We all know how important it is to be well-versed in the startup world, but sometimes we forget that there’s a lot out there. With so many resources at our fingertips, it can be difficult to decide what would best suit your needs and goals as an entrepreneur or business owner.
As startup founders, it’s important to have the right resources at your fingertips. For this feature I scoured through many directories and sources in order to curate a list of 85 essential startup resources that every founder should know about! From angel investors to product marketing tips, these are some reputable places where you can learn more about how startups work so you don’t waste time getting started on the wrong foot.Are you in the hunt for startup material? If so, then allow me to introduce you to over 85 of the most essential resources that can help with your quest. From how-to guides and tutorials on getting started, through blogs about business ideas to industry news reports.The “85 Essential Startup Resources You Should Know About” is a list of resources for starting a business. The list includes blogs, books, podcasts, and courses.
These are the tools we know, love, and would suggest without hesitation—many of them we use ourselves. Make use of them to catapult your company to success and expansion.
On the fourth edition of The Bcast, Bplan’s official podcast, Noah Parsons, COO of Palo Alto Software, shares his favorite online tools (at 13:17):
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Contents: Table of Contents
Software for accounting
QuickBooks
QuickBooks is the most widely used accounting software in the United States. If you deal with an accountant, you’ll almost certainly be asked to utilize QuickBooks. Although we suggest the online version, you may always purchase the desktop version if you want.
XERO
Xero is a cloud-based accounting software. While they are popular in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, they are less so in the United States. If QuickBooks isn’t suitable for you, they’re still worth a look.
Freshbooks
Freshbooks may be perfect for you if you’re a small service-based company like a photographer, consultant, or wedding planner. Freshbooks focuses on invoicing, and it’s simple to let your clients pay you online using it. They aren’t a full-fledged accounting system, but they cover the essentials if you don’t need to deal with inventory.
Selecting a Name
NameCheckr
What’s wonderful about NameCheckr is that it not only looks for accessible domain names linked with your selected company name, but it also examines a slew of social media sites, from Facebook to YouTube, to see whether the name is available there. You’ll be able to get straight to work on your social media plan this way!
Namium
Enter a word, and Naminum will create a (big) list of name ideas based on prefixes, suffixes, and letter replacements inside your term. You couldn’t come up with a good name? For more ideas, try a new term, modify an existing one, or create random names.
BrandBucket
If you want actual people to assist you come up with a company name, go to BrandBucket and crowdsource your name and domain name.
Hosting and domain names
NameMesh
NameMesh: Part domain name generator, part domain name finder, NameMesh explores an infinite number of domain name variations to discover one that works for you.
Domainr
There are a plethora of domain extensions available, well beyond the standard.com. You’ll get some excellent ideas, but Domainr is better for selecting a domain that will work for you once you’ve decided on a business name.
BlueHost
BlueHost provides straightforward and cost-effective hosting for anything from WordPress to full-fledged web applications. Bluehost is a cost-effective way to go online.
HostGator
Check out HostGator if BlueHost isn’t suitable for you. The services and pricing are comparable, and they do provide a visual website builder if you need one.
NameCheap
NameCheap has some of the most affordable domain registration rates. Despite their low cost, the services are robust and trustworthy.
Pitch decks and elevator pitches
LivePlan
We are the creators of LivePlan, but it just adds to our conviction that it is an important starting tool. It’s the pitch function in this instance that enables you to condense all of your most essential points onto a single page or a pitch deck that you can export to Powerpoint if you require a slide deck for a presentation.
Deck of Haikus
Check out Haiku Deck if you’re looking for a very graphic appearance for your pitch deck. Their tool will assist you in creating a stunning pitch deck that is guaranteed to wow.
Prezi
Give Prezi a try if you want to put a literal twist on your presentation and move away from PowerPoint.
Branding and logos
LogoGarden
For designing your own logo, LogoGarden is a fantastic free choice. This is for you if you want something simple, do-it-yourself, and free.
99designs
99designs: 99designs is a fantastic resource where designers pitch you several ideas before you pay. This is a fantastic choice if you know you’ll need someone from outside your business to create your logo and you want a lot of alternatives to pick from.
Fiverr
Fiverr, like 99designs, is a marketplace for designers, copywriters, programmers, and other professionals. As their name implies, there are lots of individuals who are ready to labor for $5. There are more costly choices on the site, but if you’re on a budget, this is a fantastic place to start.
