If you have an idea that you’re desperate to get out there, be it a product or a service to solve a problem, you can turn that idea into a business. But it’s not considered an easy feat. Read on for some resources available to you that can help bring your business up.
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1. Small Business Development Centers
Expert business advisors at your nearest Small Business Development Center can aid and advise you on all aspects of starting and growing your business. They can walk you through all the forms, teach you about performance reports, etc. They can help you plan, launch, manage and grow your business.
Created in 1953 it is an independent agency of the federal government that aims to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small businesses and preserve free competitive enterprise.
2. SCORE
Nonprofit organization, SCORE, aims to foster small business communities with their mentoring approach. They aim to make sure you can walk on your own two feet with their expert advice. They will not give a man a fish but teach a man to fish.
You can gain a one-to-one expert mentor, share their years of real-world experience or take a workshop on everything from creating a business plan to optimizing your pricing strategy.
3. Due
An online invoicing and digital payments platform, with a wealth of tools at their disposal, Due aims to help small business owners with their financial matters. They offer advice and direction on matters such as annuities, retirement, and savings. You can find blogs on every subject pertaining to finance and guides that will take you from A-Z on everything from invoicing to e-cash.
4. BizBuySell
BizBuySell is a real estate market app for businesses. If you’re looking to buy a business rather than start one, this is the place to go. They offer nationwide listings to help you find businesses in your area up for sale and business brokers nearby. There are over 65,000 businesses listed on the site for you to browse through and they offer blogs and guides for advice on how to buy.
5. Bplans
Bplans will help you learn how to build a business plan. They offer complete and expertly written guides on everything from forming a sales pitch to forecasting cash flow. There are articles and templates available as well as sample plans and complete guides.
Bplans is the largest single online collection of free sample business plans and offers extra tools like calculators and daily advice published on their blog.
6. Evernote
Evernote is a note-taker’s best friend. It is an endless source of Post-It notes. It is all your random thoughts collected in one place. It is an invaluable app for anyone with a source of paperwork in front of them. Your notes will be captured and stored along with the files they correlate to.
Tools like reminders, due dates and flags ensure everything gets done on time. Sources like web pages are saved and relevant information marked. Files can be shared to your calendar so that you never walk into a meeting without the relevant information again.
7. PRLog
PRLog is a free press release distribution service. Created to aid small businesses in their online marketing strategies, they make sure your press releases find their way to major search engines, host press room briefings and offer job listings.
8. VentureBeat
Once described by The New York Times as one of the best blogs on the internet, VentureBeat covers topics on the entire capital industry. Keeping an eye on this blog will quickly get you informed on every aspect of creating and growing a business.
The blog, founded in 2006, strives to keep tech and business news as up to date as possible so that business owners can make an informed decision on whatever they’re doing. They offer articles, newsletters and events aimed to hand out knowledge, perspective, influences, and connections.
9. The Company Corporation
The Company Corporation aims to make incorporating or forming an LLC easy. All the filing and paperwork is handled for you. You simply choose the entity type for your company, conduct a business name search, and get started on your new business. The Company Corporation will then help you find the right state with incorporation services available in all 50 states. They aim to aid entrepreneurs throughout their company’s life cycle with paperwork aid and advice.
10. BuyerZone
BuyerZone is a B2B marketplace that aims to bring sellers and buyers together in a comparison website. They educate buyers and sellers on what a product is worth and whether they are getting a good price. They do the research to make sure buyers are informed of their buying decisions and offer sellers a trusted place for their products to appear as well as offering advice on marketing and pricing.
