5 Small Business Resources You've Probably Never Heard of

Being a small business owner can be overwhelming. In addition to getting flooded with endless sales pitches and phone calls, you need to deal with the ins and outs of doing it all. 

From running payroll to creating happy customers and figuring out how to reopen amidst a global pandemic, small business owners wear multiple hats.

So where do small business owners turn when they have questions?  Instead of scouring the corners of the internet, we decided to create a bit of a cheat sheet. 

So we’ve compiled it all. The non-profits. The podcasts. And some other resources we’ve found helpful as we’ve built and scaled small businesses. Here are 5 small business resources you've probably never heard of.

Small Business Resources You Need to Know

From writing a business plan to advertising your business online, these small business resources cover it all. Let’s dive in.

1. The Small Business Association

The Small Business Association (SBA) is a great resource for businesses in all stages. If you’re building, say a landscaping business, and you’re just starting out, you can visit the SBA website and learn how to create your very own business plan starting from scratch.

If you’re new to the industry and not sure how to write a business plan, this free resource will walk you through every step, telling you what to include and how to make your business stand out and succeed.

The SBA also offers financial advice, legal requirements, programs, guides and helps you get your business up and running correctly and affordably. It’s also a great resource to use to figure out what kind of licenses and permits your business requires.

Additionally, the SBA provides free short courses and tools to start and grow your small business. The free SBA Online Learning Center is a great resource for all business owners, especially home-service business owners looking to bring their company to the next level. 

The courses cover topics such as:

• Writing or modifying your business plan;
• Buying a business;
• Scaling a business;
• Financing options and available programs;
• Marketing solutions to win over more customers;
• Disaster recovery; and
• Understanding the customer journey.

2. Fire Nation 

Fire Nation hosts a podcast called Entrepreneurs on Fire, which features a different small business owner every episode. A new episode is posted everyday of the week and is filled with valuable insights from actual business owners who haves succeeded, failed ,and everything in between.

Each one lasts only for a half hour, so you don't have to set aside a ton of time. In just a short while, you can hear from individuals, learn tips and tricks for success, and learn from others' failures. The podcast also comes with free courses any listener can take advantage of.

And it doesn't stop there! Fire Nation also has a blog filled with helpful business information and resources that cover a variety of topics. Bottom line? 

Read it. Or listen to it.

3. SCORE

SCORE is known for being the best in business mentoring and education. They offer a free Business Plan page that’s loaded with online business workshops, podcasts, live webinars, and informative blogs that provide instruction and tips for building and running a business. It covers tops such as management, marketing, sales, finance, technology, and more.

A unique feature SCORE offers is its free mentoring services that are available both in-person and via email. If you need trustworthy answers fast, SCORE is your place to go.

4. Small Biz Trends

Small Biz Trends provides free marketing resources for small business owners across the country. The Resource Center includes comprehensive guides, tools, checklists, templates, and more — all designed to help out small business owners like you. 

And the best part is that all the resources are written by reliable sources: Experienced small business experts. It doesn’t get much better than that.

5. GoSite

And last (but certainly not least) we have the GoSite Resources page. This includes the GoSite blog as well as a Knowledge Base and a variety of eGuides. Sure, you might think I’m biased but I promise you we have a lot to offer!

GoSite can be your one-stop-shop and provide you the full package for free. You can find everything you need to know quickly and easily in just a few clicks. 

We write pieces that address common small business owner pain points, so you can find answers fast and skip all the unnecessary nonsense. It includes complete how-to guides, checklists, and other informative content that you can use to help your business succeed. Don’t believe me? See for yourself.

Are You Ready to Grow Your Business? 

So next time you turn to the internet searching for answers, stop and revisit this list before you get lost in the sea of results on the internet. We're here to help, so let us take care of the hard work for you.

Our handpicked list of small business resources can help bring to light the latest developments, stay on top of trends in your industry, answer tricky questions, and walk you through different business processes so you never have to be left in the dark again —  all without breaking the bank.

What resources do you use? Did I miss any?  If so, please share it in the comments section below!