serve them best.
Customer Expectations
If you've ever handled a customer complaint, you know how expectations play a large role in ultimate customer satisfaction. Learn what motivates customers and the best way to appeal to them the right way, the first time.
Customer Service: Why Do It?
A lot of organizations still have the so what mentality when it comes to superb customer service. But you won't be one of them, will you? There are a lot of benefits to ramping up your customer service, one of which is making your current customers happy. You'll discover the secrets to doing so in this lesson.
The Decline (And Revival) of Customer Service
If you're like a lot of people, you've probably noticed that in some places, on some days, customer service seems to be a laughable misnomer. Ironically, the better the service, the greater the collective expectations for high quality follow-through and innovation. Learn about the decline and revival of customer service and see what you can do to capitalize on consumer expectations.
Moving Forward With the Four P's
Customers are happy when they get the right combination of product, price, and information. When you make the product available at the right time and place, you have a winning marketing mix—also known as the 4P's (product, price, place, and promotion). In this lesson, you'll see how you can help your organization grow by harnessing the power of the P.
Traits of Outstanding Customer Reps
You may already know which of your reps are top performers, and which of them are lackluster. But do you know how to cultivate the best qualities in every rep on your team? In this lesson, you'll unlock the secrets to efficient and friendly customer service.
Measuring Customer Service
It's great to know how to cultivate better service and how to pick the right team members, but it's also important to know how you measure the customer service you already provide every day. Get ready for a simplified, user-friendly tour of the measurements and math behind your customer service counter.
Customer Service Communication
Your success in satisfying customers largely depends on the level of your communication skills. So in this lesson, you'll see the importance of clear and direct communication. Plus, you'll find out how to solve communication problems, especially the ones that happen all the time when you're doing business over the phone.
Helping Upset Customers
In this lesson, you'll learn how to revive a troubled customer service program, deal with upset customers, and use technology to simplify your job duties. You'll also go over the steps to take when you face a difficult customer and review the use of call centers, email, and the Internet.
Motivating Your Team Part I
Your team of customer service personnel could probably stand a little more training and a lot more encouragement. Luckily, you'll soon know how to take your employees to the next level with motivation strategies that really work.
Motivating Your Team Part II
As you finish the course, it's important to reflect once again on how vital customer service reps are to the company. Learn the best ways to reward and motivate them to treat their jobs as careers, and their customers as friends. As you know, you only have one chance to make a first impression, and you don't want to waste it being busy or rude!
What you will learn
Learn what award winning customer service looks like
Discover who your customers are and how you can best serve them
Learn what motivates customers and the best way to appeal to them
Learn how you can capitalize on consumer expectations
Learn to motivate and reward the people on your service rep team
Discover how to deal with upset customers and the steps to take when you face a difficult customer
Cultivate better service by learning how to choose the right team members
How you will benefit
Discover methods to bring out your best and the other customer service reps on your team
Reflect on how vital customer service is to your organization and how important it is to treat your customers with courteousness and respect
Tony Swaim
Tony Swaim has helped many clients, colleagues, and students reach their professional and personal goals. He has been an online instructor since 1998 and has taught at colleges and universities across the United States since 1981. His focus areas are project management, Six Sigma, and supply chain management. Tony manages a successful consulting firm, and his industry experience includes 20 years of supply chain management. He earned a Doctorate in Business Administration from Kennesaw State University and holds professional certifications in six disciplines, including the Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI)® and Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB)® from the American Society for Quality (ASQ)®.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Discover how to harness the power of the Internet to build and sustain a profitable business. You will also learn the step-by-step process of creating a product, building a website, engaging a customer base, and finding new leads online.
Today, the Internet has changed everything. It is now entirely possible to create, launch, and build a profitable business from the convenience of your home with little to no upfront investment. This course will give you a solid foundation for building and growing a successful digital business.
You will be given a step-by-step approach that is easy to follow—from building a simplified strategy to branding your business. You will learn to create a product and how to build and launch your own website. You will learn to engage prospective customers, and implement a process that will drive fresh leads to your business. You simply need to know what to do and how to do it. So whether you are looking to generate a nice side income or even to replace your current income and ditch your full-time job, this course is for you.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
The Internet has changed the way people communicate and how businesses operate. It's also made it easier to fulfill your dreams of creating and building a business from the convenience of your own home. In the Starting Your Own Online Business course, you will learn how to develop a digital or traditional product or service and build a website to sell and deliver that product online. This course outlines a step-by-step approach that's easy to follow—from building a simplified strategy to branding your business. From start to finish, you will gain an understanding of what it takes to create, build, and maintain a profitable online business!
