“So, what do you do?”
For many Americans, the answer to that question is becoming more complex. According to Bankrate.com, over 44 million Americans claimed to be bringing in extra cash from a side hustle in 2017. And so can you. You just have to learn the right skills.
Whether you’re looking to earn some extra money or finally pursuing the calling you’ve never had the time or guts to go after, there’s no better time to get started than right now. The internet is basically a Hustle University filled with resources that can teach you how to become a side-gig girlboss.
Here are some free (very important, we know) courses that will help you get prepared, know your stuff, and feel extra confident like the diva you are. Because, as Beyoncé says, “Diva is a female version of a hustler.”
Create Your Business Website Without Code (With Squarespace)
Every business needs a website. This course will show you how to create a great site from scratch by modeling the exact process in real time. Over the course of three hours, you’ll follow along as instructor Jared Gold ofWebsite By Tonightworks with real clients to launch their business websites using Squarespace. This course doesn’t teach you how to build an e-commerce platform, but it’s a great place to start.
Easy and Effective Graphic Design: The Ins and Outs of Canva
For those of us who aren’t going to shell out for Photoshop, Canva is a great alternative for creating professional and beautiful graphics for websites and social media. In this course for non-designers looking to get their design on, Canva design and training expert Lisa Larson-Kelley goes over the basic approaches to layout, text, and shapes, and then has you try them yourself in Canva by designing an invitation.
Secret Sauce of Great Writing
This 38-minute video is one of the most popular free courses on e-learning platform Udemy—and for good reason. FormerWall Street Journaleditor Shani Raja says there are three secrets to writing: simplicity, clarity, and elegance. He then shows you how to incorporate those principles into business writing, blogging, PR, copywriting, and more.
How to Find the SEO Strategy that Fits Your Business
Matthew Howells-Barby, the acquisition expert on HubSpot’s marketing team, and HubSpot’s in-house SEO expert teaches viewers the fundamentals of search engine optimization in just over 11 minutes. You’ll learn the latest in how search engines rank your content, how to see how your current SEO is doing, and how to make your SEO work harder for your business.
Shopify Essentials for Web Developers: From Store Setup to Custom Themes
Creating a Shopify page is one of the fastest ways to get an e-commerce business up and running. Taught by Kurt Elster, who uses his MBA to help Shopify store owners find ways to earn more money, this course provides a primer on setting a Shopify theme to your specifications without going completely custom.
Startup Marketing For Everyone
Highbrow is the e-course site that comes to you. Every day for 10 days, you’ll get a five-minute lesson in your email inbox covering the fundamentals of marketing and communications for a startup. You’ll learn how to create engaging content and social media posts, and generally build awareness around your hustle.
Five Minute Instagram Growth: The Free Instagram Training Course To Help You Get More Followers
If you’rereallyshort on time but want some usual information when it comes to gaining Instagram followers (*raises hand*), Craftsposure, an online business school for creatives, has you covered. In five five-minute lessons in five days, you’ll learn how to gain followers, create images that will help increase your engagement, and beat the algorithm to get your photos seen more.
