Want to know the best online courses to make money this year? 

You’re in the right place. 

Here below, we’ll look at courses that help you build your own business and make money online – including courses on how to start a business and make “passive” income. 

Want to learn more? Read on!

Note: I have not taken all of these courses myself – my recommendations are based on reviews and the reputation of the courses. Make sure you research the courses to see if they’re the right fit for you.

1. Employee to Entrepreneur 

Let me know if this sounds right: You’re stuck in a 9-5, wanting to create your own business but have no idea where to start or find the time. 

I’ve been there. I wanted to find a course or a coach that would show me how to build a business on the side of my job. But all I could find was business courses for building full-time businesses. 

And I’m a risk-averse person – I wasn’t about to leave my high-paying job without a backup plan. 

It took me a few years to figure it out, but eventually, I created a business that generated over $100K in revenue in just four months. With that, I quit my corporate job and never looked back.

I’ve taught several students how to do the same with my flagship course Employee to Entrepreneur (ETE). 

This is the course I wish I had when I started because it would have saved me a ton of time and money. 

ETE a foolproof step-by-step guide on how to build a profitable coaching or consulting business on the side of your day job – AKA a “Freedom Business” that affords you the most freedom and flexibility.

And thousands of people have gone through the course, including my students Ruby, who runs a relationship coaching business (Good Gentleman) and Jasmine, who teaches people how to become 3D lighting artists at the Academy of Animated Art.

You can sign up for the waitlist here.

And here are some testimonials from former students:

And: 

2. Google Ads Certification

Want to master Google ads? This free certification by Google is for you. 

You’ll learn how to create, measure, and improve your Google ads strategy. 

Which can help you either build your own online business or sell your services as a digital advertising consultant or agency for other businesses. 

Each of the mini-courses uses a mix of text and video tutorials to teach you everything you need to know about ads. 

You’ll also get access to a module on AI-powered ads.

Price: Free

3. Content Cornucopia  

The thing is, as an entrepreneur, you’re also a content creator. 

Like it or not, it’s an essential skill for every online business owner.

That’s why you need to master content creation if you want to make money online. 

But it doesn’t have to be a chore. In fact, when I put aside all of the “rules” of how I was “supposed to” create content, my business grew way more. 

For example, I abandoned my Instagram – which was a big no-no at the time – and my income doubled.

I talk more about the story in this video:

The secret? I create high-quality content on valuable topics for my audience, on a platform that suits me. 

Sounds simple, but that content powers my seven-figure business and takes me less than 30 minutes a day to create. 

Want to know how to do that yourself? That’s what I teach in my 20-day course Content Cornucopia. 

You’ll learn how to generate content ideas, find a platform that works for you, and create content that connects with your audience. 

To learn more, sign up for the waitlist here.

4. Hubspot’s Email Marketing Course  

Did you know that 4 out of 5 top marketers would rather give up social media than email marketing?

That tells you everything you need to know about how impactful it is as a marketing channel. 

And it makes sense. Email marketing lets you build an audience you own instead of relying on social media platforms. 

As someone who uses email every weekday to connect with my audience, I know it’s an essential skill for any new entrepreneur. 

HubSpot is one of the leaders in marketing education, and the Email Marketing Certification course is worth taking if you want to make money online.

You’ll learn how to build an email marketing strategy for your business, personalize and automate email sequences to maximize your sales conversions, analyze analytics, and adapt your strategy.

Price: Free

5. Codecademy  

Programming is one of the most in-demand freelance jobs out there. It’s high-paying too.

In fact, the average freelance programmer makes over $80,000 a year.

So, if you’re searching for online courses to make money, Codecademy is a good resource. 

Fair enough, it’s not a course but an online school for all things coding. 

But there are both free and paid courses available that will teach you specific, in-demand skills. 

For example:

• AI: You can find everything from free courses on Generative AI, to paid niche courses on building chatbots.
• Cybersecurity: Why not take a certification in the fundamentals of cybersecurity to kick start your consulting career?
• Web design: Get certified in web design or top up your existing skills with free courses on CSS, HTML, and so on.Price:Multiple free courses available. Paid plans from $14.99 per month.

6. Ultimate Course Launch

If you want to build a wildly profitable business or scale your service business to the next level, online courses could be for you. 

Online courses help you build “passive” income. After all, a course business helps you scale digital products, which can be extremely profitable. (Although there is no truly passive income source – they all require some effort to create and sell.)

Creating an online course business isn’t easy. I had to experiment and perfect my process over years to scale my business to where it is today. 

And that’s what I teach you in Ultimate Course Launch. 

This program will show you how to create great courses your audience wants to buy. You also get a step-by-step sales process to launch your first course successfully. 

However, if you’ve never run a service business before, I recommend starting a coaching or consulting business before creating courses. 

That way, you’ll know more about what your clients need and create a better course for them. 

To create that business, start with the ETE course, then come back to UCL when you’re ready to scale. 

Want to know more about creating courses? Check out this video:

And watch my short video here on how to create courses: 

7. Complete Guide to Freelancing

Over 53 million Americans freelance, and there are good reasons why.

Freelancing gives you so much freedom and flexibility to work however you want. 

But there’s a way to build a thriving freelancing business, and that’s what you’ll learn in this course.

This is a step-by-step guide to how to find, pitch, and win clients for any freelance skill you can think of. 

It’s a course that can be applied to any niche, but it includes a module on freelancing for developers. 

Complete Guide to Freelancing has 1,000 reviews and an average rating of 4.6 stars, so you’ll most likely get value out of it.

