250+ Small Business Startup Tools and Resources
Category: Tools & Resources
Do you want to start a small business? Whether you’re an experienced entrepreneur looking to pursue a new venture or a first-timer who has always dreamed of owning their own small business, the startup phase can be exciting, but also exhausting.
To help you launch your business, we’ve assembled some of the best tools and resources for startups from around the world. Let them help you give your new company the head start it deserves.
Small Business Ideas For New Startups
Do you know that entrepreneurship is right for you, but you aren’t sure what type of small business you want to launch? Let these collections of startup ideas inspire you.
- 101 Small Business Ideas – from About.com
- Home-based Business Ideas – from HomeBizzGuide.com
- Inexpensive Business Ideas – from Entrepreneur.com
- Part-time Side Business Ideas – from TheGuardian.com
- Online Business Ideas – from BusinessNewsDaily.com
- Business Ideas for Teens – from JuniorBiz.com
- Business Ideas for Retirees – from MSN Money
- Weird Business Ideas – from Succeed.co.za
Business Planning Resources
You have the perfect business idea. But before you can launch or seek financing for your startup, you need a solid business plan. Let these business planning tools and resources guide you.
- Business Plan Writing Guide – from The U.S. Small Business Administration
- Sample Business Plans – from BPlans.com
- Fill-in-the-blanks Business Plan Template – from Mohave.edu
- Business Plan Software – from PaloAlto Software
- Online Business Plan Tool – from Enloop.com
- Experiment Board – from Javelin
- Idea to Implementation – from Germ.io
- Business Plan Builder Tool – from CanadaStartups.org
- Idea Generator – from Skitch
- Name Your Product – from thenameapp.com
- Get Help Naming Your Company – from naminum.com
- Help With Finding a Short Company Name – from wordoid.com
- Find a Short Domain Name – from shortdomainsearch.com
- Domain Name Generator – from impossibility.org
- Domain Name Helper – from leandomainsearch.com
- Domain Name Search – from domainr.com
Financial Tools and Calculators
Whether you want to attract investors for your startup or you simply want your business to be a success, you need a financial plan. These financial tools and resources can help.
- Startup Costs Calculator – from Entrepreneur.com
- Small Business Finance Software – from Intuit
- Funding Database – from CanadaStartups.org
- Online Invoicing – from FreshBooks.com
- Profit and Loss Statement Excel Template – from Entrepreneur.com
- Accounting & Financial Reporting Templates – from FrugalEntrepreneur.com
- Accounting Templates – from Double-Entry-Bookkeeping.com
- Preparing Financial Statements – from The U.S. Small Business Administration
- Business Finance Explained – from Gov.uk
- Invoice Generator – from invoiceto.me
- Invoice Generator – from free-invoice-generator.com
- Invoice Generator – from invoice.to
- Simple Invoices – from slimvoice.co
- Easy Invoices – from waveapps.com
Marketing Tools and Resources
If you want your startup to grow and gain attention from both customers and investors, you’ll need an effective marketing strategy. Let these tools and resources help you develop the perfect marketing plan and attract new customers.
- Marketing Plan Outline – from QuickMBA.com
- Sample Marketing Plans – from MPlans.com
- Social Media Marketing Resources – from Marketo.com
- Marketing Guides and Webinars – from VerticalResponse.com
- Email Marketing Guides – from MailChimp.com
- The Beginner’s Guide to Online Marketing – from QuickSprout.com
- Free Marketing E-books – from DuctTapeMarketing.com
- Content Marketing Editorial Calendar Template – from SocialMediaToday.com
- Internet Marketing and Social Media Guides – from DirJournal.com
- Hipster Logo Generator – from hipsterlogogenerator.com
- Squarespace Logo Generator – from Sqaurespace
- Handwritten Signature Maker – from signature-maker.net
- Loomly – Loomly is everything you need in one tool to cover the entire social media content publishing process. The platform helps you (and your team) create better content for your audience, faster, with innovative features including: post ideas, optimization tips, mockups, approval, scheduling & analytics.
