Wallet-Friendly Resources for Small Business Owners

Owning a small business usually equals working with a small budget – but a lack of cash flow doesn’t mean you have to miss out on opportunities to network, learn, and build your business. Here are 4 organizations that offer free and low-cost resources for small business owners.

SCORE

Founded in 1964, SCORE is a 10,000-member network of volunteer business mentors. Although the mentoring is free, the advice is priceless: SCORE’s mentors are all working or retired business owners and executives who have a wealth of real-world experience in entrepreneurship.

And the benefits don’t stop with mentoring. SCORE offers the motherlode of small business resources: workshops, webinars, online courses, document libraries, an awards program, and more. All training is free or at-cost.

In 2016, SCORE mentors helped to kickstart 54,072 new businesses. Find a SCORE location or mentor near you to get started.

American Business Women’s Association

The American Business Women’s Association (often called ABWA) hosts more than 5,000 educational and networking events in 300 cities each year. Annual membership dues are $115.00 and include free or discounted access to the events as well as online courses and webinars.

Members also benefit from discounted access to the ABWA annual conference, a 3-day marathon of leadership and educational events featuring nationally acclaimed authors, speakers, and business experts.

Visit the AWBA website to learn more about membership or find a chapter near you.

America’s SBDC

With a network of nearly 1,000 locations nationwide, America’s SBDC (Small Business Development Center) helps small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs through free business consulting and at-cost training. SBDC can assist you with business plans, regulatory compliance, marketing, technology development, international trade, and more.

SBDC’s consulting and training programs yield impressive results: business owners who leverage their local SBDC see a 13.6% average increase in annual sales. To get started, find an SBDC location near you.

Small Business Nation

A project of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Small Business Nation provides a library of free resources to small business owners and startups. Visit the website to access guides and toolkits that are designed to help you with strategizing, launching, financing, marketing, scaling, networking, and more.

For more assistance, you can become a member. The $250 annual dues unlock an exclusive webinar series presented by business leaders, discounted access to events, additional resources, and even shipping discounts.

Visit the Small Business Nation website to browse their free resources or become a member.