Libraries of stock photos
Pixabay
Pixabay: It’s the nature of the game that every content creator will require stock photos at some time. Pixabay offers royalty-free, high-quality pictures, so if you’re on a budget, this is a fantastic place to start. However, be prepared to see your favorite picture on other websites.
StockSnap.io
Another great free picture source is StockSnap.io. The images are of excellent quality, however the collection, like those of other picture sites, is rather limited.
Shutterstock
Shutterstock is a good choice if you’re ready to upgrade to a premium image collection. The inventory is extensive, and it continues to expand on a daily basis. The prices are also fair.
research into the market
CensusViewer
CensusViewer is a free application that lets you examine U.S. Census data graphically on a map or in data reports for cities, counties, and whole states.
Survey of Consumer Expenditure
The Consumer Expenditure Survey is a good place to start if you want to discover what people spend their money on.
MyBestSegments
MyBestSegments: Nielsen’s service lets you understand the demographics and lifestyle patterns of a certain region.
SizeUp
Check out SizeUp if you need assistance choosing a company site or want to discover who your competitors are. You may also compare your marketing and advertising budget projections to those of your competitors.
Google Trends is a tool that allows you to see what
Google Trends: Use Google Trends to see what people are looking for and how the number of searches for key subjects has changed over time.
Tools for conducting surveys
SurveyMonkey
If you need to survey a group of people for commercial reasons, SurveyMonkey is a free and trustworthy option. Simply create the survey and distribute it to your target audience.
Google Surveys is a service provided by Google.
You don’t need a contact list to send out a survey using Google Consumer Surveys. You may use Google Surveys to target people from all over the internet and receive immediate input on your business concept.
TypeForm
TypeForm is a fantastic tool for creating basic forms and surveys. It works particularly well on mobile devices.
Qualaroo
Small polls and surveys are simple to create with Qualaroo and may be done directly on your website.
Tools for using social media
Buffer
Buffer makes social sharing a breeze: you can schedule your posts in advance and publish to many accounts at once, including Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Google+, and more. You may also provide access to many workers so that no one has to check in to each platform separately.
Hootsuite
Hootsuite is ideal for individuals who manage numerous social media accounts and are quite active on them. It integrates with Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, YouTube, Tumblr, and WordPress, as well as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, YouTube, Tumblr, and WordPress, and includes statistics so you can keep on top of your stats.
Software for project management
Trello
Trello is ideal for workflows with a defined procedure since it allows you to divide tasks into various boards, create lists on the boards, and allocate cards explaining each job to the relevant teammate. It’s also appropriate for a situation in which you must build and manage a list of thoughts.
Basecamp
Basecamp is for you if you don’t need big charts and just want a dead-simple interface that anybody can use without any training. Basecamp is a winner because of its simplicity, limitless users, and centralization of all your project materials.
Asana
If you need more functionality than Basecamp and are ready to pay extra, Asana is a viable option. Although it isn’t as cheap as Basecamp, there is a free plan for small teams that may be all you need when you start your company. If you need any assistance getting started, the guys at Sticker Mule have a fantastic tutorial on how they utilize Asana.
Publicity and launch
HARO
HARO (Help a Reporter Out): HARO (Help a Reporter Out) is a fantastic resource for finding reporters that cover any subject you can think of. If a reporter is looking for a source, they will submit it here. Simply reply, and you may receive some free publicity.
Pr.co
You may outsource the creation of a press room for your website with Pr.co. Write your press releases, send them out through email, and set up an easy-to-maintain press room for your business.
Pressfarm
Pressfarm is a platform that assists you in locating journalists interested in writing about your company.
Customer service and the help desk
Outpost
Outpost is a collaborative email solution that allows your team to communicate without treading on each other’s toes. It’s compatible with Gmail, Outlook 365, and a variety of other email services.
Desk.com
Desk.com is a Salesforce business, therefore utilizing it is a no-brainer if you’re a Salesforce client. You can test it out for free, but as of this writing, there isn’t a plan that is always free.
ZenDesk
ZenDesk: While not the cheapest, ZenDesk has a robust feature set and can be integrated with a variety of other applications.
