Tips, Trends, and Resources for Entrepreneurs
It’s Global Entrepreneurship Month! To cap off the month, SBE Council president & CEO Karen Kerrigan has dedicated this week’s edition of Small Business Accelerator to providing a roundup of helpful resources that will assist and encourage the budding entrepreneur toward pursuing their dream of starting a business!
FREE or Low-Cost Resources
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA): The SBA provides an array of practical online training. You can first begin with The SBA’s Business Guide, whichoffers solid information and guidance for starting or buying a business.
Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs): This nationwide network of business training centers provides free consulting to businesses of all types and sizes, including startups. Nearly 1,000 service centers are available to provide no-cost business consulting and low-cost training. Find your local SBDC here.
Women Business Centers (WBCs): Nearly 100 women business centers located across the United States provide training, mentoring, business development and financing opportunities for women business owners. You can locate a WBC here.
SCORE: This organization is an outstanding source of free and confidential small business advice for entrepreneurs and small businesses. There are over 300 SCORE offices across the country offering free business mentoring and low- or no-cost workshops, and the organization conducts FREE webinars on a weekly basis on topics and issues that are critical to startup and small business success.
Helpful Articles from Some our Favorite Small Business Experts
Got an Awesome New Business Idea? Here’s What to Do Next, Entrepreneur. “While there’s no guaranteed formula to starting a successful business, there are steps to take in the planning phase that will not only help you determine if your business idea has what it takes but help you get the ball rolling, too.”
7 Tips to Test Your Idea as a Part-Time Entrepreneur, Startup Professionals. “For those of you who do decide to keep your day job, here are some pragmatic recommendations I espouse on how to make the most progress in your startup, while simultaneously juggling your other critical family and employer roles. In fact, these suggestions have tremendous value, even if you are dedicated and committed full-time to your new startup.”
7 Critical Things to Know Before Starting a Home Business, Small Biz Daily. “Deciding to turn your home, or a portion of your home, into a money-making enterprise may seem like a great idea – who doesn’t like to work in his or her pajamas? But there are some legal considerations, permits and financial implications you must consider before moving forward.”
7 Skills Every Startup Team Needs to Get Things Done, Startup Professionals. “The best entrepreneurs never confuse motion with results. It’s easy to find people in every organization rushing around from one meeting to the next, often working overtime to generate more work for themselves and other people, but rarely taking the action to close an issue or contract. We all need more people around us who make every motion mean something.”
Even the Best Startup Solutions Need Modern Marketing, Startup Professionals. “Every entrepreneur needs to realize that marketing is now key to success on every new venture, no matter how compelling the technology.”
4 Little Known Digital Tools that Will Accelerate Your Startup, Small Biz Daily. “When you have so much to handle, finding tools that make things a little bit easier and a lot more efficient can be a serious game changer. With the right tools, you could even revolutionize profitability and start a whole new chapter in your startup’s life.”
21 Businesses to Start for $25k (or Less), Bank of America – Small Business Community. “Do you dream of being your own boss but don’t think you have enough startup capital? Starting a business is more affordable than ever.”
A Startup That Imitates, With Innovation, Often Wins, Startup Professionals. “Many of the major business successes started this way. McDonalds didn’t invent the fast food model – they simply improved on the cookie-cutter White Castle process. Before Wal-Mart made the low-cost high-volume business model famous, there was Ben Franklin and Two Guys who touted it way back following World War II. And we all know Facebook didn’t invent social media. The advantage of imitation, with innovation, is that it gives you a solid base for building experience.”
7 Things to do Before Becoming a Franchise Owner, Bank of America blog by Carol Roth. “While it is less creative, the benefits of franchise ownership include a proven market concept, assistance on site locations, marketing, purchasing, build-out (if a physical unit) and much more. Getting to start at ‘Square Three’ can improve the odds of success, although it does curtail part of the upside. That tradeoff can be well worth it, depending on your objectives. But, as with any entrepreneurial endeavor, you must research and evaluate before rushing into starting a franchise. To help you know what you need to know, I reached out to ‘The Franchise King,’ Joel Libava…”
5 Indications You Can Survive Startup Failures, Startup Professionals. “Very few entrepreneurs are born with the resilience needed. Yet, it is something any startup founder can acquire as an advantage in the ever-more-competitive business world. A good part of it is fighting the urge to revert back to our comfort zones, and fall back into old habits.”
Small Business Insider
Don’t forget to sign up for SBE Council’s weekly “Small Business Insider” newsletter. It will keep you up-to-date on the latest trends, policy, and economic news that impacts entrepreneurship and the growth of small businesses! Sign up here.