Small Business Resource Center

The Basics of Business Planning

Why is a business plan so vital to the health of your business? Read the first section of our tutorial on How to Build a Business Plan to find out.

The Elements of a Business Plan

There are seven major sections of a business plan, and each one is a complex document. Read this selection from our business plan tutorial to fully understand these components.

Getting Financing

Learn how and where to find money for your startup.

50 Ways to Save Money in Your Business

Save your company thousands of dollars with these penny-pinching tips.

Charting Your Business Timeline

Unsure where you should be focusing your energies? Our business timeline series will help you keep your eyes on the prize, no matter what stage you're in.

The Basics of Buying a Franchise

Are you thinking about buying a franchise? We've got all the information you need to help you decide whether franchising is right for you.

The Basics of Employee Benefits

What's required? What's not? And what's just good policy? This primer will help you figure it out.

The Basics of Building an Online Business

8 tried and true steps for attracting visitors to your site--and getting them to buy.

Business Owner's Tool Kit

With an emphasis on problem solving, this site features more than 5,000 pages of free cost-cutting tips, step-by-step checklists, real-life case studies, startup advice, and business templates to small-business owners and entrepreneurs.

Google Docs

The folks at Google deliver a free web-based word processor and spreadsheet, which allow you to share and collaborate online. Google Docs accepts most popular file formats, including DOC, XLS, ODT, ODS, RTF, CSV, PPT, and more.

Internal Revenue Service

Business owners can get all of their federal and business tax information--not to mention forms--directly from the source. It's also a good place to stay current on tax laws that affect business owners.

Salesforce.com

Easy-to-use web-based customer relation management tools for your entire company, including online solutions for sales, service, marketing, and call center operations.

Small Business Administration

Here you can learn how to start your own business and finance it. The site also provides information on business opportunities, local SBA offices, laws and regulations, and much more.

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Official site for searching the U.S. patent database. Includes international treaties, statutes and patent news.