Build a Foundation for Your Online Business
In this lesson, we will build the foundation you need to start and grow a successful online business. You will understand what an online business is, the key components that make it work, and the steps for building your own. You will also learn about the three most popular online business models. Finally, you will be introduced to the concept of a Visual Business Strategy (VBS) diagram, which you will use to summarize your Internet business plan.
Create a Digital-Ready Business Brand
Learn how to build a business brand that's ready to be launched online. First, you will discover some secrets about developing an influential and recognizable name for your business. Next, you will learn how you can quickly and easily stake a claim to that business name throughout the Internet. After that, we'll examine ways to get a logo to support your business branding. Finally, you will gain an understanding of the importance of keywords and learn how to craft an effective keyword strategy for your business.
Build and Optimize a Product
See how to create products and services that you can sell as part of your online business. First, we'll explore the various types of products and services and how to build them. Next, you will consider what makes a "good" product and zero in on the right product for you. Finally, we'll look at how to tackle building your product, from creating your product development plan to leveraging your past efforts to develop your product more quickly and efficiently.
Develop and Launch an Engaging Website
Tackle the task of creating and launching a business website. You will understand what type of website you should build and learn how to align it with your business strategy. Then you will see how to develop an outline for your website, wireframe individual pages, and create or find the content you will need to make your web pages come alive. After that, we'll explore ways to build and launch your website without having to know anything about website design or coding. Finally, you will learn what it means to "host" your website.
Set up Your Online Selling Process
Gain an understanding of the basics of selling products on the Internet and learn how to design and document a sales process that aligns with your business strategy. Next, you will learn how to implement your newly created sales process by selecting the right mix of third-party tools and accounts that work with your website to conduct business transactions online. Finally, we'll examine how you can monitor, track, and measure the effectiveness of your sales process and use that information to increase your sales over time.
Install a Digital Communication Network
Learn what a digital communication network is and why you need to develop one for your business. Next, you will gain an understanding of the different types of digital communication methods and how you can use each to engage and develop relationships with your followers. Finally, we'll examine some advanced strategies that you can use to optimize and automate your communication with your prospects and customers consistently.
Your Email Management System
First, learn about the importance of utilizing an email management system to communicate with your prospects and customers. Next, we'll examine how you can set up your system, write engaging content, and deliver emails in a timely and automated manner. Finally, we'll explore some advanced email marketing strategies that you can use to help grow your email list and increase engagement.
Socialize Your Online Business
Build a foundation for using social media to grow your business. You will understand the definition of social media and explore critical principles to make sure that you're using social media in the right way. Next, you will learn about a process you can follow to consistently and effectively engage with prospects and customers. Finally, you will learn about different ways to generate and publish content quickly and easily.
Build Multiple Online Lead Streams
Examine the importance of generating leads to maintain a healthy and vibrant online business. First, we'll explore the concept of a lead generation process and review the types that exist. Next, we will work together to outline a lead generation strategy that is customized for your business. Finally, we'll outline the steps necessary to implement and systematize the lead generation processes you have selected to drive targeted prospects to your website.
Using Video to Grow Your Online Business
Why should you consider using video as one of your main lead generation processes to grow your online business? In this lesson, you will find out why, and we'll walk through the steps you can take to create compelling videos without being a video expert. Next, we'll take a peek at basic and advanced methods to create and distribute videos to gain exposure for your online business. Finally, you will learn how to host, record, and automate the delivery of videos through webinars.
Create an Online Partnership Program
Gain an understanding of how you can build a partnership program to introduce more people to your online business. First, you will learn what a partner program is and how it can help grow your business. Next, you will explore the critical aspects of any partnership program and how to integrate it into your website. Finally, we'll examine some crucial strategies for introducing your partnership program to prospects as well as new and future customers to generate an ongoing stream of fresh leads.
Implement an Online Support Center
See how to implement an online support center for your business. First, you will learn about what types of expectations online customers have for customer service and support and examine the essential pieces of any online support center. Next, we'll explore both basic and advanced ways that you can provide customer service support over the Internet and investigate various support solutions that you can use. Finally, we'll examine some key strategies for engaging with new and legacy customers to maximize customer satisfaction and minimize refunds.
