I am a course junkie (or course sucker, you tell me). I try to make a point to watch a course every day- even if it’s five minutes’ worth. Continual education is important to me, and if you spend money on a class or subscription, I’m gonna make sure I get my money’s worth.

I had a brief dream of going back to school to get an MBA, but then I remembered how much I hate homework and how expensive that’d be. So to compensate, I don’t mind letting myself spend a pretty penny on courses. Sometimes it’s a waste of money, and I regret it. But I’ve learned so much since starting my courses-habit that I’m not about to stop.

And if you haven’t signed up for Skillshare yet, you can click here for 30% off the Annual Premium membership.

Scale Your Business with Facebook Ads by Jack Paxton

I actually thought I was watching a different course on my watch list when I started this one. It’s short (45 minutes), so I went ahead and finished it.

One of my biggest 2021 resolutions is to learn how to do Facebook ads and make a profit with them. Since I am relaunching one of my shops to Woocommerce soon, this is the best time for me to do just that.

I found this course good. One thing I wonder is how much this would’ve helped me or overwhelmed me a few months ago versus now to it being underwhelming. The course discusses creating a funnel system with Facebook ads that are very helpful but could be a lot more in-depth. This course further validated how important a funnel system is, particularly with making ads. So it did shift my thoughts on my relaunch and advertising campaign plans for the relaunch.

Courses like this are good, but I see lacking in courses like these is a lack of variety of industries. I want so badly to see more working, proven examples for product-based businesses.

How do you create a lead magnet for a product-based business? What problem are beaded bracelets solving exactly? These are questions that go unanswered a lot in courses that I see stump people. I plan to write about my theory on this soon and plans to test that theory.

Empower your Brand: Crafting a Powerful Narrative by Aram Atkinson.

I call these fluff courses, and it’s unfair of me to call them that. I call them fluffy because they’re more explorative and freeform. Though the exercises here are great and validate the recurring ideas of making your product the hero of a story, courses like these aren’t going to make you money quickly. These are long-term courses that challenge you to keep examining your brand. I find it immeasurably valuable to continually craft and refine your messaging. You’ll never know where your new big idea and concept will come out of it or what problems or angles you haven’t even realized yet. I recommend this class, even if you skim and do some of the exercises.

Content Marketing: Create a One-Minute Video by Sally Sargood.

I started this course and immediately regretted thinking I’d be wasting my time. Instead, I felt inspired and excited. What I love about this course is how doable the task is, yet a one-minute video is a fantastic asset for a business to have.

You could use that video for your Etsy shop page, reuse it repeatedly on social media, post it on YouTube as evergreen content, have it on your website, and feature it in email marketing.

The tasks are so actionable. Sally breaks down what may sound overwhelming to something I can do in my home. I cannot wait to make my videos, and yes, I do plan to do this.

How to Discover Profitable Design Trends Before Anyone Else by Cat Coquillette.

I am all about finding trends, so this course was a no-brainer to take. Trend hunting is a skill that is rarely covered. It is probably because trends are finicky, and the people who know how to see them don’t exactly want to share. That’s my theory anyway.

Maybe I’ll write about this sometime, but I’m no expert in this area. I do find myself noting trends and motifs a lot more, especially when out shopping. Not that that happens much these days with the pandemic.

I found the course maybe a little lackluster- there were suggestions I had already known. But I found value and bookmarked the resources Cat shares. I recommend any business owner start working on having an eye for recognizing trends. This course can be a great introduction to the skill.

Let me know if you want more quick reviews.

I did take several other courses- some not on Skillshare. I may need to write about them next time if it’s something people request. Let me know!

(That 30% off premium annual membership link again in case you want to get the best of Skillshare)