You are an entrepreneur at the beginning of the journey and you want to make sure you do everything right. You should know that mistakes are natural and normal and no matter how much you prepare for launching your business, you may still miss some things. But there is nothing wrong with this, as these are the experiences that teach you a lot of valuable lessons.
However, there are some resources that will help you make sure your small business will be successful and that you operate in legal conditions. So, if you want to study and learn more about this subject, here are some books and resources that will help you start.
1. SCORE
If you have not heard about this organization before, you should know that it is one that offers incredibly helpful resources for people who start their small businesses. They offer training, but a lot of business resources too and guidance too. This is especially helpful if you are still a student in college who needs to take care of your assignments too.
While you get the help of professional writers who can handle any "write my essay" request, you can relax and click on the resources made available by SCORE.
This will greatly help you in the first steps of your future business. Here you will find business trainings and many other initial information.
2. Small Business Administration
The Small Business Administration is helping businesses that are just getting started or are at the beginning of their journey in this world. They offer training, but also a lot of resources you can use.
At the same time, they guide you among the contracts you need to sign with the government and help you understand and meet all the requirements to run legally.
3. Docracy
Docracy is an online library where you can find a wide diversity of contracts. Even though these are not checked and verified by lawyers, they are a great business resource to start with.
You can see what distinct contracts look like and use them as templates for your own contracts. Do not forget to ask the opinion of a lawyer before sending and signing it.
4. Google
Of course, Google is the main search engine everyone is using. But apart from this, it has some really nice resources for entrepreneurs who are just starting their small businesses. For example, Google for Small Business has a lot of valuable and helpful resources, such as information on marketing and SEO topics, which are essential when you get started.
5. Entrepreneur.com
If you have heard about the business magazine Entrepreneur, then you might have checked their website too. Besides the free webinars and workshops they are hosting for business people, you get access to a library of resources and articles called Start My Business. You get book and article recommendations, but also resources that will help you get started.
6. Canva
Starting a small business is not only about finances and contracts but about marketing and your brand image too. Your budget might be tight, so you might be looking for resources that are not so expensive. If you need a tool to create posts on social media, banners on your website, a presentation, or any other visual element, you should use Canva. It's easy to use, and intuitive, and it has a large library of icons, photos, and templates.
7. TaxJar
When you start your small business, you need to pay attention to the taxes you need to pay. Well, TaxJar does exactly this. It automates sales tax calculations and it provides you with the reports you need. Besides this, it supplies you with all the resources you need for the small business that will help you learn and keep track of taxes.
8. MailChimp
If you plan on setting up a newsletter for your small business, you need to use MailChimp. This is the most valuable tool that will help you craft visually appealing newsletters to send to your clients or target audience and catch their attention. It automates the process and it makes your job easier.
9. Hootsuite
As mentioned above, besides the financial and organizational aspects of setting up a small business, there is the marketing part too. Hootsuite is a tool that helps you manage and monitor all the social media accounts of your business, which is incredibly helpful. You can use their dashboard to schedule posts and track their engagement too.
10. Wix
Every small business should exist in the virtual world too and for this, besides social media accounts, you need a website too. Wix is the tool that can help you create your website from scratch, using premade templates and the simple "drag and drop" action to make the process more efficient and easier.
11. Coursera
Even though you can find a lot of advice online on how to start a small business, this doesn't mean that everything applies to your case. It would be helpful to start some courses that help you understand more about finances, project and time management, or the legal side of having a business. You can find courses on these topics and others on Coursera, a platform with courses from well-known universities and teachers.
12. US Small Business Administration
Starting a small business is not easy and there are lots of processes involved. Well, if you need guidance and help from professionals, you can find it at the US Small Business Administration, which is a government agency. They also provide funding, so if you need some money to get it started, you can apply for one of their grants or sponsorships.
13. Alison
Starting a small business involves a great financial investment, so you may already be on a tight budget. Well, if you would like to learn more about accounting, project management, entrepreneurship, or leadership, make sure you check Alison. You can start some free courses and read their resources on sales, operations, or resource management.
14. Trello
If your small business is already running, you probably have a lot of tasks divided between team members. Trello is a great project management tool you can use within your team to assign tasks, measure their progress and completion, and keep track of everything.
15. Slack
Besides having a tool that helps you have an overview of the progress of the project and completion of tasks, you need one where you can chat with your team. Slack is a great communication tool many businesses are using as you can pin messages, you can send files and documents, or even format text.
16. Small Business Development Centers
Last but not least, Small Business Development Centers are a great resource for first-time entrepreneurs. They have offices pretty much everywhere around the country. So, if you get in touch with them, they will surely help you learn more about leadership and entrepreneurship. But they will provide you with some business resources too, that will be really valuable.
17.Visme
If you are looking for a platform to assist you with visual content then Visme is your good-to-go option. Visme collaboration platform is easy to use and you can create infographics, promo videos, slideshows, tutorials, explainer videos, and more. Visme includes a drag-and-drop editor and a library of hundreds of templates, photos, and animated characters. No matter your role or level of design skills, with Visme your work life is easier.
Final Thoughts
Being an entrepreneur in a world where the competition is so fierce might feel challenging. There are a lot of aspects you need to take care of when you start your first business and this might feel overwhelming. However, these resources will help you get started and learn more about every aspect of starting and running a successful business.
Bio lines: Evelyn is a content writer and blogger passionate about business. He usually writes articles on topics related to this domain, such as entrepreneurship, leadership, and project management. Evelyn's dream is to start a mental health organization that supports business people.