Best Certifications for Business Owners: Enhance Your Skills and Grow Your Business

Business owners can earn many certifications to help them manage their businesses successfully. These certifications highlight key topics, such as management and leadership, finance and accounting, marketing, and technology, helping leaders build the knowledge they need to oversee employees and manage business operations. Explore the best certifications for business owners and learn more about pricing and requirements for popular certifications.

Why certifications are valuable for business owners

Business certifications are a valuable asset for business owners. Consider these reasons why earning business certifications can benefit you and your business. 

Building credibility and trust with clients

Holding business certifications shows your clients that you are committed to ongoing learning and excellence. It also contributes to your public image and marketability. Being knowledgeable and meeting industry standards is a great way to build credibility and trust with potential and current clients. 

Expanding expertise in key business areas

Broadening your expertise in different business areas can help you handle the various challenges that you may experience as a business owner. 

Staying competitive in a rapidly evolving market

The business market is an ever-evolving area that can be unpredictable and change rapidly. It is important to stay relevant, and obtaining certifications to build your knowledge can help you do that. 

Best certifications for business owners in management and leadership

Explore the various management and leadership certifications available, and find out which one might work best for you. 

Certified Manager (CM)

Offered by the Institute of Certified Professional Managers, the Certified Manager certification develops your ability to manage people at various levels. As a business owner, you will come across a variety of different people, and it’s important to know how to interact with them and manage employees. 

Requirements: You must meet various educational and professional requirements in order to take the exam. It follows a point system: you’ll need at least three education points based on your academic degrees and four experience points based on management, non-management, and military roles. 

Cost: $160 [1]

Project Management Professional (PMP)

The Project Management Professional certification, offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI), is a globally recognized certification that showcases your project management skills. Earning a PMP certification not only develops your ability to lead projects and expertise in the field; it can also increase your average median salary. Those who have the PMP certification have a 33 percent higher median salary than those without it [2]. 

Requirements: To earn this certification, you must meet one of the three requirement sets, which include combinations of work experience, education, and training, to qualify for the exam. 

Cost: $675 [2]

Six Sigma certification

The Six Sigma certification showcases an individual’s knowledge of team leadership, team dynamics, and the ability to assign roles and responsibilities to team members. You’ll find various certification levels, including white belt, yellow belt, green belt, and black belt certifications, with master black belt being the highest. 

Requirements: You can sign up for the first level (white belt) without meeting any requirements. 

Cost: The first level is free, with additional levels costing various amounts. 

Essential finance and accounting certifications for business owners

Finance and accounting are two extremely important tools in business ownership. Not only is it important to keep track of your finances, but accounting can also help you monitor your company’s performance. Some helpful finance and accounting certifications are as follows:

Certified public accountant (CPA)

A certified public accountant evaluates financial operations and streamlines an organization’s accounting processes to optimize efficiency. CPAs also commonly manage account books, prepare taxes, and organize and maintain financial records. You can earn your CPA credentials through your state’s Board of Accountancy.

Requirements: In order to take the CPA exam, you need to have at least 150 hours of college or postgraduate education with at least one year of qualifying professional experience. 

Cost: Fees depend on the jurisdiction of certification [3]. 

Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)

The Chartered Financial Analyst program from the CFA Institute focuses on training individuals in investment analysis skills. This program can provide you with financial tools and knowledge that will contribute to the continued success of your business and help you learn possible investment avenues you may want to utilize. 

Requirements: You’ll need to pass three Chartered Financial Analyst exams. To be eligible for the exams, you must have qualifying work experience and become a member of the CFA Institute. 

Cost: $990 [4]

Certified Management Accountant (CMA)

Offered by the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), the Certified Management Accountant certification focuses on learning how to explain the “why” behind numbers. During this certification program, you can learn many different aspects of financial management, planning, performance, and analytics. 

Requirements: You’ll need a bachelor’s degree or a professional certification and two years of professional experience in management accounting or financial management. You’ll also need to be a member of the IMA and pass an exam.

Cost: CMA certification includes three fees: an entrance fee, an exam fee, and a membership fee. If you are a student or academic, the entrance fee is $225, the exam fee is $370 per part, and the membership fee is $160. For working professionals, the entrance fee is $300, the exam fee is $495 per part, and the membership fee is $295 [5].

Marketing and digital strategy certifications for business growth

Marketing is an important aspect of promoting and growing your business. Digital marketing is a helpful way to reach a broader audience in a cost-effective way. Some certifications available to help you with marketing and digital strategy include the following:

Certified digital marketing professional

As a certified digital marketing professional, you can gain knowledge in various digital marketing topics, equipping yourself with skills to successfully design, implement, measure, and optimize digital marketing strategies for your business. The Digital Marketing Institute (DMI) and American Marketing Association (AMA) have a dual certification program available where you can earn both the DMI certification and the Professional Certified Marketer certification. 

Requirements: This certification has no formal requirements or prerequisites. 

Cost: $1,442 [6]

AMA Professional Certified Marketer (PCM)

The AMA offers three PCM certifications in marketing management, digital marketing, and content marketing. 

Requirements: This certification has no requirements, but the AMA suggests that applicants have at least a bachelor’s degree and four years of marketing experience, a master’s degree and two years of marketing experience, or seven years of marketing experience. 

Cost: Starting at $749 [7]

Google Analytics certification

Google offers an Analytics Individual Qualification (IQ) to validate and showcase your knowledge of the fundamentals of digital analytics and analytics. Although you can take the test at any time, Google recommends completing its Analytics Academy to prepare for the exam. 

Requirements: None

Cost: Free [8]

Technology and cybersecurity certifications for business owners

Information technology (IT) helps ensure efficient business processes, and cybersecurity can help keep your business secure. The following certifications provide knowledge of cybersecurity and IT practices. 

CompTIA Security+

This certification focuses on the skills needed to implement security solutions. You can learn general security concepts, how to protect your business from threats, and how to implement a security program. 

Requirements: This certification has no formal requirements, but CompTIA recommends having the CompTIA Network+ certification and two years of professional security experience.

Cost: $404 [9]

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

The CISSP certification focuses on cybersecurity, giving you the tools to design, implement, and manage a cybersecurity program. 

Requirements: To take this exam, you must have at least five years of work experience in two or more of the disciplines outlined in the exam. 

Cost: $749 [10]

ITIL 4 Foundation certification

The ITIL 4 Foundation certification focuses on IT service management. It allows you to learn key topics in service management, including the service value chain, service management concepts, and the service value system. 

Requirements: This certification has no formal requirements. 

Cost: $669 [11]

Build business skills and knowledge on Coursera

Business certifications can expand your knowledge and help you build the skills you need to effectively manage your organization. You can develop your skills on Coursera, starting with the Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate to learn more about digital marketing and e-commerce. If you want to learn how to utilize social media for your business, check out the Meta Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate on Coursera.