If you happen to’re operating your small business on a decent funds, here’s a large listing of free enterprise sources and instruments for entrepreneurs!

Leaving the safety of a steady-paying job to launch a brand new enterprise generally is a scary endeavor. Even when you’ve deliberate and saved six months of residing bills, it typically takes months to generate earnings from your small business.

And guess what?

Even when you don’t have cash coming in, your small business nonetheless incurs bills to run easily. However don’t despair; there are tons of free instruments, sources, guides, and printables, so that you don’t need to break the financial institution.

Here’s a large listing of free sources for small enterprise house owners so you may give attention to enterprise progress and earning money as an alternative of spending it.

1. Free Web sites and Platforms

Because you gained’t have a brick-and-mortar location, the center of your home-based enterprise is your web site. Having a web site permits folks to window store your providers and merchandise; it helps them discover you on-line and conveys useful data. Personally, I feel it’s in your greatest curiosity to personal your web site (buy your area identify and internet hosting), however when you can’t afford a web site proper off the bat, I counsel utilizing a free choice till you may afford to change to a extra sturdy platform.

A number of issues to notice about free platforms. Normally, you’re restricted to a small variety of internet pages, you’ll have restricted bandwidth and storage, and sometimes, you’ll have a sub-domain. If you happen to can spare $2.95 a month, I extremely advocate establishing your individual web site with WordPress. Not solely is it inexpensive, but it surely’s additionally very simple to arrange and use, and it offers you a professional-looking web site that you just personal. Here’s a free step-by-step guide to get you began.

Listed here are the free choices for establishing your organization’s web site:

You’d assume, as a lot as I’m on-line, that I’d rely closely on on-line productivity tools, however I don’t. As you’ll see under, I like to make use of real-world instruments to assist me keep organized. However when you want on-line time administration instruments, right here’s an incredible listing to maintain you on monitor.

• Cozi – Easy household organizer
• ClickBook presents free on-line appointment scheduling
• Doodle – A scheduling utility that may sync your entire calendars collectively – Free for 14 days
• Evernote – Digital to-do listing
• Google Calendar – On-line calendar
• SavvyCal – One scheduling instrument
• Todoist – Job supervisor
• Zapier – An automation instrument

3. Free Printables

I’m old-fashioned in relation to planning and organizing. For all of my private and enterprise actions, I take advantage of a bodily planner, calendar, pocket book, and tons of printables. From grocery and day by day to-dos to packing lists, chore charts, and enterprise objectives. If you happen to’re searching for free printables to prepare your small business and life, this listing has you coated.

After I first began my enterprise, I used a spreadsheet for all of my earnings and bills. Not solely was the method manually intensive, but it surely additionally made tax time a nightmare. Save your self the frustration and use an expert platform. The sources listed under supply free invoicing, budgeting, planning, bookkeeping, and accounting options.

5. Free Enterprise Templates

If you’re operating a enterprise, you’ll end up looking out for every type of kinds and templates that you just don’t even know you want till a selected state of affairs arises. When the time comes, listed below are some nice sources to have bookmarked.

• LivePlan – Enterprise plans, proposal templates, startup checklists, and extra
• Ryan Robinson – Free freelance proposal template
• SCORE – Enterprise planning, monetary, advertising, and administration templates
• The Work at Home Woman – Free marketing strategy template

6. Free Content material and Mission Administration Techniques

If you’re a service supplier (digital assistant, freelance author, graphic designer, and so on.), you’re going to have a number of initiatives and shoppers to handle. The easiest way to remain on prime of every part is through the use of a content material or undertaking administration system to maintain you organized.

• Airtable – Free spreadsheet and information desk administration instrument
• Asana – Mission administration platform
• Basecamp – Mission administration instrument – Free 30-day trial
• FreedCamp – Free undertaking administration platform
• Trello – On-line collaboration and administration instrument
• Wrike – Job and undertaking administration platform

It’s been stated that it is best to spend at the very least 20-25% of your time advertising your small business. With lots of of how to market your small business, it is best to be capable to discover a method that works for you. Listed here are a couple of free platforms and sources value testing.

