Each Wednesday for the past few months, we’ve shared with you our thoughts about how to start a business: things like how to make sure your idea will make money, where to find new business ideas, and how to set up your first website.
But our blog isn’t the only place where you can find awesome resources to help you as you start your new business. So we’ve put together this list of resources that we like. We’ved used some of these services, but not all. Take a look and try the ones you need to take the next step in your startup journey.
1. Business Plans. While many startups skip the process of writing a business plan, others still need one in order to raise money (most banks still require them to get a loan). If you need a business plan, check out Enloop, which makes writing one easy. Free.
2. Logo design. This one is easy. You can design one yourself with Logomaker’s logo design software (Free). Or hire a designer for something more custom.
3. Project Management. Trello makes it easy to create a “board” to manage your projects and to-do lists. You can access it from your phone, tablet, and desktop computer. Free.
4. Stock Photos. You need images for your website, emails, and blog posts. Here are a few places you can look for free photos: PhotoPin, Pixabay, Kaboompics, Magdeleine, and FreeImages. Be sure to give credit where credit is due.
5. See What People Are Saying About You. When customers, friends, and employees talk about you online, you want to know about it. Google Alerts and Mention allow you to track online mentions and respond if appropriate. Free.
6. User Testing. Want to see how customers interact with your website. Check out Peek which gives you a free 5-minute video of a customer using your site. Get a new video every month. Free.
7. Search Engine Optimization. There are a lot of free SEO tools, but a couple of our favorites are Moz bar (which lets you see SEO metrics for virtually any site you visit), Google Analytics (a code you put in your webpage footer that gives you all kinds of great data about you site), SEOQuake (like Moz bar, a tool bar that gives you lots of data) and OpenSiteExplorer (gives you information about your backlinks and those of your competitors). Want a free analysis of your entire site? Check out Quick Sprout.
8. Cloud storage. More and more startups are moving their storage off-site and into the cloud. Services like DropBox make it easy to access your information wherever you are and from any device. And you can get more storage space by referring other customers.
9. Email. If you’re just starting out, you don’t need an expensive email system. MailChimp offers a free plan that will work fine until your list is big enough to justify paying for something more robust.
10. Invoices. Once you do work, you need to get paid. Here are many options for custom invoices that will help you get the job done. Or check out Slimvoice for something more simple.
11. Business names. Looking for the right name for your business or product. Check out Namium which will suggest hundreds of variations on a word you input. Impossibility does something similar while checking to see if the domain is available.
12. Writing topics. Stuck for something to write about on your blog. There are several free services that can help with that. Enter your subject into Portent or the Hubspot Blog Post Generator and they’ll suggest several ideas that you can then write and post.
Looking for more tools? Check out the list out Startup Stash. Not all of the tools and apps there are free, but the list is pretty comprehensive—though they are missing the best logo maker tool—something we hope they correct soon.
Did we miss a free tool that you use for your startup? Tell us about it in the comments.
Photo credit: Bradley Stabler.
