I have had young people what education they need to become an entrepreneur. While I don’t ever like to tell a young person they do not have to go to college (which I won’t unless their parents say I can or should), the fact remains that a person with even a 3rd grade education could be a successful entrepreneur.
But, a good measurement is to examine some of the world’s top entrepreneurs and see what they had on the level of education.
Bill Gates Education
The co-founder of Microsoft attended Harvard for 2 years and left before graduating and proceeded to develop Microsoft.
Richard Branson Education
Sir Richard is the founder of Virgin Group. He was a terrible student in younger years and he had dyslexia. His Headmaster told him he would either go to prison or become a millionaire.
Larry Page Education
The co-founder of Google attended the University of Michigan and graduated with a BS in computer engineering. He then gained a Master of Science in computer science from Stanford.
Henry Ford Education
Henry was the founder of the Ford Motor Company. I am not sure just how far he got in regular school, but he never attended college.
Sam Walton Education
We know him as the entrepreneur who established Walmart. Sam attended the University of Missouri as an ROTC cadet. He joined the Army during World War II.
As you can see, these entrepreneurs had a wide variety of education. I would wager that if we were able to ask any of them if an entrepreneur needs education, they would probably say yes, but self-education in the areas that will help you in your entrepreneur goals.
With that, I would like to share some free or low cost means of self-educating yourself to give you an extra advantage in your goals of becoming a successful entrepreneur.
I am going to list several education courses and books you should consider.
Education Course: New Venture Finance: Startup Funding for Entrepreneurs
This course was created by the University of Maryland and can be a great way to learn methods of getting funding towards your entrepreneur dream.
Education Book: Purple Cow by Seth Godin
Make sure and take notes as you read this outstanding book. Seth tells you the best method of developing a product that people beg you for.
Purple Cow, New Edition: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable
Education Course: Scaling Operations: Linking Strategy and Execution
This is another excellent course that can give you concepts and show you tools to use to build your business so that you are more competitive in the marketplace.
Education Book: How To Get Rich by Felix Dennis
Felix is the founder of Maxim Magazine and he is rich. He shares his entrepreneur secrets in a brutally honest way. I really suggest that you take the time to read this book and learn some of the tips and tricks Felix used.
How to Get Rich: One of the World’s Greatest Entrepreneurs Shares His Secrets
Education Course: How to Build an Online Business: A Complete Business Plan
This free course outlines a basic passive income plan. For those of you who want to know more about building websites for income, this is a great course to take.
Education Book: The Power Of Broke by Daymond John
Learn from the founder of Fubu how a startup with very little resources can be an advantage for you. Many entrepreneurs have little to start, and you can still make it big starting with very little.
Education Course: Foundations of Business Strategy
This is an excellent course that is free. It is taught by Michael Lenox.
If you are still in school and wondering what classes will help you the most
If you are still in school and you wonder what would be the best classes to take to help you in your entrepreneur journey, I suggest:
- Accounting
- Marketing
- Economics
- Public Speaking
- Writing
- Computer Science
All of these will help you substantially.
Conclusion
One thing I have learned about education as an entrepreneur is: never stop learning. No matter what, try to learn something new each and every day. Read books, watch videos, attend webinars and public speaking events.
You can never learn too much and even if it seems that what you are learning may not help you, trust me, you will use it at some point in time.
I have one last free course I would like to tell you about.
I developed the 7 Days to Profitability training course that I know will help you as an entrepreneur. Just visit this link, watch the video and scroll down and sign up. I know you will be glad you did.
Thank you for visiting today and please share this with other potential entrepreneurs.