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MOBI Expands Free Online Learning for 2026–2027

Black woman in foreground dressed in business attire with blurred colleagues standing in the background.

Black woman in foreground dressed in business attire with blurred colleagues standing in the background.

MOBI Expands Free Online Learning for Career Growth, Business Success, and Accessible Learning

MOBI offers more ways to learn and grow with Leadership and Professional Success certificate course, new and updated business topics, practical  resources, and expanded audio and video learning options.

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As part of its 2026-2027 course launch, My Own Business Institute (MOBI) at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business is introducing a new Leadership and Professional Success certificate course, as well as new and updated curriculum on the topics of mental health, data analytics, expense management, and succession planning. Additionally, MOBI expands its MOBI On Demand library of audio and video learning options with eight new sessions. With this expansion, MOBI’s flagship Starting a Business course is now entirely available in text, video, and audio experiences for greater flexibility and accessibility. MOBI’s courses are available to anyone without fees or requirements.

MOBI Offers a New Leadership and Professional Success Certificate Course

Headshot of Trish Kalbas-Schmidt
MOBI’s 2026-2027 catalog features a new Leadership and Professional Success certificate course, including ten sessions applicable for any career. Success in business requires the practical skills to lead, communicate, solve problems, and adapt as opportunities and challenges arise. To help learners build these essential skills and gain valuable, career-ready knowledge, MOBI has introduced its new professional development certificate course. Through sessions on leadership, project management, negotiation, customer experience, business operations, ethics, and more, the course prepares participants to grow as professionals whether they are starting a business, strengthening an existing business, or building skills for future career opportunities. The course includes a Professional Success Action Plan to help students put the lessons into practice and empower next steps in professional development.

“Our goal has always been to make business education accessible to everyone, whether to lower barriers for further learning or provide actionable guidance toward next-steps and larger goals,” said Trish Kalbas-Schmidt, Senior Director, Institute Relations and Program Development, MOBI. “With our new Leadership and Professional Success certificate course, we’re excited to support our current students in new ways and reach a broader audience of learners looking to take the next step in their careers who might not have considered MOBI before.”

MOBI’s 2026-2027 Curriculum Features Mental Health, Data Analytics, Expense Management, and Succession Planning

MOBI is also excited to unveil new and updated curriculum topics with its 2026-2027 courses. These include: Managing Your Mental Health as a Business Owner, Data Analytics for Small Business, Smart Expense Management, and Preparing for Succession: Transferring Ownership of Your Business

“Each year we build upon our educational offering to ensure our curriculum addresses the needs of our audiences,said Kalbas-Schmidt. “Through feedback from over 125 partners around the world, student surveys, and trend analysis, we update our curriculum leveraging the talents of industry practitioners to ensure we uphold our commitment to accessible, understandable, and actionable education. We are especially proud of the addition of mental health to our topic library with this year’s catalog.”

Brian Moran, CEO, Brian Moran & Associates and Founder, the Small Business Edge podcast contributed the new session Managing Your Mental Health as a Business Owner in MOBI’s Managing a Business course.

Brian Moran Headshot Photo
Mental health and well-being are not optional considerations for anyone, including business owners. Mental health challenges often take their toll based upon the context of circumstances we face. For entrepreneurs wearing many hats, and often solely carrying the burden of the business, the challenges may be uniquely tied to self-worth,” shares Brian Moran, CEO, Brian Moran & Associates and Founder, the Small Business Edge podcast. “The MOBI session provides actionable and practical strategies to protect your mental health for long-term results.”

Data Analytics for Small Business, contributed by Nicole Ruccolo, co-owner of digital marketing firm ModFox Consulting, is a new session added to MOBI’s Growing a Business course. 

Nicole Ruccolo, co-owner of ModFox Consulting
“Data analytics can be intimidating for small business owners,” says Nicole Ruccolo, co-owner of ModFox Consulting. “In reality, it is simply the process of using the information you already have about your business to make better decisions. Looking at information such as customer preferences, popular menu items, and busy times of day through the lens of data analytics allows small business owners to define the data that’s most important to understand, track, and act upon. Data analytics can be a powerful tool for businesses of any size.

Two additional sessions have also been updated with new content. Smart Expense Management (formerly Achieving Lowest Expenses), contributed by Scott Ready, Owner of Prepared Books and fractional Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for Forever Ready Productions, provides an overview for intentional expense management and decision making.

Scott Ready, Fractional CFO, Forever Ready Productions
“As a business owner it can be easy to assume it’s always a good idea to cut costs,” says Scott Ready, Owner, Prepared Books and fractional CFO, Forever Ready Productions. “However, what’s really important is intentional spending. By understanding the costs your business incurs and how those costs support revenue and opportunity, business owners can make smarter financial decisions—maybe even spending more in areas that are driving success.”

Preparing for Successions: Transferring Ownership of Your Business (formerly Considerations for Family Succession) helps business owners evaluate their succession options, prepare future leaders, manage family dynamics, and create a plan that supports long-term goals.

MOBI Provides over 70 Free Resources and Tools to Help You Put Your Learning into Action

Each new and updated session, as well as the new Leadership and Professional Success course, provides a helpful free downloadable resource to add to MOBI’s extensive library of resource documents—including checklists, guides, templates, action plans, and more. New resources added for 2026-2027 courses include the MOBI KPI Workbook, Mental Health Toolkit, Expense Management Action Checklist, the Succession Planning Guide, and the Professional Success Action Plan.

Expanded Audio and Video Library Furthers Accessibility

In addition to new course and curriculum offerings, the 2026-2027 catalog includes more MOBI sessions available in audio and video learning options. MOBI has added eight new sessions to its MOBI On Demand audio and video library, with four more expected by the end of the calendar year. MOBI On Demand is currently offered in English with Spanish subtitles available in the video learning option. All MOBI On Demand videos are available on MOBI’s YouTube channel as well as the MOBI On Demand Videos webpage and the learning management platform (within each course).

MOBI’s Starting a Business Course Fully Available in Video and Audio Options

With this addition, MOBI’s flagship Starting a Business course is now entirely available in the standard text format as well as video and audio. Students wishing to earn a Certificate of Completion and/or Digital Badge from Santa Clara University and MOBI do need to complete any course requirements online (quizzes, final exams, and Student Feedback Surveys) in addition to viewing or listening to the course content.

About MOBI’s Courses

MOBI currently offers seven free online courses including: Starting a Business, Managing a Business, Growing a Business, Quick Start Entrepreneur, Small Business Essentials, Leadership and Professional Success, and the Sales and Marketing Badge Course. Visit MOBI's Our Courses page to learn more about each one. MOBI’s curriculum is accessible, understandable, and actionable, regardless of educational background, business experience, and technical aptitude. All courses are free, asynchronous, self-paced and free to anyone, anywhere.

About the My Own Business Institute

The My Own Business Institute (MOBI) at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business is the world’s leading provider of free online entrepreneurship education. MOBI students and alumni represent 249 countries and territories recognized by the International Standardization Organization. MOBI partners with over 125 organizations and institutions around the world to bring free online entrepreneurship education to those who need and want it most. The MOBI curriculum and website are based on the work of Phil Holland, a successful entrepreneur and author of The Entrepreneur’s Guide. MOBI was generously gifted to Santa Clara University in 2014 by Phil and his wife Peggy, an accomplished school teacher and administrator, along with an endowment, valued at $22 million at the time of transfer, to ensure that the organization and its accompanying websites would flourish into the future and continue to support the vital social and economic contributions of small businesses worldwide. The My Own Business Institute was founded and provided courses from SCU in 2015. For more information visit www.scu.edu/mobi.

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