Start your small business with access to commonly used resources.
Owning a small business brings both great satisfaction and great challenge. Most important for a small business to succeed is to keep moving forward—which means the entrepreneur must always be on the lookout for resources that will help the business grow and become profitable.
The following are core small business resources that almost every startup and small business value:
Small Business Administration (SBA): A federal U.S. agency offers a range of resources for startups and small businesses that includes training classes and programs, funding alternatives, tools, guides and awards programs that recognize entrepreneurial achievement.
Check out the site for business plan templates, basic legal requirements and ways to obtain government contracts.
Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs): Administered by the SBA, Centers are located around the country to be a local resource that is either free or low cost to small business owners. The Centers often reside within universities, colleges or state economic development agencies. Each has a well-trained staff who bring in guest speakers who cover topics such as business planning, accounting, financial management, marketing and much more.
SCORE: A nonprofit organization and a resource partner of the SBA is comprised of volunteer retired business professionals and experts who provide guidance and expertise. One-on-one mentoring is a great benefit to entrepreneurs, as well as webinars, workshops and other online resources.
Online Learning Platforms: A range of online courses are now available for small business owners and entrepreneurs for skill development such as Udemy, Coursera, and LinkedIn Learning. Business related topics typically include: marketing, finance, leadership, technology, sales and more. One advantage to the entrepreneur who use these platforms is they are able to learn at their own pace.
Small Business Networking Groups: A very significant resource for entrepreneurs and small business owners is the opportunity to meet peers as well as client prospects. The former may share knowledge and experience, while the latter may place the business on a path to revenue growth and other opportunities. Check out Meetups and LI Groups.
Small Business Forums and Online Communities: A great open space for entrepreneurs to find answers to specific questions and challenges, receiving advice and learning from the experience of others, and participate in direct online discussions. Check out Quora and Reddit’s small business subreddit.
Marketing and Social Networking Platforms: Digital marketing and social networking platforms are a staple for a small business’ strategy to promote their brand and products. Hugely popular social networking platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and Twitter allow users to create organic content as well as provide fee-based promotion services. Best to test and explore others’ who have experienced those services or do limited testing to find the most cost efficient and effective channel.
Email Marketing Services: Starting a building a list of clients and prospects can be used to deliver promotional and educational material via newsletter distribution services such as SendinBlue, Mailchimp and Constant Contact via personalized content.
Government Agencies: A range of resources include web sites for obtaining government contracts to sources of funding such as programs offered by the National Science Foundation (NSF), SBIR/STTR grants for life sciences and technology startups and early-stage companies and the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) that has a range of programs for women and minority business owners.
Other agency web sites offer industry-specific reports, economic statistics, and regulatory information.
For those starting out, any resource that can be obtained for free or at low cost is valuable for retaining their critical cash resources. However, as a startup grows, paid-for resources are typically more valuable as they often bring in a higher-level services, skill sets of experience and knowledge that can accelerate a company through a stage into a much higher level of performance and profitability.
Check out a full range of top products and services that are helpful small business resources!
