Free Trials and Courses During COVID-19 | COVID-19 Resource List
During times like right now, I have been SO thankful for friends who are sharing their favourite COVID-19 resource list. I admit, at first everything seemed temporary, so I scrolled past a lot of the great things being offered. Now that we are clearly in this for the long haul, I wanted to create a mega resource list that I (and you) could come back to when we needed it! You know, just in case you’re looking for a few free things to do during your quarantine time!
This list is a work in progress and I’ll be adding to it as I come across more good ones to share. Some of them are affiliate links, but all this means is that I can earn a small amount at no cost to you.
Free Creative Lessons to do During Quarantine
Obviously, the first on the list had to be all of the creative lessons and resources I’ve come across. Even though I work from home, and there isn’t much different in my day-to-day routines, I am trying to fit in more creative time and these are great ways to do just that without spending money!
Brit + Co | All classes are FREE using coupon code SELFCARE
Brit + Co is such and bright and colourful brand! There is lots of fun (and free) content to read on their blog, and for a limited time, they are offering ALL of their courses for FREE. Use the coupon code SELFCARE when checking out to apply the discount. They have great, high quality courses that normally range from $39 – $75 and cover everything from cake decorating and hand lettering, to water colours and iPhone photography!
Skillshare | 2 FREE months of unlimited creative + business courses
If you’ve been around the blog long enough, you know I’m a huge lover of Skillshare (I’ve even applied to teach my Etsy SEO course there, so keep an eye open in the upcoming months)! Use this link to receive 2 free months and have the ability to watch unlimited courses. There are so many courses on here, that I get how it could be overwhelming…. so here’s a list of my favourites out of the ones I’ve taken. Just want to know what class I’m taking next? This is it and I can’t wait.
Free Home Workout + Exercise Trials
Down Dog Yoga App | FREE until May 1st 2020
When I moved to Hope over the summer, I stopped practicing yoga since the local studio here doesn’t offer classes when I like to go. So it’s been a minute since I’ve taken a class…and I WISH I would have known about Down Dog Yoga earlier. They were one of the first apps to offer FREE subscriptions due to COVID-19, and they’ve already extended their original trial period to May 1st, to help more people get active during lockdown. Why do I love this app so much? Nearly everything about each class/practice is customizable. You select your experience level, how long you’d like the class, any areas you’d like to focus on, as well as type of yoga, talking style and musical background. This isn’t even an affiliate link, I just love them so much and want to spread the word.
Wanderlust TV Live Practice + Lecture Series | Daily Series of FREE Live Classes
I’ve attended a number of wanderlust festivals in the past, all top notch in terms of class instructors and lecture speakers. They are doing numerous live lectures and classes every day for at least the next week or two, most of them on Instagram Live. Click this link for a full breakdown of classes, and mark your calendars for the ones you’d like to see! They also have archived classes linked at the bottom of the page, so you can watch many that were previously only available to festival attendees.
Ryan Heffington Live Dance Class | FREE IG Live Classes
This guys is hilarious and so much fun! It might be called a dance class, but rest assured it’s more aerobic than technical dance (and requires zero experience or skill). Just a willingness to groove to good music and have a whole lot of fun. Classes run at 10:00am on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and 12:00pm on Saturday and Sundays. If you find yourself loving the classes and doing them regularly, consider donating a little bit per class so Ryan’s fitness and dance studio in L.A. can continue to pay their bills while closed due to COVID-19
Retail + Shopping Deals for COVID-19
Chapters Indigo Online | 40% off all Best Seller Novels
There’s never been a better time to catch up on that list of books you’ve been meaning to read. Luckily for all of us, Indigo has 40% off their best sellers for a limited time! Let me know what you snag, and what you’re reading!
Free Small Business COVID-19 Resource List
I feel like it’s important to note here that just because we are currently finding ourselves with more time on our hands, it does not mean we MUST be productive and efficient with it. This is a weird time, there is collective grief and trauma as a whole, there are lost routines, extra feet running around during the day and so much more. While I do hope that you discover a quiet calling back to things that light you up during this time, I want you to know that if you are too exhausted to even consider picking up a new skill or working on the holes in your business – you are not alone.
I could have put this note near the top, but as a small business owner, I know it’s the makers, small shop owners and type A personalities who are going to struggle with this the most, and we always go to the most efficient/business/productive option first. So try to remember what taking time for you looks like and try to let go of the pressure to use this time to get further along.
All that being said, here are the free business trials and COVID-19 resources I’ve found for shop owners who are learning to pivot their businesses during this crazy time!
Classes + Learning
ALT Summit Conference | FREE versions of most popular classes from 2020 Conference
You’ve heard me talk about ALT Summit on the blog before. I was a teacher there this year, and also documented my solo desert drive from Las Vegas to the conference on the blog a few weeks ago. I’m so thankful I got to attend the conference before the travel advisories were issued – I have pages and pages of notes from all of the amazing classes I was able to take. To help the ALT community, they rehired the teachers from their most popular classes, to record them so we can watch them for FREE. Click these links for the full list of keynote speaker presentations and individual classes/workshops. You will not be disappointed. There are 8 courses available now, and more will be added in the upcoming days.
Business Programs + App Free Trials
Shopify | Extending new user trial from 30 days to 90 days
With stay-in-place orders issued throughout Canada and the US, many of my maker friends and retail shop owners are turning to e-commerce to sustain their business while their doors are closed. Shopify has graciously extended their new user trial from 30 days to 90 days, which is a huge help for anyone who is using this time to build out their website! They will also have live webinars and the ability to purchase gift cards on all subscription levels.
Hootsuite | Offering free access to their professional plan through July 1st
While some business owners are working on their e-commerce presence, others are working on their social media game. While I personally use Tailwind for my social media, Hootsuite has long been a pioneer in the industry and they are offering FREE access to their professional plan until July – and they offer great training resources as well.
Adobe Creative Cloud | Offering 3 months complimentary fees for both new and current users
Adobe Creative Cloud is expensive, I don’t care who you are. And if you are currently making significantly less money than you usually do, that monthly fee can seem like a lot. Adobe is graciously providing users with a 3 month credit for the subscriptions, you’ll just need to call in to talk to them via the chat on their website. I did this last week, and it was very simple and easy, just be nice to the reps because they are busy!
Moz SEO | Offering FREE access to Moz Academy’s SEO courses until May 31st
While at ALT Summit this year, I dropped into a few classes on SEO and got schooled on a lot of ways I’ve been doing things wrong (both on my blog and in my Shopify shop). I’ve been super interested in SEO since then, and have been super grateful for this resource. Instructions on how to access the free academy can be found here.
Flodesk | Offering free 15 days trial and half price monthly fee for life
I’ll be honest, I think they may offer the 15 day trial all year ’round, but if you are looking for a way to invest time into your business during your downtime, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t at least mention Flodesk. I never used to send out blog or shop emails because it took so long to design one that looked they way I wanted it to. And then I discovered Flodesk and it made all of my email dreams come true. Give them a try and check out their templates, or join my blog mailing list to get an idea of what they look like (shameless plug, I know, I’m sorry).
Well! Those are all the resources I have for now, but I’ll let you know when I add more as I find them! If you’ve discovered some cool free or inexpensive trials that you’ve enjoyed – send them my way! I’d love to share them with others – chances are we are all going to get a little cabin fever in the next few months!
Stay safe out there! Let me know if there is anything that I can do for you during this time!