What you will learn
Build a business brand that is ready to be launched online
Create products and services that you can sell as part of your online business
Create and launch a business website
Set up an email management system, write engaging content, and deliver emails in a timely manner
Generate leads to keep your business growing
Implement an online support center for your business
How you will benefit
Discover the techniques, tools, and strategies necessary to create a successful online business
Create a healthy and vibrant online business by generating leads to continually grow your business
Be able to supply your online customers with online support to increase customer satisfaction and minimize refunds
Brad Semp
Brad Semp, Ph.D., is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at a global corporation, a life-long entrepreneur, and a former professor of Bachelors and Masters of Science courses in Internet Marketing. Dr. Brad is active on social media platforms to engage with prospects and customers, expand relationships, and to grow businesses. He routinely coaches other entrepreneurs and business owners and consults with Fortune 500 organizations on how to design and implement effective social media systems, strategies, and tactics.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Stop dreaming and learn how to start your own successful small business.
Learn how to take your dream of starting a business and put it into action. In this class, you will learn everything you need to know about starting a business. You will begin by discovering the tricks to picking the right opportunity for you. Next, you will learn how to develop proven marketing techniques to easily build sales. Since every business needs money, this course discusses traditional and nontraditional financing options. Finally, you will learn easy-to-implement employee-management procedures and how to write business policies that help you build your business.
You, as a business owner, need to manage all your limited resources. One resource that often gets overlooked is your time. Throughout the course, you will learn time management techniques especially for entrepreneurs. While taking this course, you will discover the secrets that separate the successful entrepreneurs from the struggling ones.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Learn how to transform your passion and talent into a viable small business. This course will teach you about financing, marketing techniques, employee management, policy writing, and time management - everything you need to know to start your very own small business.
Starting Your Dream
If you've ever dreamed about starting a small business but didn't know where to start, then you have come to the right place. In this first lesson, you will learn why you should start a business, why now might be the perfect time to do it, and what separates successful business owners from those who remain dreamers.
Find Your Perfect Business Opportunity
In this lesson, you'll learn about the three different ways to start a business. You'll explore the advantages and disadvantages of buying a franchise, buying a business, and starting a business from scratch.
Creating a Truly Unique Business
No matter what business option you're leaning toward, you must find and exploit your unique selling proposition (USP). Your USP is the reason a customer would do business with you instead of someone else. In this lesson, you will develop your USP. Then you will discover the single most valuable asset in your business and how it can create all the wealth you will ever want.
Developing Your Business Plan
Alan Lakein, a leading expert on time management, says, "Failing to plan is planning to fail." In this lesson, you will learn all the advantages of having a written business plan. You will see how it helps you take advantage of more opportunities and keeps you focused on achieving your goals. If you need to find financing for your business, having a business plan becomes twice as important.
How to Legally Set Up Your Company
Once you have chosen the business opportunity you're going to pursue, you will need to legally set up your company. To do that, you will have to choose whether to be an S-corporation, a corporation, or a limited liability company. Each of these structures has advantages and disadvantages. In this lesson, you will find out how to decide which one would work best for you.
Power Marketing for Business Owners
Unless you have your own vault of money for marketing, you will need to know the best way to spend limited resources to create the most sales. As a future business owner, you need to understand the importance of direct-response marketing along with tracking and testing. You will learn about those things in this lesson as you discover how to expand marketing efforts that work and cut or improve those that are ineffective.
Advertising and Publicity to Skyrocket Your Business
This lesson continues the discussion on marketing and explores the pros and cons of two main forms of it: advertising and publicity. You learn about at free publicity, because it's one of the most cost-effective ways to market your business.
The Report Card for Your Business
No one can run a business effectively without proper accounting and financial statements. But few business owners take the time to understand the basics of bookkeeping. In this lesson, you will walk hand-in-hand with an actual business owner as she sets up her accounting records. By the end of this lesson, you will know the basics of accounting and be able to analyze and develop your own financial statements.
Finding Money for Your Business
Most new business owners need to find money to start their business. In this lesson, you will find out the most common, traditional ways to fund a business and a few nontraditional ways as well. Whichever method you choose, your desire to get your company going is what will make the difference. Many people give up too soon or don't use the feedback from a funding source to improve their plan. You don't have to be one of them.
Hiring, Motivating, and Parting With Employees
Employees can make or break a business. Just think about the businesses you wouldn't use again because of the poor service their employees provided. Bad employees can cost a company thousands of dollars, and you, as an owner, won't have the luxury of hiring and training employees on an ongoing basis. Hiring, training, motivating, and parting with employees are all complex processes. In this lesson, you will learn tips that make them easier.
