Business Training

Business training can encompass a wide range of classes and workshops. To function well in business, the list of skills needed is endless. You must be good at conflict resolution. Training in accounting and budgeting helps. The ability to read and correctly interpret a balance sheet goes a long way. Leadership and management skills are a must. With so many skills to master, you must narrow your choices for training to areas that will make the biggest impact in your career. If your goal is to own your own business, you will want to take classes about small business management. For those seeking high-level leadership positions in large companies, training in conflict resolution and communication will serve your purposes best. Our top five online resources cover these topics, and offer leads for additional help.

Reviewed Sites

The National School Boards Association: www.nsba.org

The National School Boards Association website has a huge variety of resources. (Most schools probably don't even know about the resources available.) Their tool kit resource is a program with modules about planning, leadership, community outreach and more. The toolkit link is: http://www.nsba.org/sbot/toolkit

The American Management Association: www.amanet.org

The American Management Association is a membership organization offering classes, books, training modules and publications. Their website is most useful for connecting leaders and managers with a wide variety of other resources. They run their own online classes and offer self-directed study courses.

Small Business Administration: www.sba.gov

Yes, we are including a government website among our top five most helpful links. If there is anything the government does well, it is provide resources for small business owners looking to get started. Information about business loans, training courses and local resources are all available. One of the most interesting and potentially useful aspects of the SBA website is the ability to register you business to be eligible for government contracts.

Study Guides and Strategies: www.studygs.net

This website is maintained by Joe Landsberger. It is constantly improving and changing. Joe maintains the site as a public service. It is a huge resource for information on all things leadership oriented - and the information is free!

Free Management Library: www.managementhelp.org

The best online resource, hands-down is the Free Management Library. Their detailed articles, complete with references help business owners, leaders and employees navigate every imaginable business condition.

Honorable Mention: Getting to Yes, by Roger Fisher and William Ury

Summary at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getting_to_YES

While you can read the book summary, this is one leadership/management book worth reading cover to cover. This is technically not a website, but contains such valuable information that we had to share it with you. All business success depends on the ability to communicate, negotiate and resolve conflict. Getting to Yes teaches the reader tons of tips for effective two-way communication in an easily digestible format.

Tips for Success

  1. Examine your career goals and focus on gathering and absorbing information from resources related to your goals. Otherwise you will run around in circles.

  2. No matter your focus, read and take classes related to conflict resolution. That skill is the most important skill to cultivate and hone for success in business and life.

  3. Make a point of taking at least one class or attending at least one seminar or conference a year to increase your business training knowledge. New methods and ideas are constantly developed. The more you know about up and coming trends, the more valuable you are.

  4. When starting a small business, network within your community for help and information. Starting a business involves an incredible amount of time and money. To ensure that your venture is successful from the start, take beginner business classes at a community college and join any small business networks near you.

  5. Learn basic financial principles. It is super if you end up director of a non-profit, or leader of a business. It is even better if you understand how to read the financial statements and use the information contained within for forecasting and planning.