Look no further for free products and services for small businesses and solo entrepreneurs. When you are a small business owner, sometimes it can be the little things that add up in your overhead costs. And every dollar helps! Here are just a few ways to help trim that budget and keep growing:
- One of my favorite sites to visit is ExpressCopy.com. This custom-printing website is a gift for any entrepreneur. You can customize almost any business tool from business cards to greeting cards to postcards. They have hundreds of designs to choose from, or you can upload your own graphics. They will charge you shipping, but it still ends up being a great deal.
- There are also several programs that can put those dollars back into your pocket. The Worklife Rewards program at Office Depot can do just that, and there is no membership fee. You can earn 10% back in Rewards on ink, toner, paper, and copy and print services, plus additional savings throughout the year. www.MyWorklifeRewards.com/
home.do - What about free training and classes? A number of companies are now offering free webinars for small business owners and entrepreneurs – legal and tax advice, marketing tips and tools, compliance assistance, and human resources among others. To get your started with free classes, check out these websites: Grovo (lot of good stuff here), BlogAid (free WordPress tutorials for non-geeks), Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, MIT Entrepreneurship.
- Networking can be completely free, and can be a great return on your investment of time. If you’re unsure about how to start networking, look at sites such as www.Meetup.com. They offer thousands of meetup groups, and may have one in your area specifically for small business owners. If they don’t, you can start one! This is a great way to barter for services. For example, if you operate a small tee-shirt printing business, you might meet someone who designs clothing. In return for helping you with your printing designs, you could offer them a discount on their own printing jobs.
- Last but not least, check out our own freebies page, chock full of free online and downloadable software, apps, tools and more!
These are just a few ideas to get you started. Please contact us if you are on the hunt for a particular service or product. There may be a free way to meet that goal!
What are you favorite free or low-cost services that help you grow your business? Share your knowledge!
