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California is home to about 4.2 million small businesses, comprising 99.8% of all businesses in the state, and they employ nearly half of the state’s private workforce, roughly 7.5 million people, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. New businesses keep opening at a record pace, too: California has led the country in new business applications every year since 2020.
However, California still has some of the highest tax rates in the country. LLCs and corporations in California pay an $800 minimum franchise tax every year, and the top personal income tax rate that pass-through profits are taxed at is 13.3%. High taxes, complex regulations, a high cost of living, and a competitive labor market may pose a challenge for business owners, but a successful business in California is still, on average, more profitable than one in most other states.
Get ahead of the competition by continuously learning and picking up new skills. Luckily, there are several courses online that can help you prepare for the journey ahead. Here are four we recommend for 2026, covering the numbers, the marketing, the spreadsheets and the people side of running a business.
The four courses at a glance
- Fundamentals of Accounting (Alison, free): read your own books in an afternoon.
- Digital Marketing Professional Certificate (Wharton on edX, paid): the whole online marketing playbook, from a top business school.
- Excel Essentials: Level 1, 2 & 3 (Udemy, usually under $20 on sale): the spreadsheet skills every owner ends up needing.
- Project Management Principles and Practices (UC Irvine on Coursera, free to audit): plan, budget and deliver work on time.
1. Fundamentals of Accounting
Accounting records can give you valuable insights into how your business is doing. You need to make sure that you’re making a profit and are able to comply with the ever-changing California tax regulations. Start with this course to get a step-by-step guide through accounting essentials, and get better acquainted with important accounting principles and terminology.
Pros
- You learn how to create a profit and loss, cash flow, and other financial statements.
- It includes a discussion on the risks that a small business may face, which can help you in risk management and analysis.
- It is designed to be finished within a few hours, perfect for busy business people.
Cons
- It only covers the basics of accounting and excludes more advanced aspects.
- Alison is free because it shows ads; the ad-free version and the printed certificate cost extra.
2. Become a Digital Marketer
Now that most businesses have gone online, there’s even more competition. There are many strategies to learn and moving parts to consider before you can become a digital marketer. This program teaches the concept of omnichannel marketing, digital marketing strategies and analysis, and more. If the Wharton price tag is too steep, the digital marketing category on CourseDuck ranks far cheaper alternatives by student reviews.
Pros
- You’ll earn a Professional Certificate in Digital Marketing from the Wharton School by the end of the program.
- Self-paced learning allows you to progress at your own speed.
- The program is split into four courses taught by renowned professors from Wharton.
Cons
- You can’t ask the instructors questions.
- The program cost is steep compared with a typical online course.
- The program takes several months to complete.
3. Excel Essentials: The Complete Excel Series, Level 1, 2 & 3
Excel provides companies with the ability to organize, record, calculate, and then interpret numerical data. This course starts you off with the basics of Excel, and then helps you work through two more levels that cover intermediate functions and automating your spreadsheets with VBA. Udemy lists it at full price, but it goes on sale for a fraction of that most weeks.
Pros
- It comes with dozens of downloadable reference materials.
- It’s suited for all skill levels, from complete beginners to those who have been using Excel for years.
- You can access a Student Questions Answered section fielded by Excel experts.
Cons
- While you can ask questions, it may take a few weeks to get a response.
- ActiveX components aren’t covered in the modules.
What students say
Varun KapurThis is an amazingly well designed course that covers everything from the basics, all the way till coding in VBA. I highly recommend it for anyone whose role requires them to prepare reports. The section in VBA for automating data entry, generating time stamps and auto-mailing the report are absolutely essential. That being said a component should be added to course for generating user-forms, and...
Susana AridiI can’t find the words to express my gratitude to Alan for this great course.It took me from a novice to an excel expert in few weeks time. The course is very well structured, the pace and the sequence of the content can’t be better...not to mention his continuous support and prompt replies to questions asked. I just wish if Alan could explain pivot tables, and I wish Alan will follow this course...
Reviews from students, via this course's page on CourseDuck.
4. Project Management Principles & Practices
A good idea is key to building a business, but a good manager keeps operations running smoothly. As a business owner, you’ll ultimately have to rely on your team to help you deliver your product or service within budget and on time. This specialization from UC Irvine equips you with the knowledge to plan, budget, schedule, and handle projects across all the areas of your business.
Pros
- You don’t need experience to be able to follow and understand the modules.
- The course helps you develop management tools using effective budgeting and scheduling techniques.
- Business owners as well as team members can audit the courses for free and understand the workflow on a more holistic level.
- The specialization includes a capstone project that simulates a real situation.
Cons
- The capstone project may be time consuming, going beyond the projected course duration.
- The certificate requires a paid Coursera subscription for as long as you take to finish.
Keep Learning
When you continue to learn and grow as a business owner, you open up opportunities for your brand to follow suit, so keep expanding your knowledge! The business, finance and accounting and digital marketing categories on CourseDuck rank thousands more courses by real student reviews, and our best Excel courses guide goes deeper on the spreadsheet side.
