By Holly Reisem Hanna
Leaving the security of a steady paying job to launch a new business can be a scary endeavor. Even if you've planned and saved six months worth of living expenses, often it takes months to start generating income from your business.
And guess what?
Even if you don't have money coming in, your business still incurs expenses to run smoothly. But don’t despair, there are tons of free tools, resources, guides, and printables, so you don't have to break the bank.
Here's a massive list of free business resources so you can focus on making money instead of spending it.
1. Free Website.
Since you won't have a brick-and-mortar location, the heart of your home-based business is your website. Having a site allows people to window shop your services and products, it helps them find you via the web, and it conveys valuable information. Personally, I think it's in your best interest to own your website (purchase your domain name and hosting), but if you can't afford a website right off the bat, I suggest using a free option until you can afford to switch to a more robust platform.
A few things to note about free platforms. Usually, you're limited to a small number of web pages, you'll have limited bandwidth and storage, and often you'll have a sub-domain. If you can spare $2.95 a month, I highly recommend setting up your own website with WordPress. Not only is it affordable, but it's also extremely simple to set up and use, and it will give you a professional looking website.
2. Free Online Productivity Tools.
You'd think as much as I'm online, that I'd rely heavily on online productivity tools, but I don't. As you'll see below, I like to use real-world tools to help me stay organized. But if you prefer online time management tools – here's a great list to keep you on track.
- Cozi – Simple family organizer
- ClickBook offers free online appointment scheduling
- Doodle – Scheduling application that will sync all of your calendars together
- Evernote – Virtual to-do list
- Google Calendar – Online calendar
- RescueTime – Time tracker
- Todoist – Task manager
- Toggl – Time tracking app, free for up to 5 users
3. Free Printables.
I'm old school when it comes to planning and organizing. For all of my personal and business activities, I use a physical planner, calendar, notebook, and tons of printables. From grocery lists and daily to-dos to packing lists, chore charts, and business goals. If you're looking for free printables to organize your business and life this list has you covered.
- Dave Ramsey – Budgeting forms
- Dave Seah – Productivity tools
- Frugal Fanatic – Budgeting, debt reduction, worksheets
- Mainstream Mom – Meal planning, organization, and budgeting
- momAgenda – Planning, checklists, and tracking sheets
- Money Saving Mom – Meal planning, household management, and weekly goals
- Productivity Flourishing – Planners and productivity worksheets
- Thirty Handmade Days – Downloadable budget binder
- Travel Mamas – Packing lists
- SimpleMom – Checklists, charts, and more
4. Free Finance Tools.
When I first started my business, I used a spreadsheet for all of my income and expenses. Not only has the process manually intensive, by it made tax-time a nightmare. Save yourself the frustration and use a professional platform. The resources listed below offer invoicing, budgeting, planning, bookkeeping, and accounting solutions.
- BudgetSimple
- H&R Block – Free tax preparation checklist and free online tax filing for 1040EZ, 1040A, and 1040 with Schedule A
- Intuit QuickBooks – Free 30-day trial
- Mint
- PearBudget
- Wave
5. Free Business Templates.
When you're running a business, you'll find yourself searching for all types of forms and templates that you don't even know you need until a particular situation arises. When the time comes, here are some great resources to have bookmarked.
- Frugal Entrepreneur – Business documents, templates, and forms
- SCORE – Business planning, financial, marketing, and management templates
6. Free Content and Project Management Systems.
When you're a service provider (virtual assistant, freelance writer, graphic designer, etc.), you're going to have multiple projects and clients to manage. The best way to stay on top of everything is by using a content or project management system to keep you organized.
- Airtable – Free spreadsheet and data table management tool
- FreedCamp – Free project management tool
- Trello – Online collaboration and management tool
- Wrike – Task and project management tool
7. Free Marketing Tools and Platforms.
It's been said that you should spend at least 20% of your time marketing your business. With hundreds of ways to market your business, you should be able to find a formula that works for you. Here are a few free platforms and resources worth checking out.
- Clearstream – Free SMS marketing (25 messages per month)
- Constant Contact – Free 60-day trial (no credit card required)
- Craigslist – Free online advertising
- Facebook – Free social media marketing platform
- Free Press Release – Submit your press release for free
- EZ Texting – 250 free SMS marketing messages per month
- Hootsuite – Manage your social media marketing efforts in one place
- Hotcards – 100 free business cards (pickup at their Cleveland Headquarters is free, shipping elsewhere is extra)
- HubSpot – Free email signature
- Instagram – Free photo sharing media platform
- LinkedIn – Professional social networking website
- MailChimp – Free email marketing for up to 2,000 contacts
- Mix – Social media bookmarking site
- OneSignal – Send out unlimited push notifications for free
- Pinterest – A visual marketing platform
- SendInBlue – Free email marketing, up to 9,000 emails a month
- Survey Monkey – Allows you to gather feedback, collect data, and analyze survey results
- Tailwind – Pinterest and Instagram scheduler (free month)
- Twitter – Free social media marketing platform
- Vero – Instagram-like social media platform (free for the first million users)
- YouTube – Video marketing
For more budget-friendly marketing ideas, check out these articles:
- Ways to Market Your Business Without Breaking the Bank
- How to Market Your Business on a Shoestring Budget
- Free Business Cards: Where to Get Them and the Fine Print
- 4 Ways to Advertise Your Business for Free
8. Free Administrative Tools.
You may already have Microsoft Office on your computer, but if you don't, the yearly subscription can be pricey. Here are some other options that work great and they're free.
