5 free resources to grow your business
Entrepreneurs and small business owners need all the help they can get. When you’re a self-starter, you’re constantly on the go, multitasking and doing all you can to grow your company quickly. Luckily, there are a ton of free small business resources that can help you along the way.
That’s where we come in. We scoured the internet for some of the best freebies you can use. For example, we recommend saving money on Microsoft Office by using its free alternative, LibreOffice, instead.
It works just as well as Microsoft’s official programs but costs nothing, so you can put your money toward your small business. Tap or click here for our 10 favorite free apps. We also found a ton of business freebies you can use to grow your company. Keep reading to get started.
1. U.S. Small Business Administration
We love this website because it’s practically the Valhalla of small business knowledge. It can help you get funding through SGA-backed loans. It also has many programs to procure financial and federal contracts.
On top of that, it has guides that walk you through expanding to new locations, mastering your management system and more. It also offers specialized advice for female business leaders, minorities and veterans.
You can even use the SBA to find loans that help you when natural disasters hit your small business — or when expanding overseas. It’s a website you need to bookmark. Best of all, it’s free.
We’ve got you covered if you’re short on time and don’t want to click through pages trying to find free resources. We put together some of our favorite freebies from the SBA site. Scroll down for all the details.
2. Master market research and analyze your competitors
You’ll find many helpful small business tips online. Not all of them will apply to your specific situation, though. Sometimes, you just need hard data.
Small business owners, it’s time to upgrade
If your company is growing, you may need more than just Microsoft Excel to keep track of everything. You need high-quality finance software that gives you the complete picture. With our sponsor, NetSuite by Oracle, you can:
Small biz tip: Ways to make 2023 your best year yet
Prepare your business for the new year with these five small business resolutions for 2023. We’ll help you cut costs, gain new skills and find ways to optimize your work life. It’s time to be more strategic with your marketing goals, develop your online presence and whip your finances into shape.
How to mute an email thread so it stops showing up in your Gmail inbox
So you want to stop seeing someone’s emails in your inbox but don’t want to block them. Maybe a coworker is hounding you, and you’d rather get to their emails later so you can focus on more pressing issues. In that case, you should know how to mute people in Gmail.
Small biz tip: How to see your competitor’s website traffic
We all know that having data on competitors can support your business. But how do you find the information that you need? Tap or click here for five smart ways to make more money and find new customers.
Sometimes, the data of others isn’t exactly easy to come by. Other times, you might have the data itself, but there’s so much of it that it becomes indecipherable. That’s where this tool enters the fray. It’s a web research tool that solves both problems.
5 free alternatives to Microsoft Excel
When Excel first hit the market, businesses flocked to use it for their management needs. But it’s far from the only option. There are many free alternatives to Microsoft Excel you should know about.
Many people are so married to Excel they won’t consider other spreadsheets. At first glance, it seems like the perfect one-stop-shop for scheduling, accounting, compiling data, tracking sales and more. Tap or click here for three tips and tutorials that help you make the most out of Excel.
Budgeting tip: An easy way to slash your monthly charges
Your dollars don’t go as far these days. Sure, things are more expensive, but “buy now” buttons and shiny new services add up much faster than we’d like to believe. It’s no surprise that subscription-based business models are so popular.
Looking for work? These are the best (and worst) states so far in 2021
Have you been feeling a little blue looking for a job during these last few months during the pandemic? If you’re looking for some inspiration for a new job and don’t mind relocating, there’s a list you need to see.
How to create and host a simple website for $20 a year
Website developers and hosting platforms have come a long way over the last decade. It used to take in-depth coding knowledge to create a site. These days, all it takes is a quick internet search and the right platform.
3 small business mistakes you need to avoid
As a small business owner, you want the very best for your company. You want satisfied customers, you want to provide the best value and you want to grow — with as few issues and as much profit as possible.
Putting out fires and overcoming hurdles have been in your job description for as long as you can remember, but you may not realize how many issues you can avoid with just a few changes.
Email scams targeting businesses hit by COVID-19
Email scams are nothing new, but the COVID-19 pandemic has added considerable fuel to the fire that’s been burning in the underbelly of the internet for years.
From scams that attack your stimulus check to fake cures and protective gear, there are so many COVID-19-related scams circling that it can be hard to spot them all. Tap or click here to see the red flags to watch out for.
Small biz advice: Get the expert tech help you need
As of December, more than half of Americans were employed by small businesses. There’s no question the impact the coronavirus has had on those businesses, and all their employees.
It’s an unprecedented time, and if you own or work for a small business, you’re navigating new territory. So how do you stay afloat when everything is changing? With the right resources.