Business Policies
Having effective business policies in place helps your business run efficiently. It also gives your employees a framework for knowing what's expected of them. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to develop your own business policies, including sexual harassment and ethics policies.
Managing You
To ensure success, business owners need to be able to use limited resources efficiently. In this final lesson, you will learn how best to manage your time, relationships, and personal financial position. You will leave this course knowing you have done all the preliminary groundwork to get your business off to a good start.
What you will learn
Learn the best ways to choose the right business opportunity
Develop proven marketing techniques that will help you build sales
Gain an understanding of traditional and non-traditional financing options
Learn effective employee-management procedures
Discover time management techniques designed to help entrepreneurs succeed
How you will benefit
Gain a complete understanding of what separates a successful business and how to avoid failure
Discover the single most valuable asset in your business and how it can help you create wealth
Develop the skills you need to effectively manage your time, relationships and personal financial position
Pursue your dream of owning a successful business by starting on the right track with proper structures and policies in place
Kris Solie-Johnson
Kris Solie-Johnson, chancellor and president of the American Institute of Small Business, best-selling author, educator, speaker, and mother of three, is an energetic and passionate entrepreneur. Her books are in public libraries, high schools, colleges, and military bases both nationally and internationally. Solie-Johnson has an MBA in Venture Management from the University of St. Thomas and over 19 years of experience helping entrepreneurs reach their goals quickly through joint venture partnerships, creative marketing programs, and innovative financial options. She's dedicated to motivating and inspiring owners to achieve beyond their dreams.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Learn to handle basic human resource functions to ensure the best possible results.
No matter what role you play in an organization, you are all affected by human resources. This course is designed to help people without experience in human resources to understand this very vital link in the organizational chain. It will prepare both managers and business owners to handle basic human resource functions in a way that will ensure the best possible result. In particular, attention is given to the hiring process, including ways to locate quality employees in a competitive labor market. Employee rights and the legal side of the human resource field are also covered.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Learn the essential role of human resources in successful organizations. This course will help you understand this very vital link in the organizational chain, so that managers and business owners can feel prepared to handle basic human resource functions.
The History of Human Resources
Do you ever wonder why the field of human resources is the way it is? How it has evolved? In your first lesson, you will travel through history to explore the roots of human resources. You will see how the modern human resource function has evolved from trade guilds, through the industrial revolution, to modern times.
Human Resources Functions in Today's Organization
What exactly does the human resource professional do on the job? In this lesson, you will take a look at the variety of vital activities that are frequently included in the human resources function. This variety can include everything from recruiting, hiring, and retaining employees, to labor management relations and workplace safety and training.
The Hiring Process: Part 1
How does someone go about finding and hiring a new employee? The initial preparation for hiring is often done in the quiet of an office, which may make it seem like new employees just magically appear. This lesson explores what goes on in that quiet office—focusing on preparing advertisements and application forms, reviewing and screening applications, conducting interviews, and verifying information.
The Hiring Process: Part 2
Interviews and background checks are key components of the hiring process. The interview is your chance to evaluate the job applicant in person to see how well their skills match your job requirements. This lesson looks at each part of the interview—from setting it up and to rating the person after the interview.
Finding Employees in a Competitive Labor Market
How do you get someone to apply for a job? Solid recruiting practices using both traditional and nontraditional techniques will ensure that you have a large pool of applicants from which to pick and choose. Traditionally, many companies simply run a classified job ad when they need a new employee, but in this lesson, you will explore other alternatives that may be equally effective in recruiting.
Retaining Quality Employees
What motivates a quality employee to stay on the job? What can you do to keep employees happy and working? In this lesson, you will learn how to analyze job satisfaction and the factors that keep employees happy.
Respecting Employee Rights
What rights do employees have? What are moral rights and how can the company protect them? What is the difference between a moral and a legal right? This lesson explores both moral and legal rights and how they can be used to benefit employees.
Laws Relating to Human Resources
What legal responsibilities does a company owe its employees? This lesson provides an overview of the many laws that impact the workplace. You will examine laws that govern union-management interactions, prohibit discrimination, set wage and hour requirements, and enforce safety standards.
Policy Making
Do you have a policy manual at work? What policies are included in the manual? How does anyone ever decide what policies to include? In this lesson, you will learn about policy manuals—what they should include, what policies are most common, and how you can ensure your policies comply with the law.
