Supported Online Learning

Take online business skills courses and successfully implement those new skills in your new business.

Who else is taking online courses or masterminds right now to upgrade their business skills?

There are so many amazing opportunities to learn new useful skills right now…but learning them is pointless if you can’t apply them into your real life!

We know it’s often a struggle to implement what you learn online (or even in-person) and to get the best value from these opportunities, you need to know how to customize these skills into areas of your business to get the ball rolling right away.

As founders of myCEO.ca, an online business coach consultancy, we provide digital courses and online masterminds and workshops to entrepreneurs and small business owners every month. Here are our best tips for taking online courses and implementing your new skills right away for your own business’s benefit!

Know Your Learning Style

• Visual: You learn by looking at pictures and images and you easily understand charts, infographics, and diagrams.
• Auditory: You learn by sounds and music so prefer to close your eyes and just listen to someone speak.
• Verbal: You learn through words and speaking so you take detailed notes.
• Kinesthetic: You learn using your hands and sense of touch so perhaps you play with your fingers or (subconsciously) rub your arm while you’re taking in new information.
• Chances are you are a mix of these four learning styles. For example, if you take detailed notes using multi-coloured pens and highlighters you might be a Visual-Verbal learner. Each of us is unique so to get the most benefit from taking online courses, take one that matches your learning style or adapt it to fit your style.

The point is, become a better learner by creating techniques to help you process information. Below are some of the tools we use to help us customize what we’ve learned and turn them into skills for our business.

Take Good Notes

There are many methodologies and techniques to take the most effective notes while you learn. Here are a couple of our favourite tips:

• Keywords: instead of writing out full sentences, focus on writing keywords and phrases.

• Write in your own words: Instead of copying what the instructor says, write it in your own words or how it applies to your business.

• Mind-map: If you are a more visual learner, you may want to create a mind map of what you learn so you can link ideas and learnings.

• Slide Notes: If your presenter has slides, ask for a copy of them in advance so you can write relevant notes on each slide.

• Some note-takers like to section out their note pages so it’s more organized. Here are some of the sections you could include with your notes to generate more ideas while learning:

• Questions: Have a dedicated section of your page (or a separate small notepad) to write down any questions you may have so you can ask them at the appropriate time.

• Ah Ha’s: If you have any light-bulb moments write them down in their own section.

• Implementations: Have a section to write down any related ideas that come to you as you take in the learnings. For example, if your instructor is talking about how to use a lead magnet for your business and you come up with a great topic, write it in this section so it doesn’t clutter your notes and you can easily find it later.

• Doodles: If you like to doodle while you listen, have a dedicated section for that to keep your notes area clean and organized.

Review, Ask Questions, Implement

When the session is over, we always recommend reviewing your notes shortly after (usually within 24 hours). This will give you a chance to clean up any messy writing, reorganize your thoughts as needed, and identify any holes in your notes that you want to seek clarification on.

Then, if possible, talk to or message the instructor or a fellow student in the class to ask any questions you may have about the content. You may have unanswered questions in your “Questions” section of your notes, or have thought of new questions in the last 24 hours that you let percolate in your head.

After you think you understand the concepts or methodology, start implementing them while they are fresh in your head. For example:

• If you take an SEO course you can start writing your keyword strategy.
• If you take a website course you can start sketching wireframes.
• If you take a business plan course you can start writing out your brand words.

After you start implementing your learning from taking an online course, you may find that you have more questions about how the theory and processes actually apply to your business. Don’t be afraid to ask the instructor or your classmates again, or even seek help and advice from a business coach.

Hiring a Business Coach

The best, most customized way to help you implement what you learned in business and marketing courses is to work with a business coach. A good business coach can answer any questions you had about the course content, and help you brainstorm and create actionable plans to implement it.

That’s why we created the Course & A Coach Program to help entrepreneurs and small business owners get access to 90-minute private coaching sessions, along with self-directed e-learning modules on the most highly desired skills in business right now. Courses available are:

• How To Get Found Online: Learn the basics of how to incorporate Search Engine Optimization best practices for your business. $249

• Design Your Own Website: Learn what type of website you need, how to build it yourself, and how to use website analytics to measure your success. $249

• Write Your Business Plan: Get clarity on your brand identity, set up goals and sales/marketing plans, and understand logistics, operations, and business finances. BONUS: This course comes with two 90-minute coaching sessions. $499

Keep in mind when taking online courses that the instructors spent years to learn that skill enough to teach it to you. No one expects you to hit the ground running after a couple hours on instruction. There will be mistakes, missteps, and miscalculations. That’s ok! That is what learning is all about!

To minimize these challenges after taking a business-focused course, hire a business coach like Betty Hasker and Glorie Averbach who can help you understand how the content applies to you and how you can implement it to see maximum results.