The Best Free Resources For Small Business Owners in 2022
In the past, starting a business was a challenging endeavor. The lack of cheap and easily accessible consultants & online resources meant you were throwing darts blindfolded. Prospective and fledgling business owners often found it difficult to grow their company effectively.
Luckily, a lot has changed since then. The internet has meant that resources are more accessible than ever before, and you have essentially limitless amounts of guides and expertise from others to help you get onto your feet.
In this piece, I'll list some of the more crucial resources for up-and-coming business owners to utilize to grow their companies.
Before we go into specific tools, note that the U.S Chamber of Commerce brings a comprehensive general overview of everything that you will need to know as a prospective business owner in regards to surviving and thriving in the industry.
Financial Assistance
While it can be challenging to secure, and the paperwork is a nightmare, financial assistance & proper accounting tools can enable your business to acquire extra burst of capital & sound capital management. Here are some resources that can help.
● Grants.gov: A governmental database that compiles various grants across multiple government sectors.
● U.S. Small Business Administration: The government agency is explicitly designed to enable smaller businesses to thrive, particularly by allowing them to qualify for specific grants.
● U.S Business Grants: An agency cataloging and providing various grants for businesses to promote particular objectives, e.g., Specific Industries, Women, and POC-owned brands.
● IRS: Provides a comprehensive collection of resources for newer business owners to get a better understanding of taxation.
● Forbes: Forbes has compiled a list of accounting software best for small business owners. The list provides a summary of each software; Its target audience, and its pros and cons.
Employee Hiring
Once you're prepared to upscale your business from entirely humble origins, you need to know how to find the most productive, creative team possible. The following resources can help you build a great team.
● The Hartford: Provides an in-depth overview of recruiting the best employees and considerations you need to make. Has various other relevant resources to answer questions you didn't know you had.
● BambooHR: Their blog has a crucial checklist for HR policies that are hard to come by. It will be instrumental in drafting a code of conduct to avoid issues down the line.
Tech Tools
Integrating your business with technology is the name of the game in today’s world. Review these resources to explore tools which could be the right fit for taking your business deeper into the digital realm.
Rewind: Explains the importance of tech tools, and summarizes some larger players in the industry.
Ruby: A list of 101 potentially useful tools, sorted by category, a convenient index to navigate through various tools.
Public Relations
Here are some resources crucial to improving your company's reputation, attracting new customers, and keeping old ones loyal.
● Business News Daily: Gives you a better understanding of PR and provides tools that help improve your brand image.
● PR lab: A holistic guide to PR and why it is necessary to focus. Offers strategies for improving your PR.
● pr.co: A comprehensive guide for optimizing PR and improving brand image. A must-read.
Reflection
Starting a small business today is easier, thanks to the plethora of available resources and assistance. As an entrepreneur and owner, however your sole focus (as in the past 100 years) continues to be focusing on delivering a valuable product or service and taking care of customers- the basics still do not change. Hopefully, this piece will help you get a slice of this sweet pie.