10 Free Resources to Start or Grow a Home Based Business

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Thinking about starting a home business or side business? My tongue-in-cheek checklist might let you know if you are ready for it - or go through a ‘real’ assessment to determine whether or not you are ready to start a business (warning, it’s pretty conservative, so don’t let it discourage you from continuing to prepare yourself for entrepreneurship).

So let’s say you’ve made the decision to start a business, or maybe you have even been in business for a while. I have found that the majority of home-based entrepreneurs I know and have met online have no idea how many free resources are out there to help you start or grow your business.

While I have nothing against paid help - and have paid for help in the past (and was glad I did!), the following resources are greatly under-used, in my humble opinion. So whether you’re just dreaming of business plans or have years of experience under your belt, the following links can help you run a better business:

Free Web-Based Business Courses from the SBA
Small Business Association Podcast also from the SBA
Interactive Business Planner from the Government of Canada
More Free Web-Based Business Courses from BusinessWeek
Free Business Advice from SCORE - Online Q&A or find a location near you to ask in person
Get access to leading entrepreneurs with Entrepreneur.com’s new Ask Entrepreneur feature
Get Free Business Forms (be careful, sometimes you need state-specific forms in certain circumstances)
Quicken has a free small business software version of QuickBooks available for PC users, or check out these free money management alternatives
Microsoft has a free startup help center with both learning resources and hints on how to use their products for small businesses
And there’s nothing more appealing about “free” than when its free money. IdeaCafe regularly gives away small business grants to deserving entrepreneurs.

Want more help with your Home Business? Check out the Home Based Business Group Writing Project. More free-ness!

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Comments

1. On February 19th, 2008 at 4:18 pm, Suzie Cheel said:

This is great Wendy and so timely- setting up a new blog on solohomebusiness so will refer back to this for resources

2. On February 19th, 2008 at 5:26 pm, Joanne said:

Great resources! I e-mailed this to my husband because he’s been talking about starting a home business. Thanks Wendy!

Joanne’s last blog post..Adoption Forums

3. On February 19th, 2008 at 5:52 pm, Cindy said:

Thank you Wendy. I’ve been toying around with an idea and these are great resources that I’m gonna need to explore.

4. On February 20th, 2008 at 9:50 am, Melissa Ingold said:

Great resources for anyone starting out a business or even a business that you have started and just need some help with. Thank you so much for these great resources and tips.

5. On February 20th, 2008 at 2:26 pm, Sophia Levis said:

Excellent set of links. Well done!

Sophia Levis’s last blog post..WAHM-Tip #16: Lifelong Learning

6. On February 21st, 2008 at 4:55 am, Gaida said:

Thank you for a great resource list. Reading through these sites can also help you get a better understanding of what is involved in owing a small business. It can also give you more idea of the questions you can ask if you do seek ‘paid’ help.

Gaida’s last blog post..Celebrate Chocolate Mint Day

7. On February 24th, 2008 at 1:32 am, Andrew said:

Might I add one of the most powerful FREE resources at your disposal - your friends, family or acquaintances who are running businesses of their own. We all know a few, but we kind of shy away from asking them about starting a home based business. If we could have a few sit-down-and-talk sessions, we’d find nuggets of wisdom in each conversation that can either help us avoid those startup problems or niggling hassles we experience as new home business owners. For example, my wife and I run a home based food delivery service. We find that our suppliers are the best people to find out about cooking. They give us real, practical tips about how to cook certain types of veggie or keep it looking wonderfully green - things that you can take years to learn by trial and error because you’re just to proud to open your mouth and ask!

8. On February 25th, 2008 at 1:56 pm, Anne Maybus said:

This is a great list. Thank you for the post.

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