Many people put off starting up a small business because they worry about costs. It doesn’t have to be an expensive experience you’d be surprised by the sheer amount of resources available out there and many for free.
Skills Trade : Do you have a tradable skill that you can offer someone in return for something that you need for your business? Marketing Vision Consultancy has some excellent tips on skills trade.
Social Media : This is a funny one as yes it’s free to use, but you do have to take your time factor into consideration. As time has gone on more platforms are choosing to charge for advertising and boosting your visibility. Luckily Louise Brogan, The Social Bee has 10 Ways to improve your Facebook Page today, including checking that you have filled in the long and short descriptions on your page. If you are struggling with keeping on top of social media look at ways in which you can populate your feeds giving you the time to work. I’ve 20 ways to populate your Twitter feed.
Free Training : You’ll be surprised by how much free small business training there is available out there from social media, SEO to tax return and accounting help. Check out your local Small Business Chamber, local Council, local library, small business friends and Eventbrite all great way to find both training and networking events.
Free Downloads : Most bloggers, coaches, small business experts will have some kind of free download available on their website in return for your email address so they can build up their database. You can always unsubscribe from newsletters later if you want to. The great thing about free downloads is the person who created it has done all the hard work, research and design for you! You just get to sit back and plan!
Printable free planner from Smoothie PR
Suzannah Butcher has a selection of cheat sheets and checklists for Facebook and Instagram.
Look out for webinars too they open up a whole host of learning skills too. For more information on running webinars and top tips BusinessingMag has some great suggestions.
Networking : There are plenty of free groups out there. The networking group I co-host charges only if you are bringing children, adults only pay just for a drink, if indeed they even want one. 10 ways to successful networking.
If you have any top tips regarding what businesses can access for free please do share them in the comments below. Next month’s theme looks at top tips for bootstrapping your small business . For inclusion please do tweet your blog links to @CharlieMoos.
About Joanne Dewberry
Joanne is a 30 something coffee lover living in rural Dorset with her long suffering partner and three children Charlie (2007), Megan (2008) and Olive (2011). Joanne is owner, designer and creator at Charlie Moo's specialising in handmade fabric party bags. She also writes a small business blog, is a Sage Business Expert and author of Crafting a Successful Small Business. In 2010 Joanne was named Dorset Business Mother of the Year and has numerous accolades and awards to her name. In her spare time she likes to eat and watch crime dramas sometimes at the same time!
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