New Kids on the Block or NKOTB (for you people who can’t call yourselves the OGs) taught us all about steps … You know when Jordan Knight croons to you about how he’s gonna get to you, baby, when he goes step by step—you sing along.
Now, we know you might tell people that you turn that dial, but you don’t. You crank it up and do your best car-ride karaoke. You like singing about steps.
Steps are good. Steps move us forward. It’s those first steps that will make or break you. That is especially true when it comes to building a business.
Let’s just say you’re ready to hone some new skills and start building your business, and just like with anything, the first step is always the hardest. One of the best and first things you should do when you’re ready to start building your business is sign up for an e-commerce course!
These courses can give you a whole new perspective, tons of hints and tips, and a new way to position your product in the online market. But choosing the best course can be a bit of a struggle if you’re not sure what to look for or even where to look.
Before you start shopping for your next best step, take some time with us to review all the things you should be looking for in an e-commerce course and the best ones on the market right now.
What is eCommerce?
The first rule of investing in anything is knowing exactly what it is that you’re getting when you put your money down! Nobody appreciates a bait and switch. Ecommerce tends to be a catch-all term with courses, classes, and gimmicks happening all over the internet.
E-commerce at its heart is just electronic commerce. This encompasses an expansive field of everything from firms and individuals buying and selling anything and everything over the internet to stock investing and online banking.
Anytime you add something to your cart on your computer, tablet, or smartphone, you’re using the principles and tenets of e-commerce. Almost every market and product is available through the e-commerce platforms which makes it disruptive to ordinary transactions.
How will an e-commerce Class Help?
Learning more about how to build and grow your business in sustainable ways is always a worthwhile investment. But when you’re staring at a whole course, class, or seminar, it can be a bit daunting to jump in and get involved after only the first glance. You may also find yourself wondering how this class is going to help your business. After all, you’ve already got all of the details figured out!
An eCommerce class has some serious benefits for any business owner or entrepreneur! One of the biggest benefits is that you’ll be exposed to and learn new skills, as well as advance some new ones. You absolutely can teach an old dog new tricks! E-commerce classes teach students how to use online tools like WordPress, Shopify, and Facebook ads to build up their businesses in a hurry.
Building up your business is all about making connections and getting involved in an e-commerce class, giving you a chance to network like nobody’s business. Umm … yes, please! Everyone gathered at an e-commerce class or course is there to learn more about business. Each business is unique and you just might make connections with others that could benefit your enterprise.
Digital businesses are often run from home or from a small office where you might be the only employee. An e-commerce class gives you a chance to create a community that already emphasizes a certain culture or focus.
Things to look for in an eCommerce Class
You’re sold on the benefits, but now you’re faced with hundreds of different e-commerce classes to choose from. It can be so overwhelming and frustrating. But, when you know what to look for in a class like this, you can narrow down your choices and make a selection in no time.
Instructors
A class is only as good as the instructor and this goes for kindergarten, grad school, and an e-commerce class. Your instructor should have a relevant degree from an accredited university, extensive real-world experience, or other credentials available to show.
Every class is going to claim their instructor is an expert, so do your research and due diligence to determine if it’s true! You should easily be able to track down where they went to school, their work history, and any certifications they have.
Price
Everything worth having is going to cost you something and an eCommerce class or course is no exception. But the price shouldn’t hold you back! There are tons of great e-commerce classes and courses that are offered free or for a low cost.
E-commerce is a low-startup-cost business venture, but if you want information on specific areas, you’ll need to find a class that will match. This might set you back more than the basic classes, so be prepared to pay a little. You shouldn’t need to pay an arm and a leg though. Be sure to shop around to find a class that matches your needs!
Easy Access to Course Documents
Your overall course may be free, but if you need to pay to access the course documents, you’re out some serious money. There’s going to be a lot of information shared in the course, and no matter how meticulous your notes are, there’s a chance you won’t remember everything shared.
By having access to all of the course documents, you can go back at your leisure and make sure you’ve made note of everything you’ve learned. That is really great news for those who lead a busy lifestyle and can’t readily recall every piece of information taken in.
5 Best Ecommerce Courses Available
There are so many different eCommerce courses available that narrowing down your choices can be difficult. Luckily, we’ve done the hard work for you and brought together 5 of the best eCommerce courses on the market today!
#1-Best Choice: Ecom Warrior Academy
Our first choice for e-commerce classes is Ecom Warrior Academy. This course was founded by Matthew Lepre and has helped thousands of people make their fortune in e-commerce.