Systems of payment
Stripe
Stripe is a fantastic place to start if you’re creating a website or mobile app that will take payments. They’ve been designed from the bottom up to be developer-friendly and straightforward. Stripe is utilized by large and small businesses alike, so you’ll be in good company.
Braintree
Braintree, a PayPal business, was developed with a strong emphasis on customer care. They’ll be there for you every step of the process, allowing your business to take a variety of payment methods from all around the globe.
Square
Check out Square’s range of mobile phone card readers and POS systems if you need to take credit cards in person for your company.
Software for invoicing
Freshbooks
Freshbooks is an excellent option for businesses that concentrate on providing services to their clients and need a comprehensive invoicing system. You can not only create excellent invoices, but also take payments online, monitor expenditures, and manage your time.
Payments in QuickBooks
QuickBooks Payments: If you already use QuickBooks for your business’s bookkeeping, QuickBooks Payments is a useful connection since it maintains all of your accounts receivable in one place.
BallPark
Ballpark, a competitor to Freshbooks, has a similar set of features. Their “projects” function, for example, enables you to monitor time and establish budgets for, well, projects.
Building websites and shopping carts
Wix
Wix is a fantastic place to start if all you need is a basic, static web site. It has a large template library and a simple online editor. For an all-in-one solution, the higher pricing levels also include shopping cart capabilities.
Shopify
Shopify distinguishes itself from other website builders by focusing on online sales. Shopify isn’t for you if you don’t need to sell online and just require a “brochure” webpage.
Squarespace
The emphasis of Squarespace is on attractive design. A large picture gallery, a logo creator, and much more are all included in your membership. Squarespace, like others, allows you to sell online.
Chargify
Chargify: If you’re starting a subscription company and don’t want to deal with the bother of creating a billing mechanism, Chargify is a good option. They’ll take care of the regular payments and give you the freedom to offer your clients a variety of subscription choices.
Platforms and solutions for funding
Gust
Gust allows entrepreneurs to create a free company profile and share it with investors all around the globe. Gust is a fantastic resource for companies seeking for angel funding and perhaps venture financing.
AngelList
Startups may use AngelList, similar to Gust, to advertise their business and seek funding from prospective investors. AngelList also provides employment boards and other resources to assist companies in getting off the ground.
Human resources are important.
Zenefits
With Zenefits’ free HR software platform, you can’t go wrong. That’s correct, it’s completely free. They earn money by managing your benefits and payroll, if you want to do so—not it’s mandatory.
Kin
Check out Kin if you need to streamline all of your employee paperwork and papers. Kin assists you in onboarding new employees, centralizing all of their paperwork and keeping track of their time off and working hours.
TSheets
Quickbooks is integrated with TSheets. It has a GPS time tracker that allows you to conveniently monitor times such as breaks and meals.
Lattice
Personal and team goal monitoring, performance evaluations, employee feedback, 1 on 1s, and many more capabilities are available in Lattice.
Workable
Workable: Workable provides you with all of the tools you’ll need to publish new job opportunities and manage your applicants. Check these out if you need to speed up your recruiting procedure.
Assistance from a lawyer
RocketLawyer
RocketLawyer has all of the essentials covered, from establishing your company to procuring contracts and other legal papers. RocketLawyer wants you to subscribe to their service, so if you don’t have any continuing legal requirements, make sure to unsubscribe after you’re through.
LegalZoom
Unlike RocketLawyer, LegalZoom concentrates on providing a la carte services. Find the legal form or service you need and receive transparent pricing for it. You can’t go wrong with LegalZoom since they cover all of the most basic company legal requirements.
Avvo
Avvo offers a fantastic Q&A forum where you can ask any legal issue and get free responses from attorneys, as well as pages and pages of legal manuals authored by lawyers, and a professional directory with ratings, customer reviews, and profiles for 97 percent of attorneys in the United States.
Nolo
Nolo is a great, reliable source for free legal knowledge; their website is jam-packed with factual and useful information on anything from bankruptcy to divorce to patents. They also offer books, kits, and forms for things like writing a will, establishing a charity, and figuring out the best tax deductions.
Management of content resources (CRM)
Infusionsoft
Infusionsoft: Infusionsoft provides marketing and sales automation to small companies, in addition to all of the usual CRM capabilities. This helps automate conversations and standardize activities. Infusionsoft also has an online shopping cart, allowing you to run your company from a single platform.
