5 Favorite FREE Online Resources for Starting a Business
I’ll just say it: starting a business can SUPER overwhelming.
For a lot of reasons.
And one of those reasons is many, many options available today for programs and systems and tools you may or may not need for your own business.
“Do I need to invest in this app?”
“Should I spend my monthly expense budget here?”
“That website software is HOW expensive?”
I get it.
And while starting a business does come with it’s own list of expenses and investments, there are also SO many free resources out there today to help support your business, as well.
I’m sharing five of my personal favorite FREE resources for starting a business below.
(Plus a couple of bonus ideas you’ll want to start using like yesterday!)
01. GoogleDocs
I will never NOT recommend using GoogleDocs in business.
GoogleDocs gives you the ability to create everything from word docs to spreadsheets to presentations and forms in a beautiful, easy, and integrated way. Organization and sharing capabilities are a cinch.
For web design projects, this is where I could easily gather both copy (text docs) and images in neatly organized folders for my clients.
For brand consultations, this is where I could gather and organize information from my clients via intake forms.
For product design, this is where I could organize the final print files that get sent to my production partners in a clean, organized manner.
And for my own business, this is where I plan content, launch strategies, affiliate information, and more.
Not to mention, for personal use, this is where I organize addresses, plan parties, etc.
GoogleDocs is a powerful and free resource you can access from your computer or phone, making it a must-have in your new business toolkit.
02. MailChimp
When it comes to marketing tools, an email list should absolutely be at the top of your priorities.
“But isn’t email dead?”
Not. At. All.
On average, click-through and sales conversions are higher in email marketing than any form of social media marketing.
Plus, you have actual control and ownership over your list of contacts.
This is unlike social media, where the algorithm rules are constantly changing and accounts/platforms can go away or get hacked in an instant.
Your email list is yours to build connections and strategies as you please.
MailChimp is an email marketing tool with a free plan (for up to 2,000 contacts at the time of writing this) that allows you to capture emails, build lists, and stay connected with your people.
I personally used MailChimp for the first four years or so of doing business and found that it met all of my needs in the beginning. (Only in recent years did I switch to Flodesk.)
And truthfully, there are multiple free email marketing platforms out there that would be great alternatives to check out, including MailerLite, Omnisend, Sender, and Sendinblue.
Regardless of which platform you go with, the goal of getting set up with an email list for your customers and/or clients early in the game is highly recommended and will continue to be a huge asset to your business for years to come.
03. Unsplash
In those early days of starting a business, I can absolutely appreciate a mixed approach for photography in your business.
For many, this could simply mean a few stunning headshots + gorgeous, on-brand stock photography to supplement.
(As much as I will always vouch for doing a full brand shoot when the resources are there, I understand this cost can be more than you’re able to take on in the very beginning — so keeping it simple with a mini headshot session is a great alternative! And many photographers offer packages that will accomplish just that.)
To fill in those gaps on your website, social media, and elsewhere, however, have a library of stock images you love that help communicate your brand story is a great addition.
Unsplash.com is one of my absolute favorites for gorgeous photos from real photographers that you’re free to use — and I love that they make it so easy to give credit to the photographers by giving you the exact info to share on your website, etc. when you do use their photos!
Plus, they’re constantly adding new images to keep your options fresh and updated, and the images are all high res, making them perfect for full screen website background images and more.
Start a folder with images you love — 5-10 photos is all you really need to have on hand for a consistent imagery experience.
Note: My only warning here is to be mindful in those photos you choose… too many photos that come off as distant and “stock-y” can leave your brand feeling cold and impersonal. Real photos of you and your product should absolutely be featured more; but supplementing with stock images that support your aesthetic can help bring more visual appeal to your content and marketing when chosen intentionally.
04. Canva
I’ll be completely honest — because of my background in graphic and web design, I personally prefer the Adobe Creative Suite (programs like Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop) over Canva when it comes to design.
But if we’re talking free programs you shouldn’t live without as a new small business owner?
Canva is absolutely on the list.
This powerful platform has a pretty robust free plan and allows you to design pretty much everything you might need to started — such as social media graphics, presentations, business cards, invitations, and more.
They set you up with a beautiful selection of templates, images, fonts, graphics, and color palettes to work with, or you can import all of your own branded materials for a more custom experience.
One of the biggest cons I’ve seen with Canva that you’ll want to keep in mind: you cannot create a vector file. Vector files are editable, resizable, and have much more flexibility than a raster image (which is what you’ll export through Canva, generally).
You’ll also be forgoing uniqueness, flexibility with designs, and dealing with potential legality issues.
That said, Canva is fast and free, and I completely understand it can be tricky to find a designer you LOVE with the pricing and availability you desire in those early stages.
Overall, Canva is a must for ongoing design needs such as social media and email newsletter graphics!
05. Evernote
…Or your preferred notes app. (I also love and use the Notes app built into Apple products on the daily.)
An app for writing and organizing notes, ideas, blog posts and more is a must-have in your toolkit of biz resources.
Many note-taking apps offer a free plan, allow syncing between devices, and have built-in organizational capabilities that make these function as powerful little digital notebooks in your pocket.
Here’s an example of how I use Evernote:
I’m a reader and love to highlight and jot down key takeaways from each book I read; Evernote is where I store all of these notes and highlights for easy access. Before using this method, I would often forget what I just read and/or not apply any of the important lessons and ideas to my life. Now it’s second nature to record my notes, highlight my 3-5 key takeaways, and use this information to better my life and business going forward.
The Notes app I mentioned is what I use for distraction-free writing — like this very blog post. Not to mention, email newsletters, strategy ideas, and more.
The simplicity of many note-taking apps is what makes them so powerful; they’re easy to navigate, easy to access, and designed to make your notes and ideas the priority (as opposed to an excess of features that might be distracting or create an unnecessary learning curve).
Bonus: Free marketing via social media + a website
Listen, I can’t make a list of free resources that can help your business in a mega way without mentioning some of the more obvious tools — social media and a website!
Social media for business is a marketing strategy.
It’s a way to build awareness for your brand or products or services, create relationships with potential customers, conduct research, and more.
I will be the first to say that you do NOT need a presence on every social media platform, however; my recommendation for getting started with social media in business is to pick one or two based on your ideal audience (in addition to your email list) and focus on doing those WELL.
You do not need to be everywhere.
You need to be where your customers and clients are.
A website, in addition, is your home base. It’s your virtual store front and a consistent, branded place for customers to visit, shop, and contact you.
Not to mention the credibility and ownership aspects — among many other pros for creating and maintaining a simple website for your business.
There are so many avenues you can choose from for creating a website, includinggg a few free options… which might be just what you need in those early days.
(Don’t get me wrong — there is HUGE value in working with a web designer to create a custom or semi-custom site for your business; but I understand the process can be long and expensive, and I will always vouch for having an online presence rather than no presence at all for your business.)
A few platforms that allow you to build a free website include Wix, Weebly, and WordPress.
Wix and Weebly definitely have less of a learning curve and honestly have come a long way in the world of web design! Both provide simple setups, clean designs, and basic functionality, allowing you to publish a website in a relatively short amount of time.
WordPress is a supercharged platform that will offer the MOST flexibility for your website… but only through Wordpress.org, the slightly more complex version. Wordpress.com is the free version that’ll help you get started with the basics and offers a more simplified interface so you can started sooner.
Whichever route you go, keeping your online presence simply and beautifully designed, consistently branded, and actively updated are key to maximizing your online efforts as a new business.