The difference between ECom Warrior Academy and other e-commerce classes is that this is both a course and mentoring put together. You’ll have access to mentoring calls with some of the best instructors, and within these calls, they can offer personalized advice for your e-commerce business.
All of the information you get when you sign up and go through the course is only as good as your first snag. That static information can’t work with you, learn with you, and grow with you, but the mentors you communicate with through the program can offer real-life, real-time advice.
Lepre is originally from Australia and dropped out of college when he was twenty-three years old. After dropping out of school, he focused his business on e-commerce and dropshipping. As he built his business, he learned and grew on his own without the benefits of mentoring or other information he now offers to his students.
The focus of much of Lepre’s and Ecom Warrior Academy training is about dropshipping. Lepre has become a millionaire in just a few years, and to get just a drop of his expertise, you’ll need to shell out some serious coin. The most conservative estimates of his average course cost are right around $4,000.
Lepre focuses on creating a whole new mindset when you’re starting your own business and e-commerce company. This mindset goes far beyond your e-commerce company and permeates your everyday life. By thinking like a boss and an entrepreneur, you’ll end up changing your whole life! And who couldn’t use a positive life-changing experience?!
The biggest draw of this e-commerce course is the active mentoring program that you’ll be part of while you’re in the course and after you graduate. All in all, this is our top choice for e-commerce courses! You’ll get plenty of one-on-one mentoring and the benefit of all of Lepre’s business experience.
As with many things in life, you want to think of this course as an investment. And this investment will continue to pay you back with really great benefits!
#2-General Ecommerce Course: Big Commerce
If you’re just getting started in the e-commerce world and you want to get some information before you pay for a more in-depth class, this is a great option! This is set up as a series of on-demand videos and the entire series is free for you to go through.
You do need to register to get access to the videos for this free course. As you go through the series, you’ll get information about setting up a business-to-business portal for easier transactions, a back office where you can account for everything you’re buying and selling, and the best way to choose the right suppliers.
E-commerce seems easy but there are a million little details to account for that you may not have thought of yet. This course goes over account management, shipping, and even pricing so you’ll get the most basic information out of the way.
Expanding your business and getting your business off the ground both require a lot of the same passion and drive. You’ll need lots of similar information for either direction, and this course can provide it all. Keep in mind that business to business is a bit different than selling to a consumer, so this course gives you all the basics you need when that is your focus.
The point of this class is to show you how to use and master the various techniques associated with e-commerce businesses. Throughout the course, the instructors focus on how you can best optimize the wholesale capabilities of your business as you work toward going exclusively B2B.
While ECom Warrior Academy has a few specific focuses, this Big Commerce course is very general, so it makes sense that it’s free to use. If you’re looking for an extremely simple and cost-effective e-commerce course to get started on your business, this is a great option for general information!
#3-Building the Basics: Udemy
Your online e-commerce store has to come from somewhere, and you’ll need to build it from the ground up. That can be daunting. So, rather than stumble around blindly and just hope that you can hit the target for what you need, Udemy can help coach you through the process of creating your online business.
For a low, initial cost, this course gives you all the information you need to build your own e-commerce business. The course offers up all the information you need, and you’re required to add in a bit more money to get the materials necessary for the business itself. This is a small investment and with the information you’ll be getting through the course materials, putting it together is simple!
The goal of this course is to give you the information and skills necessary to build and customize your website, or to build out a boutique online store with a logo without stocking anything upfront! That is a great thing!
Dropshipping with this method of e-commerce is one of the most popular and is an easy way to make your fortune from the comfort of your own home! Because staying in your comfy clothes while earning money is almost never a bad thing, right?
Udemy is focused on building this course out for those who want to enter the e-commerce arena surrounding boutique fashion. This is more of a niche area than other e-commerce classes and courses, so the Udemy program is designed to teach you more about this particular area of focus.
The final cost of this course is typically around $120, but when you use coupons, discount codes, and find sales, you can usually bring the price down to around $20. (Some of you just got really excited because you love a good deal!)
It’s important to note that you’ll also need a little bit of additional money for materials and other items that allow you to build out your store. But at the end of the course, you’ll have your own dropshipping business in the boutique fashion industry. And that is something to write home about!
One of the key points of this course is developing a logo for your boutique. The basic principles you learn in this process will help you design and create logos for all of your businesses, making it easy to remember and stand out to your audience.