- Presskit Generator.
- Free Survey Creator.
Small Business News
Stay on top of small business news and the latest resources for your startup by following these sources.
- Bloomberg Businessweek: Small Business
- Reuters Small Business News
- The Guardian Small Business Network
- CBC News: Business
- The Financial Times UK Small Companies
- CNNMoney: Small Business
- StartupSmart.com.au
- SmallBizTrends.com
- BBC News: Business
- The Economic Times: Emerging Business
- Mashable: Small Business
- Alltop: Small Business
Website Resources
Here are some website resources, for assistance:
- HTML5 UP.
- Bootstrap (free themes).
- templated.co.
- WordPress.org.
- Strikingly.com.
- Layerswp.com.
- BootstrapZero.com.
- LandingHarbor.com/.
Small Business and Startup Tips
When you’re looking for small business tips and advice on growing your startup, check out these websites and blogs to learn something new.
- Business Owners’ Idea Cafe
- Small Business Startup Portal
- Small Business Tips from Xerox
- Starting a Business: from StartupNation
- Small Business Trends Startup Advice
- Mashable Small Business Tips
- Business Formation Legal Info from NOLO
- Starting & Managing a Business from the SBA
- Small Business Tips from The Huffington Post
- Business Tips from the Better Business Bureau
- Directory Journal Business and Marketing Guides
- PakWired’s Business Glossary
- Free Legal Docs.
- Free Legal Docs.
- Create Binding Legal Docs.
- How To Start a Business and Own Your Future
- Lendified: Canada’s premiere online credit marketplace providing fixed-rate loans to small businesses and I thought you might be interested in our post: Lendified’s Top 10 Tools for Small Businesses. We’d be a great fit because in a world where entrepreneurship is booming – and evolving – there are many tools and technologies that can help you further your small business. Want to know which ones are worth your while? Check out our post for a list of our favourite tools that are the most useful and affordable for small business owners.
Books for Entrepreneurs
If you’re looking for more in-depth information about starting and running your own business, these business books are a good place to start.
- 7 Habits of Highly Effective People — by Stephen R. Covey
- How to Win Friends & Influence People — by Dale Carnegie
- Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity — by David Allen
- The Lean Startup — by Eric Ries
- The One Minute Manager — by Ken Blanchard
- The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business — by Josh Kaufman
- The E-myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It — by Michael Gerber
- The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything — by Guy Kawasaki
- The Small Business Start-Up Kit: A Step-by-Step Legal Guide — by Peri Pakroo J.D.
- Bookkeeper’s Boot Camp: Get a Grip on Accounting Basics — by Angie Mohr
Venture Capitalists
Do you think you have a hot startup idea with enough potential to attract investors? Here are some of the top venture capital firms to consider pitching.
- Accel Partners
- Andreessen Horowitz
- Benchmark
- Bessemer Venture Partners
- Founders Fund
- Greylock Partners
- IDG Ventures
- Sequoia Capital
- Summit Partners
- Warburg Pincus
Startup Incubators and Accelerators
If you’re looking for some seed capital or mentoring to boost the growth of your new business, you might want to join a startup incubator or accelerator. Check out these examples.
- 1871
- AngelPad
- ATP Innovations
- DreamIt Ventures
- Founder Institute
- Google Ventures
- The Icehouse
- Invest2Innovate
- JFDI
- LaunchBox Digital
- Launchgarage
- Launchpad LA
- Rocket Internet
- Seedcamp
- Seedfund
- TechNexus
- Techstars
- TLabs
- Y Combinator
- CanadaStartups
Successful Startups
Sometimes you need more than resources. You need inspiration. Check out these companies. They were named some of the most successful startups of 2013 by Forbes.com. Then imagine where your new business could be a year from now and get to work!
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