• Clearstream – Free SMS advertising (25 messages per 30 days)
• Constant Contact – Free 60-day electronic mail e-newsletter trial (no bank card required)
• ConvertKit – Free electronic mail advertising, as much as 10,000 subscribers
• Craigslist – Free internet advertising
• Facebook – Free social media advertising platform
• EZ Texting – Free 30-day trial
• HubSpot – Free electronic mail signature
• Instagram – Free photo-sharing media platform
• LinkedIn – Skilled social networking web site
• Loom – Video advertising platform
• OneSignal – Ship out push notifications to 10,000 subscribers without cost
• Pinterest – A visible advertising platform
• Post Planner – Social media scheduling instrument, 7-day free trial
• SocialBee – Social media scheduling instrument, free 14-day trial
• Survey Monkey – Permits you to collect suggestions, gather information, and analyze survey outcomes
• TikTok – Video social media platform
• Webpushr – Free push notifications to 10,000 subscribers
• YouTube – Video advertising platform

For extra budget-friendly advertising concepts, try these articles:

You could have already got Microsoft Workplace in your pc, however when you don’t, the yearly subscription might be expensive. Listed here are another choices that work nice, and so they’re free.

It’s humorous once you work in an workplace setting; you don’t even take into consideration all of the totally different strategies you utilize day by day to speak with others – the expertise and techniques are already in place. Nevertheless, once you run your individual enterprise, you’ll rapidly study that you just want an entire host of instruments. Fortunately, there are many free and dependable choices.

• FaxZERO – Fax paperwork without cost, as much as three pages, two occasions per day
• FreeConferenceCall.com – Convention and video calls, as much as 1,000 folks, without cost
• Google Chat – Discuss to different folks over the web without cost
• Google Meet – Free video convention calls
• IFTTT – A free instrument to get your entire apps and units speaking successfully with one another
• Signal – Messaging app
• Telegram – A free desktop and cellular messaging app
• TextNow – Free textual content and name app
• WhatsApp – Free non-public messaging and calling instrument
• WebEx – Free video conferencing for as much as three folks
• Zoom – Video and internet conferencing service (free for as much as 100 people)

As an entrepreneur, you’ll tackle many roles. Fairly often, that function is a graphic designer. However no worries, you don’t want any particular coaching to create professional-looking pictures, displays, and advertising supplies; these instruments are each free and simple to make use of.

11. Free On-line Programs, Workshops, and Steering

As an entrepreneur, it’s essential to keep present on greatest enterprise practices, expertise and innovation, advertising methods, and different enterprise subjects. Issues change so rapidly that when you don’t keep on prime of trade tendencies and new expertise, you’ll be left behind. That’s why investing in your self-development is so essential.

Listed here are some locations to search out free enterprise guides, mentors, advisors, webinars, and recommendation from trade specialists. 

12. Free Sources and Instruments for Bloggers

If you happen to run a weblog, there’s little question that you just’ll want some specialised instruments to make your running a blog efforts simpler.

Listed here are some that I take advantage of and advocate:

Free Small Enterprise Sources Wrapup

Whether or not you’re new to entrepreneurship or a longtime enterprise proprietor who needs to spend money on your small enterprise progress, this listing of free enterprise sources has one thing for everyone.

One final notice about enterprise freebies. There’ll come some extent the place your time turns into extra useful than saving a couple of dollars. So, as you develop, spend money on the right instruments that may finally prevent money and time, as freebies typically have limitations.

Good luck along with your new enterprise!

Do you’ve free enterprise sources and instruments you could’t dwell with out? Drop us a notice under; we’d love to listen to what you’re utilizing.

Initially printed November 25, 2009. Content material up to date March 2025.