The “non-formal education sector” is taking hold with entrepreneurs

Technology – and the ease of access to technology – is changing the way people approach small business training.

We’re entrepreneurs too, so we know all the hurdles small business owners are up against: Lack of time; need for income; friends and family; and the little thing called being a small business owner. We’ve spent a long time and surveyed a lot of small business owners to develop our unique and comprehensive small business training program. Entrepreneurs told us they wanted small business education that was fast, comprehensive and affordable. To us, online learning ticks all those boxes.

Online learning is fast

Our online small business training courses are delivered via streaming HD web video – in just 10 hours total. This means entrepreneurs can study at their own pace, around work and business issues. Because the internet is fluid, online learning modules can be updated more frequently than traditional paper- or classroom-based models. It also responds quickly to the needs and feedback of the community it serves.

Online learning is comprehensive

We teach GoForth’s 100 Essential Small Business Skills™ – yes, all of them – in our 10 hours of web video small business courses. Students can also download supplementary materials, email instructors and watch each module more than once. How does this relate to your last experience of classroom training?

Online learning is affordable

To give you an idea, GoForth Institute’s small business online learning program is just $295, way more than the traditional classroom-based model. Not bad when you consider the convenience aspect is also higher than classroom training – and convenience is something people often pay a premium for.

As you can see, online learning is an educational model that holds many important advantages over classroom training – advantages that entrepreneurs have told us they want. However, some still equate education with the traditional bricks-and-mortar classroom training or with universities and colleges. We feel this is becoming an outdated way of thinking. Online learning is no longer the venue for fly-by-night, get-rich-quick schemes. The new “non-formal education” sector is incorporating new technologies and adapting quickly to make education more accessible to more people.

Further Reading:

Can entrepreneurs benefit from online learning?

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Small business lessons from Generation Y

Yesterday’s Globe and Mail had an interesting feature entitled, “Why Gen Y prefers to patronize small businesses.” It’s the first of a three-part series at the Globe’s website outlining the effect Generation Y is having on business.

The boundaries of Generation Y are loosely defined, but it’s commonly considered to have begun in the mid ’70s and ended in the late ’90s. The Globe featured an book excerpt by author – and Generation Y member – Aiden Livingston. In the excerpt, Livingston outlines some reasons Generation Y is turning to small business rather than corporations. According to Livingston, Generation Y prefers small business because:

  • They feel corporations adapt to new trends in business too slowly;
  • They feel corporations are out of touch with their customers; and
  • They feel corporations are stuck in the past.

At GoForth Institute, we can certainly say that the need for adaptability and newness in business is strong. Entrepreneurs told us themselves that they wanted small business education via streaming HD online learning – and that’s what we gave them!

Our advice for entrepreneurs? Take heart – you’re reading this blog, which means you have adapted to a new trend in business and are not stuck in the past! Just keep listening to what your customers want, embrace innovation and keep adapting – these are just a few of the great small business lessons Generation Y can teach us.

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Dr. Leslie Roberts talks small business training with Mompreneur magazine

GoForth’s President and founder, Dr Leslie Roberts, was interviewed in the May/June issue of Mompreneur magazine.

Mompreneur is a magazine for Canadian women who “are balancing the role of motherhood with being an entrepreneur.” This month, Dr. Roberts was interviewed about GoForth Institute and issues facing entrepreneurs – the importance of small business education, access to online learning and what Canadian entrepreneurs told her they needed from the country’s first national small business training centre.

Mompreneur magazine is available at Chapters/Indigo now. Thanks to Mompreneur magazine for having us!

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The unique challenges faced by women in entrepreneurship

This month at GoForth Institute, we’re highlighting women in small business. With good reason, too – women own or manage 40% of Canada’s businesses and are starting small businesses at a record rate. However, with every type of entrepreneurship comes a unique set of challenges, and female entrepreneurs are no different.

What are the major challenges faced by women entrepreneurs?

A woman who starts a small business faces many of the same challenges encountered by any entrepreneur:

  • Access to quality small business training
  • The need for support services
  • Access to capital
  • Long-term business coaching
  • Staying current in their small business industry
  • Managing growth
  • Finding mentors

However, women who start small businesses also face a host of challenges unique to female entrepreneurs. Women are typically the primary caregivers of children and still tend to earn less than men, meaning that women starting a small business have even more to think about.

Giving women entrepreneurs the tools for small business success

At GoForth Institute, we’re entrepreneurs too. This means we’re committed to giving all entrepreneurs the tools they need to make sure the small business they’ve started has the best chances for success. We offer leading small business online learning programs, which are great for many women-owned small businesses – like home-based businesses. Women who have become self-employed or who have busy work/life schedules need only spare 10 hours in total to get comprehensive small business training from entrepreneurs who’ve been through the same things themselves!

The Canadian government is also making strides in supporting women in business, with initiatives such as business loans for female entrepreneurs and women-only networking events. Of course, businesses themselves love to support female entrepreneurs – check out the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards as an example.

If you’re a woman in business, what unique challenges have you faced? Let us know!

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