Resources & Tools
Are you looking for legal information about forming your business? Nolo is a website that provides do-it-yourself legal information on a variety of subjects. Some Nolo products and books do have a fee but check with your local library to see if they have copies of Nolo’s do-it-yourself legal guides. Nolo offers free information and guides on forming and registering your business, including information for your state. If you’re looking for information about making your business official legally, check out the Nolo business formation guide.
Check out their free guide for business formation and registration by using the link below.
The Balance Small Business is an online library of over 7,000 articles related to launching and managing your own business. Explore topics such as creating a business plan, taxes and accounting, and business law. The Balance Small Business includes tips and ideas for all types of business owners, including online and home businesses and resources for freelancers and consultants.
When planning your business and thinking about the risks you want to take, your brain might take shortcuts that you aren’t fully aware of! These shortcuts are called “cognitive bias,” which means that you can make a mistake because your brain has certain ways of thinking about things that reflect your preferences and beliefs. Understanding and moving past cognitive bias- and the assumptions we make about people based on their gender, race, class or ability- is an important part of business planning and being a feminist leader. This infographic shows the different kind of bias we may bring to our business.
Lioness Magazine is a monthly digital publication for women entrepreneurs, with articles ranging in topics from innovation and business growth to inspiring profiles. Check out their free guide for female entrepreneurs, updated annually.
WordPress offers a basic, free way to create a website for your business (note that you will still have to buy your domain, which is your website address). A website with more features for small businesses costs $25/month.
Squarespace allows you to build a website for your business and offers easy to use website templates. You can set up a blog or an online store using Squarespace. Squarespace offers multiple plans that vary in cost, but a personal site costs $12 per month for a basic website (plus the cost of buying a domain, which is your website address). For businesses that include online transactions, the cost is $26/month.
SCORE provides you free business mentoring and advice. They also offer educational webinars, courses on demand, and a library of resources with guides and helpful articles. Find a local SCORE office or use the numerous resources available on their website by checking out the link below.
A business plan can help you figure out how your business is going to work and what steps you need to take for success. A simple business plan might be all you need, but a more formal business plan is often required for pitching investors or to get a bank loan. The process of building a business plan can be scary, but it doesn’t have to be! BPlans is a website that offers free sample business plans that you can download and edit. Their Business Plan Guide will review the different types of business plans, what makes a good business plan, and templates and tools to help you build your plan.
BPlans also offers a variety of free tools including interactive calculators, resources for pitching and funding your business, and numerous templates and tools.
Follow the link below to Bplans’ Business Plan Guide to learn everything you need to know to build your complete business plan.
CareerGirls.org is a video-based career exploration tool for girls, with an emphasis on STEM careers. The mission of Career Girls is for all girls to reach their full potential and discover their own path to empowerment through access to inspiring career role models.
The Small Business Administration is a one-stop-shop for all your business needs. They offer business guides to plan, launch, and manage your business as well as links to local resources. Use SBA to find out about licensing your business, find funding, connect to a business counselor, and much more. También tienen recursos en Español.
