The concept behind BBC Maestro is a fascinating one. The platform offers online video courses delivered by the very biggest names in their field- whether that be CEOs, secret agents who have protected past presidents, or artists who have worked with the likes of the Rolling Stones to everyday people such as you and I.
From time management skills to entrepreneurship and graphic design, the business courses are run by expert business people and promise to deliver hands-on, practical advice and business training.
In this article, I will outline my personal experience with the BBC Maestro Business Courses. I will discuss the pricing, expertise, quality of the videos, and what you can expect from the popular business courses.
Is it worth it? Read on to find out.
Overview of BBC Maestro Business Courses
There are currently six BBC Maestro Business Courses covering topics such as entrepreneurship, public speaking, investment tactics and business planning.
Two new courses, notably covering entrepreneurship and the art of influence are dropping in November, and promise to cover a range of topics that are applicable both in, and out of business contexts.
Trinny Woodall – Thriving in Business
Trinny Woodall, also known as the founder of Trinny London, one of Europe’s fastest growing beauty brands has won many prestigious awards and has made it onto Forbes lists, making a name for herself as one of the biggest entrepreneurs in the industry.
In the Thriving in Business course, Trinny Woodall leads you through what it takes to start up a business. She explains what is needed in the very early stages of market research, along with how to find investors and build a community that helps you find success.
Course Highlights
Trinny Woodall’s course covers some in-depth topics on business start-ups including:
- How to choose the right business idea, based on what is missing in the market and the best ways to go about early-stage market research
- The ins and outs of marketing strategies and how to market your idea to both the public and potential investors
- What you should be thinking about when it comes to developing a team to work for your business, what mistakes are commonly made, and how to avoid them
Typical Structure
The Thriving in Business Course offers 23 video lessons which also include interviews that Trinny Woodall uses to expand on her teachings.
The course comes with 23 additional exercises, which personally helped me to solidify my understanding of the concepts covered in the course. All up, the course took me about 4–5 hours to complete.
Who Is This Course Best Suited to?
I would personally recommend Trinny’s course to friends who are curious about delving into the business world. I thought the course was great for beginners or those who are stuck at the development stage of business planning.
If this sounds like you, the Thriving in Business course could be your key to further development.
Steven Barlett- The 16 Steps to Start and Scale a Multimillion-Dollar Business
If you’re like me and you’re interested in the business world, you’ll probably also recognize Steven Barlett from the Diary of a CEO, as well as his extensive success in the business world.
Steven Barlett comes from humble beginnings—think immigration, being expelled from school, and dropping out of university—and still, he’s made it out on top.
This gives his business lessons a unique flare and insight into what it takes to build a multimillion dollar empire from nothing.
Course Highlights
- Personal and inspiring anecdotes, including his own journey from ground roots- to expanding a multimillion-dollar empire and leading 4 companies as the CEO
- Lessons in starting a business without any market capital and how to appeal to investors
- An inspiring-no faff approach to business and taking your destiny in your own hands
Typical Structure
Steven Barlett’s course has 18 video lessons, along with 23 exercises to complete. Some of the video lessons are short and sweet- 7 minutes or so in duration, with his longest lessons being just over 20 minutes.
The course took me about 4.3 hours to complete.
Who Is This Course Best Suited to?
If you’re like me, and have plenty of ideas, but limited knowledge on where to go from there, the course is for you.
Steven Barlett cuts to the chase, giving advice that doesn’t beat around the bush and helps teach you how to be innovative, how to ask for investments the right way, and how to really refine your business idea in the early stages of development.
If you have an idea, and need some guidance on where to go from there, without any of the coddling, you’ll enjoy The 16 Steps to Start and Scale a Multimillion-Dollar Business course.
Oliver Burkeman -Time Management
Oliver Burkeman, an award-winning writer and the genius behind the New York Times Bestseller Four Thousand Weeks, tackles a problem we all grapple with time management.
The author of multiple books on time management, procrastination, and imposter syndrome, Oliver Burkeman shares his decades of experience and teachings on time management.
Course Highlights
- How to become a better procrastinator and make the most out of everyday
- How to make better decisions, and how to be okay with, and even enjoy, missing out on opportunities and events
- How to make the most out of your rest time and how to harness patience in a busy life
Typical Structure
Oliver Burkeman’s course runs over 22 lessons and has 20 exercises for you to complete.
It took me slightly longer to complete than the others, around 4.8 hours. However, with my new-found time management skills, it wasn’t an issue, and it is a great course to run in the background as a podcast.
