As an entrepreneur or aspiring student pursuing a entrepreneurship degree program, you can become stressed out by the idea of getting bogged down by the start up costs for your current (or future) business. So, how can you cut costs on must-have items? Many “freebies”, free services and information can be found if you know where to look...
1.

Business Cards
are an essential item for your business and career; you never know when you will make the next great contact! Get started with a batch of 10 from MOO
http://moo.com
2.

Email
along with free accounts from Yahoo and Hotmail, try Google Apps for Business
http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/business/messaging.html
3.

Business Plans
Examples, advice, and tools to help write a business plan from the SBA
http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/plan/writeabusinessplan/index.html
4.

Business Forms
find the business form you need at Entrepreneur-Form Net
http://www.entrepreneur.com/formnet/index.html
5.

Legal Forms
free from the Small Business Administration
http://www.sba.gov/tools/Forms/smallbusinessforms
6.

Government Loan Information
http://www.govloans.gov/ (Select “Business” link)
and Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
https://www.cfda.gov/index?cck=1&au=&ck=
7.

Incentives and Giveaways
A variety of freebies can be found at Hey! It’s Free!
http://www.heyitsfree.net/
8.

Research Sites
Locate basic company/industry information
http://www.hillsource.org/members/custom_mods.cfm?cusID=190
9.

Gas
Ok, so it is almost never given away for free, but you can find cheaper rates at the pump for your business travel.
Check out Gas Buddy http://www.gasbuddy.com/
and Gas Price Watch http://www.gaspricewatch.com/new/default_V3.asp
10.
11.

Tax Forms & Information
Internal Revenue Service
http://www.irs.gov/businesses/index.html?navmenu=menu1
12.

Business Software from Google
Create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and forms to be used and accessible online anywhere through Google Docs
http://google.com
13.

Reference/Research Materials
Available free at the library (public or university) and online at Reference for Business
http://www.referenceforbusiness.com
includes links to business encyclopedias, biographies, companies histories, and business plans
14.

Microsoft Office Templates
Online templates for documents including invoices, business cards, time sheets, budgets, and contracts
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates
15.

Web Space
Free hosting for a website and some of the sites listed help you publish a website
http://www.thefreesite.com/Free_Web_Space/
16.

Business Software
Free downloads from ZDNet for Windows, Mac, and Mobile operating systems
http://downloads.zdnet.com/Software/Business+Software/?cname=Business+Software&osfilter=&licfilter=free
17.
18.
19.
20.

Patent, Trademark & Copyright Information
Protect your intellectual property.
US Patent & Trademark Office http://www.uspto.gov/
and US Copyright Office http://copyright.gov
21.
22.

E-commerce & Internet Information
Learn the ins and outs of having your business online
http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/manage/technology/SERV_ECOMRESOURCES.html (use the PDF links to access files)
23.

Security Software
Free downloads for from ZDNet for Windows, Mac, and Mobile operating systems
http://downloads.zdnet.com/Software/Security+Software/?cname=Security+Software&osfilter=&licfilter=free
24.

Mentoring
Free local, confidential small business mentoring from
SCORE
http://www.score.org/index.html
25.

Office Supplies
Free and inexpensive items, along with store coupons Hey! It’s Free!
http://www.heyitsfree.net/2009/08/03/school-supply-deals/
About the Author: Hilary Wagner is a native Floridian. She is an alumnus of St. Petersburg Junior College and the University of South Florida, majoring in American Studies. She then obtained her Master's in Library and Information Science from USF, where she. She has worked in academic and public libraries, and accepted the position of Reference Librarian at Rasmussen's Pasco County, Florida College at Rasmussen in 2006. She serves on the Diversity and Learning & Teaching committees and is the liaison to the Business program, including Business Management degree specialization.
Comments (12)
Great Resources! - Debt Collection
As a small business owner, these are just what our company needs. It is hard to get a business off the ground, however the less I have to spend the more likely I am to be successful.
A helpful article - richard michaud
Your article means a lot to young entrepreneurs. It gives them an alternative idea on how to engage in business in a lesser cost. Putting up a business means big expenditure. If you don't know how to put up, you're gonna be spending a lot. If you want to protect your blog, then search for patent attorneys connecticut.
- Richard at Patent Attorneys in CT
Nice review! Aspiring students pursuing a entrepreneurship program should really be looking into this. You can protect all your ideas then look for patent attorneys in ct. Good day!
Gas website - Clayton
thank you.. i totally never knew about that gas site... ill be saving at least some money every month seeing as that i drive so much!
Necessities Entrepreneurs Can Get for Free - P Johnson
This is a great ressource for us aspiring student grads with little ressources in terms of loans. I find it difficult to juggle learning and living expenses. However, through the digital revolution it is possible to use our facebook and google generation assets to make a contribution and build a solid foundation for a career alike.
On eof my personal heroes in the business world is Sir Richard Branson and Harv Eker for their business and personal growth teachings we student can learn a lot from. It´s like having an authority formula,an example of how everyone can develop insight and success with integrity and innovation for the wider benefit of businesses and people. I like this "freebie" approach to entrepreneruship just like Rasmussen 25 necessities.
Finally, it´s possible that ideas, not just startup money inspire and grow. It must always be as spectacular as Mark Zuckerberg success with Google. There a lot of Zuckerbergs outthere waiting to change the world and people like Branson or Eker in combination with solid tertiary education can help us to go there and change the world.
Google Apps - DT
Hi just an update on Google Apps which as you say is a great tool. In addition there are loads of free apps in the Apps marketplace (such as CRM's etc) which you can download and you can then sign on directly from Google Apps to them.
Marketing How-to Guides - W-Winn
Hi--Good idea to provide a list of free resources for startups and small businesses. To add to your list, there are many free marketing how-to guides at http://www.marketingzone.com
http://www.googleappscentral.com/ - Google Apps
Google Apps for business is a great tool that one must take advantage of. There's the free version and the paid version of Google Apps for business that you can check out..
Free Ebooks - jv giveaway
Hi Hilary,
Are you acquainted with jv giveaway events?
I wasn't until a few years back until I literally stumbled upon a giveaway event that had opened for members.
How it works is you sign up for an account to the giveaway. Once in, Marketer in a plethora of niches will give you a free eBook, software or some other kind of "gift" in exchange for your email address so they can market to you.
Tip: create a "giveaway" email account because you will receive many emails.
Nevertheless, for a soon-to-be or recent graduate, this is a valuable source for free information on many internet related topics.
Thanks for letting me share.
Dan
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Google Apps - Douglas Baumwall
Thanks Hilary, these are good resources, especially Google Apps. We've been using it for over 5 years and have even started helping others set it up. We also offer 30 days of free integrated audiovisual training lessons for Google Apps users.
Something - Edgars
Nice website and nice posts. Thanks!