Employee Communications
How can workplace communication be effective? What should you do to ensure that communication is taking place on a regular basis? This lesson focuses on the need for effective communication programs at work and how to implement them. You will find out how to keep communication running smoothly throughout the organization.
Administration of Employee Benefit Programs
What should a strong employee benefit program include? What is involved in putting a benefit package together? Benefits are a great way to attract and keep employees. This lesson explores common employment benefits as insurance and retirement.
Human Resources—A Source of Quality
Have you ever wondered what makes a human resource professional successful? In your final lesson, you will learn the eight habits that successful professionals adopt. You will leave with the insight and ability to achieve excellence at work.
What you will learn
Learn to handle basic human resource functions effectively
Understand the hiring process, including ways to locate quality employees in a competitive labor market
Examine employee rights and the legal side of the human resource field
Learn how to conduct effective interviews
Gain a new respect for the vital role Human Resources plays in an organization
How you will benefit
Gain confidence in your ability to relate to employees and coworkers in an appropriate way
Learn to make better hires even in competitive markets
Open the door to new opportunities in entry-level HR positions
Ann Nevers
Ann Nevers holds a law degree and a master's in health law. She works in dispute resolution for business, employment, and health care and regularly teaches courses in these areas. She has published numerous academic articles, edited legal manuals, and written chapters on employment, dispute resolution, and health care topics.
This is an ed2go Instructor Led Distance Learning Course. Hover over or tap this text for more details.
Instructor-led Courses (ILC) are for students who prefer a structured learning pace with instructor support. Lessons are gated and released biweekly. This type of course has fixed monthly start dates. This course can contain Peer to Peer and Peer to Instructor discussions.
Learn how to use the five most popular social media platforms—Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram—to grow and promote your business.
One of the biggest challenges for business owners is finding new customers. Over the past decade, some business owners have leveraged social media to do just that. Whether you're a social media novice or a seasoned veteran, this course will give you a solid foundation in social media marketing and using it to grow your business.
In today's globally connected environment, social media is a game changer for businesses. So, whether you're looking for a new way to market your business or simply want to better understand social media, this online social media marketing course will empower you.
Click Here For Additional Course Information
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Learn how to use the five most popular social media platforms-Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram-to grow and promote your business. This course will help you harness the power of social media to connect with new customers, advertise products, and promote your brand.
Developing a Social Media Foundation
In this lesson, you'll build the foundation you need to use social media to grow your business. You will discover the definition of social media, learn about its characteristics, and see what it can do for your business. Then, you'll explore the various types of social media and focus in on the ones that offer the greatest benefits.
Creating Your Social Media Strategy
You will see how you can build a strategy for using social media to grow your business. First, you will discover what a strategy is and why it's important to have one for your social media efforts. Then, you will gain an understanding of the critical elements of any social media strategy.
Building Your Social Media Organization
This lesson demonstrates how to develop a social media organization that will help you be as effective as possible. First, you will see how to choose from among the various platforms to select the ones that will serve your business best. Finally, you will learn how you can transform your simple diagram into a more detailed electronic file and add elements as your business grows.
Crafting High-Quality Content
In this lesson, you will learn how to produce social media content that engages your followers and entices them to comment. You will gain an understanding of how to write content that's optimized for distribution on social media platforms and to do so without it becoming a full-time job. Finally, you will learn the various ways that you can store, manage, search, and retrieve the social media content that you produce.
Facebook
Facebook is one of the most popular social networking sites. In this lesson, you will learn how you can use Facebook to effectively market and grow your business. First, you will get an overview of how Facebook works, and you will take a tour of a Facebook business page. Next, you learn how to create a Facebook account, set up a page for your business, and use strategies to gain awareness and exposure for your business.
Twitter
This lesson focuses on using Twitter to effectively market and grow your business. You will be guided through the steps required to create and brand a Twitter account for your business. Finally, you will learn several advanced strategies that you can use to gain awareness and exposure for your business.
LinkedIn
This lesson will teach you how to use LinkedIn to make connections, expand your personal network, and grow your business. You will explore a handful of strategies that you can use to gain awareness and exposure for your business.
Pinterest
In this lesson, you will learn how you can use Pinterest to share information and connect with others who are interested in your products and services. You will learn a handful of strategies that can help your business gain additional awareness and exposure.
Instagram
In this lesson, you'll learn how you can use Instagram to effectively market and grow your business. First, you'll look at an overview of the social media platform, see how it differs from others you've explored, and take a tour of its features. After that, you'll see how to create a personal account and how to decide whether or not to switch to a business profile. Finally, you'll examine several strategies that you can use to leverage Instagram to engage and interact and grow a base of followers for your business.