Who Is This Course Best Suited to?
Although it’s part of the business course, I thought the Time Management Course would be great for busy people looking to juggle the demands of everyday life.
For those who are also interested in the business side of things, this course would be great for someone juggling other work and commitments and looking to delve into business affairs at the same time.
Paula Scher- Graphic Design
Paula Scher, arguably one of the most influential designers of our time, has worked for and created iconic images associated with the likes of Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones whilst having also become the first female partner at design firm Pentagram, for example.
Course Highlights
- Introduction to the basic principles of graphic design, including how to create a memorable logo
- From Sketch to Finish: How Paula Scher developed her ideas in the MET Opera and New York City Ballet
- Lessons in animation work, including film titles and animation in practice
Typical Structure
The Graphic Design course has 21 video lessons, ranging from 3-minute long videos to 32-minute videos. Her course has 14 exercises to help supplement your learning, and took me about 4.6 hours to complete.
Who Is This Course Best Suited to?
This course is great for people getting into graphic design, or are looking to develop their graphic design skills for their new business ventures.
I found that without much knowledge of graphic design I was still able to keep up, and learn plenty about designing logos, and capturing a target audience. If this sounds like you, you can find the course link below.
Richard Greene – Public Speaking and Communication
Richard Greene is known as the ‘Master of Charisma’ and trains celebrities, royals and business leaders in the art of public speaking and how to truly captivate an audience.
He’s worked with the likes of Princess Diana and Tony Robbins and trains the elite to overcome what we all innately fear: public speaking.
Course Highlights
- How to write and deliver a captivating speech with your audience in mind
- How to instantly face and overcome the fear of public speaking and instead convey your message with charisma and charm
- Learning how to tell a story with keynotes on which words to annunciate, which stories to tell, and simple hacks to become a better public speaker
Typical Structure
Richard Greene’s course on public speaking is quite comprehensive, with many, shorter style lessons. There are 26 video tutorials, rounding off with an interview with Tony Robbins, as well as 28 exercises to supplement the videos.
Who Is This Course Best Suited to?
I found this course particularly useful as public speaking is not one of my strong suits, although I always envied people who seemed to have a natural knack for it.
I can see it being useful for people who need to publicly speak in their work, and people who want to learn general communication skills for everyday life. You can find the course link below.
Peter Jones – Toolkit For Business Success
You’ll likely recognize Peter Jones from BBC’s Dragon Den. What you may not know is that he’s invested in over 100 businesses and has incredible expertise in the field of start-up businesses.
In the course, Peter Jones teams up with entrepreneurs, including Michelin Star Restaurants, CEOs, and successful start-up business owners, to discuss what it takes to start up a successful business.
Course Highlights
- Peter Jones delves into the psychology of an entrepreneur and how to hone in on your motivations to find success early on in your business career.
- Practical advice on budgeting, financial planning, and developing an in-depth business plan and pitch that attracts investors.
- Interview with Reggae Reggae’s Levi Roots and how he found success, and what he wished he had known earlier.
Typical Structure
Peter Jones’ lessons are short and sweet. The video lessons are shorter than the other guides, usually only about 5 minutes long.
In total, there are 40 short video lessons and a business plan template for you to develop. All up, the course took me about 3.9 hours to complete.
Who Is This Course Best Suited to?
The course is great for people who are looking to start out in business or are early on in the development of their existing business.
I thought it would also be great for people facing what feels like failure during their career, as Peter Jones explains how his own hardship was turned into success here.
Evy Poumpouras- The Art of Influence
To me, Evy Poumpouras has one of the most impressive CVs I’ve seen. She served as a Special Agent in the US secret services and protected presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
She has also interrogated various notorious criminals and earned a Medal of Valor for her bravery as a first responder during 9/11.
Evy Poumpouras has mastered the art of influence and shares some of the lessons she’s learned throughout her career.
Course Highlights
The new course promises to delve into how to master yourself to perform optimally in stressful situations and how to influence others so that you can thrive in the face of adversity.
She speaks about how to engage with your own emotional intelligence, how to build confidence, and handle stressful situations.
Who Is This Course Best Suited to?
Evy Poumpouras’ course is likely best for people who work in high-pressure environments, including those who rely on management, conflict resolution, and emotional intelligence to succeed in their careers.
When the course goes live, you’ll be able to access it here.
Jo Malone CBE – Think Like an Entrepreneur
Jo Malone, founder of Jo Malone London and Jo Loves, is the very definition of ground-roots-found-success. Jo Malone’s humble beginnings include a childhood raised in a council house, and leaving school at the age of 13 to look after her mother.