Price: $23.99

8. Content Writing Program – Cornell University

Speaking of freelancing, content writing is one of the most in-demand skills for independent creatives – especially SEO writing.

Want to become a writer? This two-week course from Cornell University is a great place to start. 

You’ll learn how to write persuasive, concise copy on any topic for any client. That includes learning how to write for different mediums like PR, blogs, and social media. 

At the end of the course, there’s a three-day live workshop on the top trends in marketing so you can be ahead of the curve.

Price: $3,750

9. Sold Out Sales Page

One of the most common things that hold back new entrepreneurs is not wanting to sound “salesy”. 

Those are the high-pressure sales techniques we see recommended by some of the biggest business influencers in the game. 

I get it. 

But here’s the thing: If you don’t get comfortable with selling, your business won’t grow. 

So how do you find a way to make sales work for you? 

That’s what I teach in my course Sold Out Sales Page. 

The thing is: It’s possible to create a sales page that gets results without coming off as “salesy.”

And in this course, I teach the non-sleazy sales page formula that helped me build my multiple seven-figure business.

Plus this formula works for courses, services, or any other product. 

Click here to join the waitlist.

10. Sold Out Sales Emails

As we talked about, email marketing is one of the best marketing strategies. Here are some stats:

• Email generates $42 for every $1 invested
• 89% of marketers use email as the main strategy to generate leads
• Over 90% of email users check their email daily

But it’s not just any email that will get you results. 

There’s a way to write emails that grow your business and generate sales. 

I’ve been perfecting this formula for years, by writing email newsletters every weekday. 

And in my Sold Out Sales Email mini-course, I show you my best-selling email and deconstruct why it worked. 

I’ll show you how to adapt the formula to your business so you can create a sales email sequence that converts.

You can join the waitlist here.

11. Part-Time YouTuber Academy

Ever thought of becoming a YouTuber? You’re not alone. 

In fact, YouTube is the second-largest search engine (right behind Google) and over 500 hours of video are uploaded to the platform every minute. 

Not only that, it’s a great tool for growing your existing business or building a creator business. 

However, YouTube takes time to learn. That’s why one of the most effective ways is to learn from one of the most successful YouTubers.

That’s what Part-Time YouTube Academy offers you.

Ali Abdaal started his YouTube channel on the side of his full-time studies as a medical student. Today, he’s a full-time YouTuber earning over $4 million in revenue a year.

In Part-Time YouTube Academy, Ali shares his blueprint for building a successful, profitable YouTube channel on the side of your full-time job.  

By the end, you’ll know exactly how to plan, film, and post videos that grow your brand.

Price: $995

12. Amazon FBA Course

If you want to build an ecommerce business, selling on Amazon can help you get started. After all, you don’t need your own website to market and fulfill your orders. Plus, you tap into an existing audience. 

That’s what you’ll learn in this Amazon FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon) course.

Amazon FBA is in-depth, covering everything from how to set up your Amazon account to private labeling products.

Hundreds of reviewers say that this course is everything you need to get started. 

Price: $19.99

13. Canva Design School for Graphic Design Basics  

Canva is an online design tool that allows you to create professional-looking logos, social media posts, proposals, and more. 

With Canva, you can customize them to your brand colors, use icons and visuals, and hundreds of stock photos.

And if you want to improve your graphic design skills (to promote your own business) or become a freelance graphic designer, Canva has an online design school. 

The Graphic Design Basics course is where you should start to learn the fundamentals. There are other, free courses too, like:

• Personal Branding
• Become a Pinterest Creator
• Presentations to impress

Price: Free

14. Social Media Marketing Specialization – Northwestern University

Look: Social media marketing can help grow business…fast. So it’s a highly valuable skill to learn – whether you want to promote your own business or sell your skills as a freelancer. 

The Social Media Marketing Specialization certification by Northwestern University is a good place to start if you want to learn social media marketing.

First, Northwestern is a reputable university.

Plus, this social media course goes in-depth into topics beyond creating content and choosing platforms. 

You’ll learn how to listen to your audience and the strategies that nurture an audience – not just grow it. 

The specialization certificate includes six courses you can go through at your own pace.

Price: Free

15. Clients Come to Me

SEO (search engine optimization) is a digital marketing strategy that helps your website rank on search engines. 

As a result, you get organic traffic – which can help you scale your business sustainably. 

In fact, SEO became a multiple six-figure traffic source for my business in less than two years. 

Today, it’s my biggest and most profitable channel…by far. 

And the best part? SEO is a meritocracy. 

As long as you have the strategy and create high-quality content, you can climb higher in rankings in your niche. Even if your business is highly specialized or has a lot of big competitors. 

Now, I don’t recommend diving into SEO until you have a solid online business with a few clients.

But when you’re ready to tap into this highly profitable and scalable marketing method, my course, Clients Come To Me, will teach you everything you need to know. 

You’ll learn my strategy for researching and creating the best online content in your niche that attracts your target customers.

You can learn more about Clients Come to Me here.

And watch my video here: 

Next steps 

There you have it! You now know the best online courses to make money.

But here’s the thing: What if you want to learn multiple skills but don’t want to take multiple courses?

That’s why I created the Employee to Entrepreneur (ETE) program.

This is my proven step-by-step system on exactly how to turn your skills and experience into your own online business. 

That way you don’t have to take 15 courses to make money online. You can launch a wildly successful online business just by following the blueprint in the ETE course. 

Click here to learn more.

Read more:

How to Finally Go from Employee to Entrepreneur

The Top Online Businesses to Start Today