Resource guide
A resource guide with you in mind to save you from trial & error, time and frustration.
This resource guide is a breakdown of tools, platforms, and services that can save you time and a few headaches when you’re first starting out as an entrepreneur. It’s broken down into 5 major categories and is not by any means an exhaustive list. Allow this resource guide to serve as a suggested outline for tools to consider when launching a new business and recommendations for existing businesses that want to find better and easier services.
1. Funding and Finances
Finances are in line with understanding how to raise money, find the right type of bank loan or understand your business’s credit. It can also include budgeting and payroll.
Funding is the act of providing financial resources. Think more so investments from venture capitalists or crowd sourcing channels i.e indiegogo.
- Mint for Business – Create budgets, pay bills, and improve credit with mint.
- EquityNet – EquityNet’s free funding tools you can improve your business planning and fundraising efforts.
- Crunchbase – Crunchbase is the destination for discovering industry trends, funding rounds and help you find Investors.
- F6s – f6s the #1 free network where founders get deals, list & recruit Startup jobs, apply for funding.
- Quickbooks – Software solutions designed to manage payroll, inventory, sales and other needs of a small business.
- Square – Allows you to accept credit cards anywhere. When you sign up and they send you a free reader.
- Shoeboxed – Shoeboxed allows you to take a photo of a receipt, and Shoeboxed will record the expense, categorize it, and keep a digital receipt.
2. Mentorship / networking
Networking skills and attending the best networking events for your industry can only benefit you. Solidifying new relationships can lead to new customers, hires, advisors, or mentors. Here are top places to debut your social skills.
- Local Events/Networking Opportunities – Eventbrite.com is a great way for you to find further workshops, networking events, or conferences in your industry.
- Never Eat Alone – A book recommendation all about networking
3. Marketing
Marketing is truly the art of storytelling with the intent for the listener to take action afterwards. That action can be to join your email list, follow you on social, or buy your product/services. Tools to become rockstar marketers are listed below.
- Social Media Channel Scheduler: Hootsuite– Learn this easy tool that help you manage and schedule posts for all your social media channels.
- Understanding Online Content Marketing: Hubspot Academy– Learn everything you need to know about online content marketing.
- Email Marketing: Mailchimp– Mailchimp helps you design email newsletters, share them on social networks, integrate with services you already use, and track your results
- Personal Branding: Social Currency– A masterclass all about how to tell your story and create a brand to gain authority in your industry. Coming soon to fownders.com (Release date: TBD)
- Creating Social Media Posts: Canva – Canva allows you to create all types of digital media graphics for social media, email marketing and more without having any graphic design skills necessary.
4. Team building & Communication
Finding A players and building your team will be another critical step in your entrepreneurial journey. This guide include resources for onboarding, offboarding, and managing people, especially if your team will be working remote.
- TriNet– HR Solutions for Small and Midsize Businesses
- The Muse – articles from what questions to ask during an interview to onboarding to training.
- Teamwork – Free project management platform. A great way to track your team’s work.
- Slack – Slack is an instant messaging and collaboration system. Great communication tool for your team, especially if some work remotely.
- 17Hats – 17hats is a complete system that helps automate, organize, and optimize small business management for freelancers and entrepreneurs.
- Fiverr – Fiverr is a global online marketplace offering tasks and services, beginning at a cost of $5 per job performed, from which it gets its name. The site is primarily used by freelancers who use Fiverr to offer services to customers worldwide.
- General Office Applications – Google Apps: Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Docs integrated into your domain for FREE. DreamHost for web hosting, and there is a feature that automatically installs Google Apps onto your domain, so you can manage your Presence Media mail while maintaining an email address that looks like soandso@yourcompany.com. You can collaborate on a calendar and documents with partners and/or employees.
5. Legal & Specialized Advising
Don’t let legal scare you. There are now several ways to get your legal handled in a way that leaves you comfortable and confidently protected in your business.
- LegalZoom – LegalZoom.com, Inc. is an online legal technology company that helps its customers create an array of legal documents without having to necessarily hire a lawyer.
- Insurance Brokers – Business insurance, personal insurance and financial services