Despite these setbacks, she has found impressive success as a self made entrepreneur, who founded 2 highly profitable companies from a hope and a dream.
Course Highlights
Jo Malone’s course promises to teach you everything you need to know about raw entrepreneurship. She is said to discuss her own journey and teach you how to hone in on product development, marketing, and innovation in order to develop your own business.
Who Is This Course Best Suited to?
The course is likely great for people who have a side hustle they are looking to develop, or are early on in a business plan, and are looking for ways to develop their business without great investments or monterey means.
When the course goes live, you’ll be able to access it here.
Overall Pros and Cons of BBC Maestro Business Courses
There is a lot to say when it comes to reviewing the BBC Maestro classes. Whilst there are many things I love about the courses, I can see some potential drawbacks that you may want to be aware of before making the investment.
Pros
- Learn from renowned experts with proven track records: If you’re like me and you’ve received countless bouts of conflicting (and sometimes unwanted) advice, the proven success of speakers such as Peter Jones, Steven Bartlett, and Trinny Woodall gave me confidence in the lessons.
- High-quality production: 4K filming, engaging content, slick interface which makes the lessons easy to stay engaged with.
- In-depth knowledge and practical insights: The lesson plans often include valuable resources, including review exercises and planning sheets to use.
- Flexibility and convenience of online learning: The video lessons are often bite-sized and allow you to listen to them while on the go or on lunch breaks, for example.
- Potential networking opportunities: Link with like-minded people through the Maestro community.
- Reasonable pricing considering the expertise and production value: The video lessons allow you to access insider knowledge from some of the biggest names in the industry without spending an arm and a leg.
Cons
- Cost: The price tag is slightly higher compared to other online learning platforms. This is due to the teaching being delivered by renowned business people, CEOs and elite investors, rather than your typical small town business-person-turned-tutor.
- Limited interaction with instructors: Because of the celebratory status of the teachers, there is no direct feedback on your work. This may be a challenge for more practical-style learners who thrive on immediate feedback.
- May not be suitable for all learning styles: Especially for those who learn best from back and forth communication.
- Some courses might be too basic or too advanced for certain individuals.
- Limited course catalog compared to other platforms: Because some of the biggest names in business and innovation are used to teach these courses, niche topics may not be covered in the same way that smaller platforms are able to be.
Cost and Value
If you’re interested in a particular course, they are available for £79 ($89) per course. This gives unlimited access to one of the courses for a year.
The most popular purchase is the package deal, which gives you unlimited access to all available courses on the platform. This is available for $120 and offers access to over 35 courses.
Save With Subscriptions, Giving You Access to 35+ Courses
Whether you decide to purchase a single course or subscribe to access all the courses, there is a money-back guarantee.
If you purchase a single course, you’ll be offered a 14-day money-back guarantee.
However, if you choose to invest in unlimited access to the range of courses on offer, you’ll receive a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Money-Back Guarantees Minimize Risk. Not for You? Get Your Money Back
The cost of the BBC Maestro classes are affordable when compared to other platforms such as Masterclass- which offers access to classes on one device for $144 for the year, for example.
For me personally, I found that the skills I learned, and expert knowledge I acquired was worth the investment. I was able to watch, and rewatch the courses, which helped me to develop my knowledge in business, along with other areas such as public speaking.
I was surprised with how much these additional courses benefited me both inside and outside of my business ventures.
The Bottom Line
Before purchasing the BBC Maestro classes, I did some research on similar platforms.
After comparing the prices and courses on offer, I decided to take a leap of faith and sign up for the full package subscription.
I was pleasantly surprised by how engaging the classes were. It helped me to know that these were often people who earned success from humble beginnings, and I found inspiration from their personal stories. This helped me engage with their teachings and trust the practical advice they offered.
Whilst the courses worked great for me, I can see how they are not suited for everyone, especially those people who learn best from hands-on engagement and conversation.
For these people, I can see how discussing the content with someone with like-minded goals would be beneficial.
If you’re like me and looking for supplementary business education, take a look at the courses here. They’re not intended as replacements for comprehensive business education, but for me, they gave me an edge and a unique perspective in business teachings that traditional courses lacked from the very best in the field.
Finn founded Learnopoly to provide unbiased, in-depth online course reviews, helping learners make informed choices. With a decade in financial services, he developed strategic partnerships and business development expertise. After a frustrating experience with a biased course review, Finn was inspired to create a trusted learning resource.