Huge list of free business resources for your small business

If you’re running your business on a tight budget, here’s a huge list of free business resources and tools for entrepreneurs!

Leaving the security of a steady salaried job to launch a new business can be a daunting endeavor. Even if you plan and save six months of living expenses, it often takes months before your business starts generating income.

And guess what?

Even if you don’t have money coming in, your business still incurs costs to run smoothly. But don’t despair; There are tons of free tools, resources, guides, and printables, so you don’t have to break the bank.

Here’s a huge list of free resources for small business owners so you can focus on making money instead of spending it.

1. Free Websites

Since you won’t have a brick-and-mortar location, the heart of your home-based business is your website. Having a site allows people to buy your services and products; It helps you get found online and conveys valuable information. Personally, I think it’s in your best interest to own your website (buy your domain name and hosting), but if you can’t afford a website outright, I recommend using a free option until you can switch to one. A more powerful platform.

A few things to note about free platforms. Typically, you are limited to a small number of web pages, have limited bandwidth and storage, and often have a sub-domain. If you can spare $2.95 a month, I recommend setting up your own website with WordPress. Not only is it affordable, it’s super easy to set up and use, and it’ll give you a professional-looking website that you own. Here’s a free step-by-step guide to get you started

You’d think, as much as I’m online, I’d rely heavily on online productivity tools, but I don’t. As you’ll see below, I like to use real-world tools to help stay organized But if you prefer online time management tools – here’s a great list to keep you on track.

• cozy – General family organizer
• click on Offers free online appointment scheduling
• Doodle – Scheduling app that will sync all your calendars together – Free for 14-days
• Evernote – Virtual to-do list
• Google Calendar – Online calendar
• Savical – A scheduling tool
• Todoist – Task manager

3. Free printables

I am old school when it comes to planning and organizing. For all my personal and business activities, I use a physical planner, calendar, notebook, and lots of printables. From grocery lists and daily to-dos to packing lists, chore charts and business goals. If you’re looking for free printables to organize your business and life, this list has you covered

When I first started my business, I used a spreadsheet to track all my income and expenses. Not only is the process manually intensive, it also makes tax time a nightmare. Save yourself the frustration and use a professional platform. The resources listed below offer invoicing, budgeting, planning, bookkeeping and accounting solutions.

5. Free business templates

When you’re running a business, you’ll find yourself searching for all kinds of forms and templates that you didn’t even know you needed until a certain situation came up. When the time comes, here are some great resources to bookmark.

• revolution – Business plans, proposal templates, startup checklists and more
• Ryan Robinson – Free freelance proposal templates
• score – Business planning, financial, marketing, and management templates
• The Work at Home Women – Free Business Plan Template

6. Free Content and Project Management System

When you are a service provider (virtual assistant, freelance writer, graphic designer, etc.), you will have multiple projects and clients to manage. The best way to stay on top of everything is to use a content or project management system to keep you organized.

• Airtable – Free spreadsheet and data table management tools
• the seat – Project management platform
• army base – Project Management Tool – Free 30-day trial
• Freedcamp – Free project management platform
• Trello – Online collaboration and management tools
• Reich – Task and project management platform

It is said to spend at least 20-25% of your time Marketing your business. With hundreds of ways to market your business, you’ll be able to find a formula that works for you. Here are a few free platforms and resources worth checking out.

• Clearstream – Free SMS Marketing (25 messages per month)
• Continuous communication – Free 60-day email newsletter trial (no credit card required)
• ConvertKit – Free email marketing, up to 300 subscribers
• Craigslist – Free online advertising
• Facebook – Free social media marketing platform
• EZ Texting – Free 30-day trial
• hubspot – Free email signature
• Instagram – Free photo sharing media platform
• LinkedIn – Professional social networking website
• OneSignal – Send push notifications to 10,000 subscribers for free
• Pinterest – A visual marketing platform
• Post planner – Social media scheduling tool, 7-day free trial
• sendinblue – Free email marketing, unlimited contacts, 300 emails per day
• Socialbee – Social media scheduling tool, free 14-day trial
• Survey monkey – Allows you to collect feedback, collect data and analyze survey results
• tick tock – Video social media platform
• Twitter – Free social media marketing platform
• webpusher – Free push notifications to 10,000 subscribers
• YouTube – Video Marketing Platform

For more budget-friendly marketing ideas, check out these articles:

You may already have Microsoft Office on your computer, but if you don’t, the annual subscription can be expensive. Here are some other options that work great and are free.

It’s fun when you work in an office setting; You don’t even think about the methods you use every day to communicate with others – the technology and systems are already there However, when you run your own business, you quickly learn that you need a full host of tools. Fortunately, there are plenty of free and reliable alternatives.

• FaxZero – Fax documents for free, up to three pages, twice a day
• FreeConferenceCall.com – Conference and video calls, up to 1,000 people for free
• Google Chat – Talk to other people on the Internet for free
• Google Meet – Free video conference calls
• IFTTT – A free tool for all your apps and devices to communicate effectively with each other
• skype – Free calls, video chats and instant messages for Skype users from Sky
• Telegram – Free desktop and mobile messaging apps
• TextNow – Free text and call app
• WhatsApp – Free private messaging and calling tool
• WebX – Free video conferencing for up to three people
• zoom – Video and web conferencing services (free for 100 people)

As an entrepreneur, you will take on many roles. Often, that role is a graphic designer. But don’t worry, you don’t need any special training to create professional-looking images, presentations and marketing materials; These tools are free and easy to use.

11. Free courses and business mentorship

As an entrepreneur, you need to stay up to date on best business practices, new technologies, marketing strategies and more. Things change so fast, and if you’re not on top of industry trends and new technologies, you’ll be left behind. That’s why investing in your self-development is so important.

Here are some places to find free business guides, mentors, webinars and more!

12. Free Resources and Tools for Bloggers

If you run a blog, there’s no doubt that you’ll need some special tools to make your blogging efforts easier

Here are some that I use and recommend:

• Adrotate – Free plugin to serve image ads on your blog
• Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing – Free 36-page e-book on making money with affiliate marketing
• Blogging Success – My free 28-page e-book that covers writing, getting traffic and monetization
• index – Free title analyzer
• Google Analytics – Free website traffic statistics
• gravatar – Create a globally recognized avatar that helps brand your blog identity
• Random.org – Randomly select winners for your giveaways and contests
• SmallSEOTools – Plagiarism checker for guest blog posts
• Yost – Free SEO optimization plugin for your blog

Conclusion

Are you ready to make money from home this year, but not sure which direction to take? Here are a bunch of free online courses Which can help you figure out which career path you should take at home.

One last note about business freebies. There will come a point where your time becomes more valuable than saving a few bucks. So as you grow, invest in the right tools that will ultimately save you time and money; Because freebies often have limitations.

Good luck with your new business!

Do you have free business resources and tools that you can’t live without? Drop us a note below; We’d love to hear what you’re using.

Originally published on November 25, 2009. Content updated March 2023.