5 free resources to grow your business

September 19, 2024

By Kim Komando

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.

That’s why the SBA put together a few free tools you can use to pinpoint industry trends, master demographics and more. It shares free resources to find what you need quickly:

You can also click the button below:

3. Pay taxes

There are a ton of tax obligations you need to keep in mind. Slacking in this area could hurt your small business in the long run. However, it can be hard to know what to do, especially when you’re starting.

Luckily, the SBA breaks down all you need to know. It will help you meet your state and federal tax obligations. Just choose your tax year and look up your state. Then, the SBA will walk you through the requirements.

4. Get all the free smart business tips with those online courses

You can take free online courses that help you grow and improve your small business. There are six classes in total, each of which has a ton of objectives for you to meet:

• Research, plan and document your business ideas.
• How to turn your business goals into realities.
• Run your business and manage day-to-day operations.
• How to compete with similar businesses and win over customers.
• Expand your business with funding and demographics.
• How to find a good mentor.

Of course, you don’t have to do this all in a day. You can space out your lessons at your leisure. This way, you can learn new skills whenever you have free time.

5. Details on how to buy the assets your small business needs

No business springs out of thin air. You need to purchase special equipment and assets. But it can be hard to figure out what you need — and how to pay for those assets. Luckily, the SBA has a free guide you can use to help figure out precisely what you need to do.

It even has out-of-the-box advice you may not have considered. For example, you can buy government surplus to save money and grow your business.

You’ll also get details on different things that will impact your business taxes, like operating leases vs. capital leases.

BONUS: Now that you know about Kim’s top free small business resources, check out her favorite finance software

You’re setting yourself up for failure if you still rely on spreadsheets and outdated finance software. To see the complete picture, you must upgrade to our sponsor, NetSuite by Oracle. Gain visibility and control of your financials, inventory, HR, planning, budgeting and more.

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NetSuite has a financing program for those ready to upgrade! Head to NetSuite.com/KIM for this special, one-of-a-kind financing offer on the No. 1 financial system for growing businesses.

More free small business resources you should know about

If you want to grow your business in the coming year, there are many general tips to follow. For instance, pouring time into social media is often a significant investment. Tap or click here for a few ways to master social media marketing.

Another good tip is to encourage customers to review your business. This helps legitimize your company and bring in new customers.

People often trust positive reviews, so it’s worth doing what you can to encourage current customers to say they’re satisfied. You can even offer incentives to customers so they’re more likely to review your business.

You can also take advantage of free websites, like:

• Canva: Use this free website to create brochures, PDFs, infographics, gifs, graphics for social media and more. It’s super easy to use.
• MailChimp: Use its free marketing plan to grow your audience and create campaigns. On its free plan, you can send up to 2,500 emails to 500 contacts monthly.
• Vistaprint: You can get free business cards in a sample kit. This is great for small business owners who are just starting out.

Bottom line: When you run a business, every dollar counts. Don’t waste your money on things you can get for free.

From software to shipping materials to online learning, we rounded up some of the best freebies out there. Tap or click for five freebies you can’t ignore, from shipping materials to logos. Happy saving!