While there will be the occasional story of dropout engineering students starting a billion-pound multinational, for the most part, successful entrepreneurs today have a background in business. Those who do are better prepared to deal with the challenges of the current marketplace, and the chasm between those who have a formal education and those who don’t, will continue to grow over the next few years.

They will have a better understanding of new ways of working, new management methodologies, new workplace expectations, etc. All of this will give them a marked advantage over those who are learning on the fly. That doesn’t mean, however, that the MBA is the only option. There are also some non-business degrees that could benefit you as an entrepreneur depending on the field. Let’s take a look at some of the best degrees for entrepreneurs in 2021.

Business Analytics

The world is increasingly revolving around analytics and people who can compile, analyse, and interpret this data are in demand. Businesses have data coming from every direction, whether it’s their retail location, manufacturing facility, supply chain, sales and marketing department, etc. Companies that can use this information, interpret it, and act on it are able to gain an advantage over the rest and stand out.

Since you’ll have those skills yourself, you won’t have to rely on outside help. This also means that you’ll be much more involved and won’t have to share sensitive information with outside third parties.

Besides, this will allow you to understand the inner workings of your business much better and make more informed decisions. You won’t have to rely on guesswork anymore and using data for making decisions will become second nature. You’ll be much better at forecasting, monitoring, and improving performance, and run an overall more efficient operation.

Digital Marketing

Digital marketing is often one of the weakest points for most businesses and a large portion of them end up outsourcing this function. This eventually means that the company is now dependant on a third party for their online marketing, which may be their most important outlet. This also means that a third party has sensible information about your business and its marketing scheme that they could use against you at a certain point in time.

Getting a degree in digital marketing would make you one of the select few who will truly understand perhaps the single most important form of marketing of the next few years.

• You’ll be able to build more efficient and elaborate campaigns and know how to measure results.
• You’ll be able to maximise your ROI when using PPC marketing or running email marketing campaigns.
• You’ll also be able to constantly improve your online material and increase your conversion rates.

These are all things that could put you over the top and overshadow your competition.

This is also a great option if you already have a background in business. You could study for an MSC digital marketing online from a school like Aston and get your degree in as little as two years. You’ll be able to integrate some of the principles that you learn there as you go and improve your digital marketing skills. This will also be the perfect complement to your existing skills and will make you a more well-rounded entrepreneur.

Accounting

Accountants have a definite edge when it comes to running a company. Accountants are often the first to know when something is wrong in a company and when it’s heading for trouble. You’ll be able to spot inefficiencies in your operation and know exactly where and how you can make adjustments.

In addition, you’ll have a solid grasp of things such as cash flow management, profitability, and forecasting. Not only that but you’ll be able to draft and understand financial reports and won’t have to worry about tax compliance. You’ll know everything about the latest change of rules or schemes you could take advantage of. This alone will give you a serious advantage over the competition.

You’ll be able to understand if your business should expand and if it can handle it. You’ll be able to see if a second or third location would be profitable and how much. Not only that, but you’ll also be much more credible when seeking financing. Financiers love working with accountants as they have a deep understanding of their business’s finances and tend to be much more sound in how they use money.

Accountants are also very respected by venture capital investors. They will be more inclined to trust an accountant for the same reasons we mentioned earlier. This means that you won’t only be able to get more money but you’ll also get to keep control of your company as well. Not only that, but you’ll know exactly how much you need and how much equity you should be offering. In addition, you are less likely to come up with unrealistic valuations.

Computer Science

This is one of the best non-business degrees for anyone thinking of becoming an entrepreneur in this day and age. IT plays a central role in a business, and if you don’t have a deep understanding of it, you are asking for trouble.

Again, this means that you will have to give the reins of your IT department to a third party who will now have a lot of control over your operation. If something happens, you are completely dependent on their expertise. You can see how some could take advantage of this.

Those with a computer science degree are able to run secure and more stable systems. They are less likely to deal with data or security breaches. They can run their own IT infrastructure and keep everything in-house. IT knowledge is also essential in a world where most ventures have at least something to do with technology.

If your goal was to start your own little startup in 2021, these are some of the best degrees to consider. Look at all the options available and see which ones would give you the set of skills that you need.