HubSpot CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
You can use HubSpot’s CRM for free to get started. It’s simple to use while yet providing all of the sophisticated CRM capabilities you’d expect. Its email Sidekick add-on is fantastic, and you can quickly monitor transactions and the whole sales process with it.
Analytical software
Google Analytics is a tool that allows you to track
Google Analytics is the de facto standard for online analytics. It’s free, strong, and enough for even the most seasoned internet marketing team.
HotJar
HotJar is a fantastic tool for creating heatmaps on your website so you can see where people are clicking and how far down the page they are scrolling.
OptinMonster
OptinMonster is excellent for creating beautiful pop-ups for lead generation, and it even has add-ons that appear after visitors leave your site, allowing you to make the most of your traffic.
Mixpanel
Use a platform like Mixpanel to monitor the activities visitors take on your site or in your app if you need more than just pageview statistics.
Financial forecasting and a financial dashboard are two terms that are often used interchangeably.
LivePlan
Look no farther than LivePlan if you need to develop a business plan, create a budget, or estimate your sales and cash flow. You may link QuickBooks and monitor your progress toward your financial objectives after you’ve established your financial goals.
Instruments for design
Canva
One of our favorite online image editors is Canva. You can simply edit photos, but you can also create a wide range of graphics, including posters, business cards, and book covers. The basic version is free, and if you require additional features, you may upgrade to the “work” edition.
Piktochart
Piktochart makes it simple to create infographics. Piktochart is one of our favorites since it’s simple to use, free, and professional-looking—basically the best of all worlds when it comes to generating your own infographics.
Pablo
Check out Pablo if you’re looking for a simple method to produce pictures for social networking. It’s easy to use and can generate pictures for use across all social media platforms.
Work is outsourced.
Upwork
Upwork, formerly known as Elance and Odesk, is a global marketplace of freelancers that can help you with everything from sales and marketing to design and web development. Upwork will handle payment and all other aspects of managing a contract freelancer if you use their sophisticated filters to locate a freelancer.
TaskRabbit
TaskRabbit is a unique service that comes in handy when you need someone to rapidly do a job that isn’t strictly freelancing; more akin to a handyman or jack-of-all-trades. For example, if your organization is hosting an event, you can use TaskRabbit to hire a bunch of highly-rated individuals to set up, serve, and clean up instead of hiring a full-service catering firm.
99designs
99designs: If you need a design for anything as simple as a book cover to something as complex as a logo, 99designs can help. You’ll be given a number of options from which to choose.
Fiverr
Fiverr: Like 99designs, but with an emphasis on cost savings, Fiverr can link you with designers, developers, and other professionals to do your outsourced job for a low price.
A/B testing and landing pages
LeadPages
Check out LeadPages if you need a landing page fast. With no scripting needed, you can easily create landing pages and pop-ups.
Unbounce
Unbounce is a page builder and A/B testing tool that allows you to create landing pages and then test them against one other to discover the optimal combination.
Visual Website Optimizer is a tool that allows you to optimize your website
Visual Website Optimizer makes it simple to test modifications to your website and determine which version performs best without requiring any code. Reporting is simple, and the bulk of the capabilities you need are available at a fair cost.
Convert
Convert is a fantastic tool for A/B testing modifications on your website to verify ideas for increasing clicks, conversions, and traffic via your pages.
Platforms for email marketing
MailChimp
Here, MailChimp is the obvious option. Unless you need to conduct a highly complex marketing automation campaign, MailChimp can help you create and distribute newsletters and almost any other kind of campaign. The automation capabilities are also excellent, and will suffice for most companies.
Sendy
Check out Sendy if saving money is your top priority. Sendy sends emails at a low cost using Amazon’s Simple Email Service platform. It isn’t the most feature-rich program, but it gets the job done if you want to send email as cheaply as possible.
HubSpot
Check out HubSpot for enterprise-level capability with small-business simplicity of use. It’s a marketing automation and inbound marketing tool in one, but you may also simply utilize their email service.
Aweber
Aweber is a good alternative to MailChimp. It has a low price point and a large feature set. Aweber’s customer service differs significantly from MailChimp’s; while MailChimp exclusively provides assistance through email, Aweber will call you.
The “startup tools 2021” is a list of 85 essential startup resources that will help you succeed in your business. The list includes both free and paid resources.
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