The 14 Best Resources for Entrepreneurs/Business Websites. The Internet provides entrepreneurs with access to a lot of information and free advice on how to start a business. The average military student at Purdue Global receives 54% of the credits needed to earn a bachelor's degree and 45% of the credits needed to earn a bachelor's degree. Whether you're new to running a business or if you've been running your own company for years, there are plenty of resources available for entrepreneurs that can help you grow your business.
There's no shortage of programs that provide funding to small business owners. Many of these programs are supported by the federal government, local governments, or professional organizations. Explore the options below to see if you qualify. The Small Business Administration offers several different financing programs for small business owners, including loans, investment capital, grants, bonds, and disaster assistance.
Some benefits of SBA-backed funding include competitive rates and access to counseling. Grants, gov is a government-run website that helps small business owners find and apply for grants. Because grants don't have to be repaid, they're often a more attractive option than loans. Grants, gov users can filter available grants by eligibility, category and agency.
The USDA provides rural business development grants to businesses that benefit rural areas. These grants are intended to provide technical assistance and training to rural business owners. Companies that qualify include state agencies, nonprofit organizations, and higher education institutions. The Minority Business Development Agency offers several funding programs for minority-owned businesses.
The organization has MBDA centers located throughout the U.S. UU. Which can help business owners get grants and loans. The Economic Development Administration actively accepts applications for grants and other forms of assistance for small businesses.
You can find active funding opportunities on the EDA website. Powered by the SBA, the SBIR and STTR programs provide funding to companies that focus on advancing science and technology. This SBIR and STTR website allows you to view available funding opportunities by industry and technology area. Many of the grants offered as part of this program are administered by the Department of Health and Human Sciences or the National Science Foundation.
The STEP grant program provides financial assistance to small businesses that export their products internationally. These grants are intended to help small business owners with the costs of entering and expanding into international markets. The following professional organizations and not-for-profit organizations provide education and support to small business owners across the country. Joining these organizations can also help you network with other entrepreneurs.
SCORE is a network of business mentors from across the country that focuses on helping other entrepreneurs grow their businesses. The organization has existed since 1964 and has provided mentoring to approximately 11 million entrepreneurs. Most of its resources can be accessed for free. The SBA has small business development centers located throughout the U.S.
In these centers, entrepreneurs can access advice and training that can help them secure capital, develop new technologies or improve business operations. The SBA also operates business extension centers for veterans (VBOC) and business centers for women (WBC). The National Council of Business Women is a non-partisan federal advisory committee that also functions as a support resource for women entrepreneurs. It hosts webinars, round tables and public meetings on the most recent policies affecting women in business.
The Women's Business Enterprise National Council is a non-profit organization that certifies women-owned businesses in the U.S. In addition to certifying companies, it offers programs and events for women entrepreneurs. The National Association of Veteran-Owned Businesses certifies veteran-owned businesses and helps veteran entrepreneurs obtain corporate hiring opportunities. It also offers networking opportunities for veteran business owners.
The International Franchise Association is the largest professional network for franchise owners and providers. The organization organizes events focused on helping franchise owners grow their businesses. He also advocates for public policies that benefit franchise owners. Websites and blogs can be a great source of information for budding entrepreneurs.
Here are some of the best entrepreneur websites to keep up to date on the latest business trends. The SBA blog presents ideas and advice from small business leaders. It also includes success stories that highlight entrepreneurs from across the country. The Colorado Chamber of Commerce teaches entrepreneurs how to start, manage and grow their businesses.
The website also includes a section entitled “Good Company”, where industry leaders share their personal tips for succeeding in business. Bplans has a library of business planning guides, articles and templates. Other guides include how to perform a SWOT analysis, how to forecast cash flow, and checklists for new business owners. AllBusiness publishes articles by industry experts, covering all types of topics, from starting a business to personnel and human resources topics.
The site also includes a dictionary of business and financial terms. Small Business Trends publishes articles on business management, marketing, finance, technology and more. In addition to articles, the website includes statistics and calculators for small businesses. Startup Nation is dedicated to helping entrepreneurs start, grow and manage their businesses.
Its content ranges from small, home-based businesses to entrepreneurial businesses. The Growth Hacks series is a great starting point if you're looking for tips to grow your business. Women on Business is one of the best entrepreneur websites for women business owners and managers. The website focuses primarily on thought leadership, with articles written by a diverse group of women leaders and executives.