Overall, this is a more basic course that will teach you all about the building blocks of the boutique clothing business! If this is an area of interest for you, this course will give you what you need to get started. With a low cost and easy-to-digest information, you’ll soon have a website, logo, and business that will be bringing in the money!
#4-Google-Based: Diploma in eBusiness
This is a free online business course published by Google. As a result, most of the information leans heavily in Google’s direction with an emphasis on the way Google ads and analytics work! While you may not have the best relationship with Google, building your business to fit the algorithm will help you work the system and create a successful business.
The focus of this course is creating a successful business and applying analytics to your desired business. If you’re building your business for local or international audiences, the business course helps your searching customers find you in their area.
This course is offered for free and includes six to ten hours of interaction depending on the emphasis you need or choose. While Google is the stated publisher of this course, the classes are comprehensive and give you a good general overview for your next online business. There are fifteen modules within the course, and they include the basics of online marketing.
After getting a great basis for the business, you’ll then transition to learning the ins and outs of the Google tools. Since Google is such a big tool used by businesses and customers alike, knowing how to finesse the system will help to get your business started on the right foot.
If you’re just getting started with an online business, using Google to your advantage is a great way to earn money in a short amount of time. This course is one of the best to give you all the information and knowledge about Google tools in order to make your e-commerce business a success.
It is true that you will be missing out on other information for other tools and business designs. That is just part of working with Google.
One neat area of this course is that it applies to anyone who wants to own an e-commerce store as well as the staff that will run the store day-to-day. Instead of only catering exclusively to the owners, there’s a much wider audience that can learn from this course.
#5-Introductory Course: Introduction to E-Commerce
This is another free course that has just a couple of hours of content. If you’re looking for the barest bones e-commerce class, this is it!
The entire course is similar to a 101 e-commerce class and gives you a general overview of the concepts you can expand on later with other courses. The focus is typically around e-commerce technology and the security you’ll need to successfully do business. After the course, you’ll receive a certificate saying you completed the entire thing.
If you’re just getting ready to consider this area of business, this is a great choice! You’ll get an intro to all of the challenges and considerations needed to think about before you jump into the e-commerce business. Throughout the course, you’ll learn how to reach even more customers and all about the tech that can make your business shine.
Technology is the thing that makes e-commerce possible, but there are plenty of loopholes that criminals can use to get into your business and get the best of you. You’ll learn how to take care and put in a good security plan which will protect both you and your customers from internet hackers. Hackers can completely destroy your hard-earned business. No thanks!
This course offers one of the best introductions to e-commerce available! It focuses on how to keep your customers and business secure along with all of the little details that can easily get swept under the rug when you’re starting your e-commerce company. The big draw is that it’s free and doesn’t take up much of your time to complete the course. Clocking in at only two to three hours of content, when you finish the course you receive a certificate and you’ll be able to start your business with the knowledge.
Get the Most from Your Course
Once you’ve settled on a course that you want to take, there are some things you can do to make sure you get as much out of the course as possible. So why not make the most of your time and energy?
The first thing you’ll want to do is establish the goals you want to achieve with the course. Write down exactly what you want so you can refer back to it at any point to remind yourself of your why when it gets tough! Choosing the goals you want to achieve will help you narrow down exactly the type of course you want to take.
As you’re going through the course, give yourself a chance to practice what you’re learning. The more you practice your new skills and live out the information you’re learning in the course, the more the information will sink into your mind and change your life. With big companies and courses like ECom Warrior Academy, they’re going to be teaching you a whole new way to live life, not just a way to run a business.
When it comes to specific skills that apply to your e-commerce business, take some time to practice those new-found skills. This might feel awkward at first but once you start practicing, it will quickly become second nature, and you’ll find yourself utilizing them at every turn!
Takeaway
E-commerce is an up-and-coming business niche that has taken hold of the collective imagination. Through eCommerce and dropshipping, people have made their fortunes without leaving their houses. By using technology, new fortunes have broken the mold of e-commerce businesses and allowed owners a chance to travel and live their dreams. Dreams are meant to be lived!
Getting started in this niche can be difficult to crack if you’re not sure where to begin. Ecommerce classes and courses give you all the information, tools, and technology you need to make your own choices and fortune. There are a million different choices and specific focuses that you can choose when you start looking for a class to take.
While basic classes will get the job done, ECom Warrior Academy is consistently one of the best on the market. The feature of mentoring makes it a stand-out choice for anyone serious about starting their own business.
Whether you need a basic class or you want something more specific, there’s an e-commerce class out there just waiting to help you make your fortune!