takethiscourse.net – Helping Learners to Take Knowledgeable Learning Decisions during COVID-19

Imran Abdul Ghani of takethiscourse.net tells us about developing a setup that could facilitate learners from all over the world through FREE and Best Online Courses

First of all, how are you and your family doing in these COVID-19 times? 

Imran Abdul Ghani: Thank you so much for your concern. Of course, everyone has been affected in different ways by this situation, but thankfully my family and I are doing quite well. For the very first time, I got to spend a lot of quality time with my family together, which was quite refreshing for us all. Also, we learn to be more productive while working remotely.

Tell us about you, your career, how you founded takethiscourse.net.

Imran Abdul Ghani: I have a background in IT with a Computer Science degree. I managed to work in both Government and Private sectors for 15+ years. My job designations had been versatile throughout my career but related to my field. My last job was to work as a Project Director for World Bank’s EODB (Ease of Doing Business) project in a Government Organization.

Though my whole career is based on working in both private and government, yet somewhere in my mind, I always had this aim to develop a setup that could facilitate learners from all over the world through FREE and Best Online Courses. So after gaining enough exposure and arranging sufficient capital, my dream to help learners was accomplished in the form of www.TakeThisCourse.net.  

How does takethiscourse.net innovate? 

Imran Abdul Ghani: Bringing reforms in our work is what we strive for, and that is why our team is always busy trying to facilitate our learners. We try our level best to stay in the loop and cope with the latest challenges in Online Learning, and here is what we offer and how we innovate. 

· We aggregate the best online courses from 40+ providers (with 1,000+ Universities & Organizations) worldwide. This means that wherever you are, if you have a wish to learn at your ease and pace, then takethiscourse.net is the platform that helps you to choose the best online learning material.

· Instead of spending time on multiple websites and/or course providers for choosing the best course in a certain category/niche, we facilitate our learners to find all the best online courses at ONE place, i.e., TakeThisCourse.net, where user can easily compare and select the right one as per his/her learning needs.

· Learner’s feedback is the most important factor that helps other people see the real value of an online course. By providing learners’ feedback about all available courses, we make it easier for other users to decide how helpful a certain course is and whether or not those are worth taking. 

· We have also made arrangements for our learners to gain career paths/tracks to join and grow themselves.

· Lastly, we offer a variety of online quizzes regarding different subject areas for a learner to validate their skills. 

· One thing to mention here is that our work has been recognized worldwide by a few big names, including the EIT (European Institute of Innovation & Technology) Food, to promote their Food Innovation online courses on our platform. EIT Food is a subsidiary and fully supported by EIT (which is a body of the European Union). 

Did you have to make difficult choices regarding human resources, and what are the lessons learned?

Imran Abdul Ghani: Yes, of course, being a startup, we had limited funds, and that is why we couldn’t hire highly experienced professionals at that time and especially for areas like business development and digital marketing. But we were so invested in making our business grow that we remained focused on providing valuable features to our customers and kept maturing our product with whatever resources we had. 

The lesson learned here is that even if you don’t have a highly experienced team on your side, if you and the ones beside you are honest and hardworking, then no one can stop you from becoming successful. And luckily, my team has always been very honest and hardworking. 

How did your customer relationship management evolve? Do you use any specific tools to be efficient?

Imran Abdul Ghani: Honestly, when we first started, there was no qualified individual to take care of this area, so I personally had to take care of the customers we had and their feedback on our products. As our business grew, so did the number of customers, and that is why we had to hire a couple of individuals who could take care of this area. 

As of this moment, we are not using any specific tool, but that doesn’t mean we are not engaged with our customers. Our team is working diligently to stay in touch with our customers and listen to all their queries and then act according to them. 

Did you benefit from any government grants, and did that help keep your business afloat?

Imran Abdul Ghani: No, we are not getting any type of funds from either government or private organizations, but thankfully we are handling our business really well. 

Your final thoughts?

Imran Abdul Ghani: The road to success is always long and tiring but what makes you reach the end is your determination, hard work, honesty, and the people who have your back.

Your website?

www.TakeThisCourse.net