Entrepreneurship podcasts give you an opportunity to develop your business vision while you're on the go. Here are some of our top podcast recommendations for small business owners. As the name suggests, This Week In Startups is a weekly podcast that covers the latest in business and technology. It is presented by Jason Calacanis and Molly Wood, who have experience in management and venture capitalism.
The podcast also includes interviews with prominent business owners and investors. Entrepreneurs On Fire is a podcast that interviews inspiring entrepreneurs from diverse industries. The purpose of the podcast is to help listeners find inspiration in the stories of successful business owners. To date, the podcast has interviewed more than 3000 entrepreneurs.
Hosted by Guy Raz, How I Built This is an NPR podcast that explores how well-known entrepreneurs created their brands. Through these interviews, you'll learn how entrepreneurs were able to overcome difficulties and make a name for themselves in competitive environments. New episodes are released twice a week. HBR IdeaCast, part of the Harvard Business Review, is a weekly podcast that analyzes important topics in business and management.
For example, the topics of recent episodes include how the metaverse could affect business leaders and the advantages and disadvantages of selling your products on Amazon. It is organized by two senior HBR editors and often includes interviews with industry experts. Mixergy is a series of interviews with entrepreneurs and business leaders. It is organized by startup veteran Andrew Warner.
In each episode, Warner talks to his guests about what they learned while growing their businesses. Reading a book on entrepreneurship can go a long way in motivating you to move forward with your business venture. Here are some of the best books on entrepreneurship that new business owners should read. Originally published in 1994, “Built to Last” examines 18 companies with the best results and explains what these companies have done to differentiate themselves from their competitors.
The book is full of specific examples of what contributed to the success of each company. Earning a business degree provides you with the fundamental skills and knowledge you need to start your business. Purdue Global offers online business programs at the associate, bachelor's and master's levels. Contact us today to learn more about how a business degree from Purdue Global could help you become a better entrepreneur.
For more of our favorite resources for entrepreneurs, check out our “Resource Guide for Veteran Entrepreneurs” or “Resource Center for Women Entrepreneurs.”. Purdue Global offers a fully personalized, first-class online education designed for adults. We offer 175 programs, including associate's, bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees, as well as certificates, in areas such as business, IT, education, health sciences, nursing, criminal justice and more. Your path to success starts here.
Learn more about online programs at Purdue Global and download our program guide. Contact an advisor to explore program requirements, curriculum, credit transfer process, and financial aid options. Privacy Policy End User Agreement Site Map. When you start a business, where do you go for the help, advice and tools you need? There are a lot of resources available — so many, in fact, that you might have trouble ranking them all.
We eliminated the clutter and selected 25 essential resources for small startup owners. A recent survey of more than 150 Americans,. CEOs reveal a surprising reason why many companies are enforcing a return to the office. Assets (see Business Finance and Accounting) are properties or resources that generate a benefit for the person (or company) that owns them.
Nolo is a legal resource for small businesses and consumers that provides information on the basic requirements for utility, design and plant patents. Make a list of all the different types of tangible resources that each one of them needs to start and sustain your company. A product-based business uses tangible resources in the production of goods that are sold to customers, such as raw materials, land, facilities, buildings, machinery, computers, supplies, and vehicles. As much as entrepreneurship may seem like a lonely world, it's definitely not a one-person job and there's no shortage of resources for entrepreneurs who can help.
As you begin your business plan, start by developing a list of the basic tangible and intangible resources you'll need and determining their availability. Funding resources are the monetary resources needed to start and operate a business and, in general, are the biggest challenge faced by entrepreneurs. First, determine what your different options are for using resources, and then you can calculate the performance of each option, using mathematical models that help estimate the likelihood of successful results. In this post, we'll look at five broad categories of resources you can rely on when starting a business.
Many entrepreneurs make the mistake of moving forward with their businesses without taking enough time to research their industry and determine what resources are needed to help their company not only get off to a positive start, but also the resources needed to keep it running. Often, in the planning stages, entrepreneurs do not identify all the resources they may need in the initial phase and, as a result, the business suffers and opportunities are lost. This discussion focuses on the various resources that entrepreneurs need to start, maintain and grow a company and, in general, on how to acquire those assets. .