Help for Small Business

With the vast amount of information and resources available online it can be quite a challenge for entrepreneurs and small business owners to find the small business help they need.

From deciding whether to start a business, setting up or acquiring a business, raising capital, acquiring credit, marketing, social media marketing, working with customers, growing your business, working online, selling online and much more it’s vital to have access to resources you can depend on.

Below are my top 25 all time favorite websites that provide small business owners the much needed support, news, information, resources, and tools needed to succeed in business today.

1. AllBusiness.com -AllBusiness.com has a variety of small business resources, advice, and business ideas for entrepreneurs and small businesses to start, manage, finance, and build a business.
2. Bplans.com -Bplans.com offers free sample business plans, business plan software, business calculators, and articles on writing a business plan, starting a business, and other small business topics.
3. Business.com -Business.com provides an extensive and helpful business search engine and business directory designed to help its users find the companies, products, services, and information they need to make the right business decisions.
4. Business.gov -Business.gov helps small businesses understand their legal requirements and locate government services from federal, state and local agencies.
5. Businesscreditblogger.com -Businesscreditblogger.com has been the go-to source for business credit information providing expert information about building business credit, business credit scoring, business credit reporting and business credit cards.
6. Copyblogger.com -Copyblogger.com is an invaluable source for business owners wanting to learn more about how to gain more traffic, links, and subscribers for their company website.
7. Credit.com -Credit.com covers all aspects of personal credit and includes free interactive tools and unbiased product comparisons.
8. Entrepreneur.com -Entrepreneur.com offers a comprehensive range of practical information for small business owners including articles, videos, tools, newsletters, and message boards.
9. EntreWorld.org -Entreworld.org is a collection of resources for entrepreneurs designed to support and help build entrepreneurial economies. The content on the site focuses on starting, growing and locating support for your business.
10. Franchise.com -Franchise.com serves the franchise community by serving both as a unique search tool for finding the right business for sale and a franchise industry resource that offers franchise information, franchise industry news, and resources.
11. Frannet.com -Frannet.com provides an overview of franchising and provides helpful advice and guidance to determine if you are suited to being a franchise owner.
12. Inc.com -Inc.com is the online version of the magazine Inc. It provides information, products, services, and online tool for entrepreneurs.
13. IRS Small Business One Stop Resource -The IRS Small Business Resource covers a broad range of tax resources for entrepreneurs and small business owners including workshops, forms, and publications.
14. Knowthis.com -Knowthis.com is a leading information and resource website in marketing, market research, advertising, selling, promotion, and other marketing-related areas.
15. MoreBusiness.com -MoreBusiness.com is filled with sample business plans, marketing plans, templates, sample contracts and business agreements to help entrepreneurs start and grow a small business.
16. Mashable.com -Mashable.com is the top source for news in social and digital media, technology and web culture. The business section offers tips, tools, social media resources and guides you will find extremely helpful.
17. SBA.gov -SBA.gov is run by the U.S. government and it is dedicated to helping small business owners by giving a wide range of sources for technical, managerial, and financial help and assistance.
18. Score.org -The SCORE Association is a nonprofit and resource partner with the SBA. It offers a wealth of free online and face-to-face business counseling, mentoring, and training for startups or for existing businesses hoping to grow.  
19. Smallbiztrends.com -Smallbiztrends.com is an award-winning online publication for small business owners and entrepreneurs. A great resource to track, explore and learn from trends affecting the small business market.
20. Socialmediatoday.com -Socialmediatoday.com helps teach business owners how to leverage the power of social media with insightful information, tools, tips, and strategies.
21. Startupnation.com -Startupnation.com is a one-stop shop for entrepreneurs with easy-to-follow, practical information to start and grow a successful business.
22. Toolkit.com -Toolkit.com offers more than 5,000 pages of free cost-cutting tips, step-by-step checklists, real-life case studies, startup advice, and business templates to small business owners and entrepreneurs.
23. Vfinance.com -Vfinance.com is a great site for business owners searching for sources of venture capital. It provides a directory of venture capital firms and angel investor networks as well as sample business plan templates.
24. Welcome Business USA -Welcome Business USA.com has an alliance with SCORE and is created exclusively for small businesses that are in their initial stages of development. A great resource if you’re thinking about starting a business.
25. Youngentrepreneur.com -Youngentrepreneur.com is one of the largest online forum communities for entrepreneurs worldwide. Learn and network with business professionals including venture capitalists, private investors, industry experts, inventors, and successful entrepreneurs.

Care to share a website or free resource that has provided small business help for your startup or existing business?

Looking for help acquiring credit for your startup or existing business? Become a member of my Business Credit Insiders Circle and gain access to a proven step-by-step business credit building system. A system that provides you access to vendor lines of credit, fleet cards, business credit cards with and without a PG, funding sources and lenders that report to all the major business credit bureaus. Submit your name and email below for details and receive a free audio seminar ($597 value) =>

About the author

Marco Carbajo is a business credit expert, author, speaker, and founder of the Business Credit Insiders Circle. He is a business credit blogger for AllBusiness.com, a subsidiary of Dun and Bradstreet and author of “Eight Steps to Ultimate Business Credit” and “How to Build Business Credit with No Personal Guarantee.” His articles and blogs have also been featured in American Express Small Business, Business Week, The Washington Post, The San Francisco Tribune, Scotsman Guide, Alltop, Entrepreneur Connect, and Active Rain.