5 Free Resources for Small Business Owners That Shouldn’t Be Free
Small business owners? We’re scrappy. And part of that means downloading free resources to help us out. To help us scale, be more productive, and run our business more wisely.
Sometimes those freebies exist to help us decide if we want to purchase a product from the creator. Sometimes those freebies exist to just…help us out as small business owners.
Anyway…as I think through my own freebies and resources, it got me thinking about some of my personal favorites that make this whole entrepreneurship thing easier.
…and the ones I didn’t mind handing my email address over for.
Wave Accounting
What it is: Invoicing + Accounting software
Y’all. I cannot sing Wave’s praises enough. Not only is it FREE, but it’s EASY to use. (This is coming from someone who is NOT gifted in the accounting/financial arena).
You can track your income, expenses, profit and loss, taxes, etc. You can invoice clients and customers.
ALL. FOR. FREE.
Forget Quickbooks. It’s complicated. It’s expensive.
And if you’ve been around long enough, you’ve probably heard me talk about Wave on Instagram…when I confessed I was nervous about sharing Wave because I was fearful enough people would hear about it and it would no longer be free… BUUUUUUT I have a DM from Wave saying they have no plans to ever charge because they love small business owners.
Just read their About page - they are championing small business owners.
and that, my friend, is something to get behind.
Bonus: Wave is CPA-approved… at least by the two different CPAs I’ve worked with over the past 8 years.
Google Docs Website Copy Template
What it is: a 28-page Google Docs template and outline for writing your website copy
Ashlyn Carter is the QUEEN of copywriting for creatives. I found her YEARS ago, have purchased several of her courses and resources, and downloaded a few of her freebies.
This freebie? GOLD.
And definitely shouldn’t be free.
But Ashlyn is also known for giving away tons of value, and so—it’s not surprising this one is so good.
If you’ve ever struggled writing your website copy, grab this free resource to help guide you.
You’ll even get a complete walkthrough of writing your About page.
Workona
What it is: an easy way to organize all those open tabs on your computer
If you’re anything like me, you have 23581 tabs open at any given time.
All those open tabs? They can slow down your computer.
Enter: Workona.
The free Chrome extension that helps you organize all those tabs so you can close them out and pull them right back up when you need them.
There are paid plans, but you can add up to 5 free spaces on their free plan. This works for me!
Libby
What it is: a free app to borrow free ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines
All you need is a library card.
When one of my clients told me about Libby, my entire world changed. (Ok maybe that’s an exaggeration…)
But seriously–it’s important we do things that we enjoy. And if reading (or listening to books) is something you enjoy, then you need Libby.
You borrow books just like you check out books from your local library. All from an app. Without leaving your house.
Then, you can read them in the Libby app itself or transfer them to your Kindle and read them there.
As an avid reader myself, this has saved me tons of money… and it also saves me time from actually going to the library (although, I still do this…).
So… dust off your library card and sign up for Libby.
Website Health Assessment
What it is: a complete checklist to audit your website, no matter the platform
Okkkkkk shameless plug.
This one is mine, but I’m pretty dang proud of it.
If you’re a small business owner with a website and you’re not sure what’s working (and what’s not working), you need this.
It includes:
A COMPLETE CHECKLIST TO AUDIT YOUR WEBSITE...the same one I use with my website clients to figure out what's working and what's not working on their websites, so you can be empowered to check yours on your own.
CHECKLIST FOR SITE SPEED, SEO + ANALYTICS, WEBSITE USABILITY, WEBSITE DESIGN, AND THE LEGAL STUFF... every aspect is covered so you can rest easy knowing you don't miss anything as you tick off the list
SPECIFIC NOTES FOR SQUARESPACE, SHOWIT, AND WORDPRESS USERS... because each one of these platforms has its own nuances and (trust me)—you want to be sure you're crossing all your T's and dotting all your I's.
Ok, there you go—5 free resources for small business owners that shouldn’t be free. Do you have any free resources you love?