Social Media Automation
In this lesson, you will learn about social media automation. You will peek at the pros and cons and identify the most common pitfalls of using automation. This lesson also introduces the most popular free and paid automation tools that you can put to immediate use.
Social Media and Your Team
In this lesson, you will learn to minimize the time you spend on social media activities through delegation. First, this lesson investigates the types of tasks you can delegate and examine some common pitfalls to avoid. Next, you will explore processes for assigning tasks to team members and, if needed, hiring a part-time or full-time social media manager. Finally, you will gain some strategies for centralizing your social media information and get a preview of some software solutions for integrating your social media team's efforts.
Measuring Your Social Media Performance
How do you know if what you're doing is working? In this lesson, you will learn about tracking, monitoring, measuring and improving your social media activities. You'll investigate the most common types of metrics you will find in social media and then examine some popular third-party tools that can take your analysis to another level.
What you will learn
Describe the basics of online marketing and how Social Media works
Identify the main objectives for using social media in your business.
Select the right social media platform(s) that align with and support the identified business objectives
Demonstrate the ability to set up and configure the five most popular social media platforms.
Develop a process to test, measure, review, and continuously improve the effectiveness of your social media efforts.
How you will benefit
Confidently promote yourself as a social media marketer
Immediately apply what you learn in the lessons to promote your business and generate new leads
Gain the knowledge and develop the ability to implement a SOCIAL process to increase awareness, engagement and sales for your business.
Master the art of successfully using social media to promote a business and track your results - something most people can't do
Brad Semp
Brad Semp, Ph.D., is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at a global corporation, a life-long entrepreneur, and a former professor of Bachelors and Masters of Science courses in Internet Marketing. Dr. Brad is active on social media platforms to engage with prospects and customers, expand relationships, and to grow businesses. He routinely coaches other entrepreneurs and business owners and consults with Fortune 500 organizations on how to design and implement effective social media systems, strategies, and tactics.
By registering, I agree to INDEMNIFY AND HOLD HARMLESS Master the Possibilities, Inc., Sidney Colen & Associates, Ltd., On Top of the World Communities, Inc., Horticultural Arts & Park Institute, Inc., Bay Laurel Community Development District, and any of their agents, directors, officers, representatives, volunteers and employees from any and all loss, damage, injury, action or cause of action resulting from the classes, events, or trips and/or equipment owned or operated or permitted to be used or operated or is used or operated. This Release Waiver and Hold Harmless Agreement includes those classes, events, or trips inside or outside of Master the Possibilities, Inc. For the full waiver, visit https://www.masterthepossibilities.org/sites/default/files/PDF/WaiverofLiability.pdf.
If class is cancelled by the participant because of COVID positive results, there will still be a processing fee incurred by the participant.
Gain a marketable new skill by learning the basics of double-entry bookkeeping, financial reporting, and more.
Learn how to create your very own blog and podcast using the tools that you already have available on your computer.
This course will introduce different strategies employed during the budgeting process, the techniques and tools commonly used to make budgeting forecasts, the components of a basic operating budget, and how businesses make certain decisions that may impact their budgeted amounts.
This Customer Service training class teaches you the basics of customer service and translates that knowledge into practical application.
Learn powerful graphic design techniques and build websites that are both attractive and wickedly effective.
Learn the people skills required to motivate and delegate, and learn tools for solving problems and resolving conflicts.
This course will teach you everything you need to prosper in the backyard nursery business.
Learn powerful techniques to improve your decision-making skills at work.
Auction pros teach you how to work from home or earn extra income by buying and selling goods online.
Discover how to harness the power of the Internet to build and sustain a profitable business. You will also learn the step-by-step process of creating a product, building a website, engaging a customer base, and finding new leads online.
Stop dreaming and learn how to start your own successful small business.
Learn to handle basic human resource functions to ensure the best possible results.
Learn how to use the five most popular social media platforms—Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram—to grow and promote your business!
Learn how to have more successful relationships with difficult bosses, co-workers, students, neighbors, or relatives.
Turn your business ideas into a solid plan for financing and long-term success.
Improve your career prospects by learning how to develop powerful written documents that draw readers in and keep them motivated to continue to the end.
Lost for words? Don't be! Learn to build rapport, trust, warmth, and respect through conversation.
Become indispensable to any organization by understanding how to identify and meet customer needs.