- Cute PDF – PDF conversion tool
- GoogleDocs – Word processing, spreadsheets, forms, slides, and more
- OpenOffice – Word processing, spreadsheets, multimedia presentations, and more
- PrimoPDF – Create PDFs for free
9. Free Communication Tools.
It's funny when you work in an office setting you don't even think about all the different methods you use daily to communicate with others – the technology and systems are already in place. However, when you run your own business, you'll quickly learn that you need a whole host of tools. Luckily, there are lots of free and reliable options.
- FaxZERO – Fax documents for free, up to three pages, two times per day
- FreeConferenceCall.com – Conference and video calls, up to 1,000 people for free
- Google Chat – Talk to other people over the internet for free
- Google Hangouts – Video chat
- Hot Recorder – Record calls for free
- IFTTT – A free tool to get all of your apps and devices communicating effectively with each other
- LetterMeLater – Schedule emails to be sent in the future
- Mikogo – Desktop sharing tool, ideal for web conferencing, online meetings, or remote support
- Skype – Free call, video chat, and instant message for Skye to Skype users
- WebEx – Free video conferencing free for up to three people
- Zoom – Video and web conferencing service (free up to 100 individuals)
10. Free Design Tools and Stock Images.
As an entrepreneur, you'll take on many roles. Quite frequently that role is a graphic designer. But no worries, you don't need any special training to create professional-looking images, presentations, and marketing materials; these tools are both free and easy to use.
- Burst – Free stock photos
- Canva – Simple design platform and photo editor
- COLOURlovers – Color ideas, palates, patterns, and trends
- Dreamstime – Stock photos and images
- FontSquirrel – Free fonts for commercial usage
- FreePhotos.cc – Free stock photos
- Morguefile.com – Free stock photos for commercial use
- OpenShot – Free video editing software
- Pexels – Free stock photos
- PicMonkey – Free 7-day trial
- Pixabay – Over 600,000 free images and videos
- ResizeImage.net – Resize images without losing quality
- Unsplash – Free stock photos
11. Free Tools and Resources for Bloggers.
If you run a blog, there's no doubt that you'll need some specialized tools to make your blogging efforts easier. Here are some that I use and recommend.
- 7 Surefire Ways to Boost Your Blog Income Overnight – Free mini e-book on how to make money blogging
- 120 Awesome Blog Post Ideas – 120 topic ideas for writing fantastic content
- Askimet Plugin – Stop spam comments on your blog with this free plugin
- Blogging Success – My free 28-page e-book that covers blog writing, getting traffic, and monetization methods
- Blogger Assessment – A free quiz that tells you if you have what it takes to be a successful blogger
- Capitalize My Title – Title case capitalization tool for blog posts and subject lines
- CoSchedule – Free headline analyzer
- Google Analytics – Free website traffic stats
- Grammarly – Free editing software
- Gravatar – Create a globally recognized avatar, helps brand your blog identity
- Rafflecopter – Free software for running giveaways
- Random.org – Randomly choose winners for your giveaways and contests
- SmallSEOTools – Plagiarism checker for guest blog posts
- The Blog Structure Blueprint – A free tool to organize your blog
- Yoast – Free SEO optimization plugin for your blog
Are you ready to make money from home this year, but you're not sure what direction to take? Here are a bunch of FREE online courses that can help take the guesswork out of what work-at-home career path you should take.
One last note about business freebies. There will come the point where your time becomes more valuable than saving a few bucks. So as you grow, invest in the proper tools that will ultimately save you time and money; as freebies often have limitations.
Good luck with your new business!
Do you have a free resource or business tool that you can't live without? Drop us a note below, we'd love to hear what you're using.
You’ll Also Love These Posts:
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- 6 Home Businesses You Can Start With No Money
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- The Five Best Free Email Marketing Services
Originally published November 25, 2009. Content updated February 27, 2018.
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Andy Jadeja says
This is huge list and very useful for everyone who wanna start a small business. I just bookmark your site. Awesome!!
Jason Clay says
This is a pretty useful list, thanks 👍 I’ll recommend also https://imageric.com with tons of free photos, vectors and videos under CC0 licence (Public Domain).
Holly - The Work at Home Woman says
Glad you enjoyed the list, Jason.
Thanks for sharing this free resource!
Danny Lew says
Awesome information on how to get free business resources .
Toni says
Thank so much for sharing! Really great resources listed here. As a new small business owner I am always happy to stumble upon great information that I can implement in my business plan.
Holly - The Work at Home Woman says
Glad you enjoyed the list, Toni!
Anna says
This is an AMAZING amount of useful information!
I just can’t get over it! ……….and all in one place!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you so much for sharing all of this!
I am doing my best to put as much of it as I can to good use :)
Holly - The Work at Home Woman says
Glad you enjoyed the list of resources, Anna!
Thanks for stopping by!
Yinan Chen says
Hi,
For free images, please also check out https://www.goodfreephotos.com for thousands of unique public domain photos free for use for any purpose. I’d appreciate it a lot if you could add it to your big list.
Holly - The Work at Home Woman says
Thanks for sharing!
Vlad says
Wow, lots of info in one place :)
I would say that Pixteller.com can also be added to the Design section.
Holly - The Work at Home Woman says
Thanks for sharing!
I haven’t heard of Pixteller before — I’ll have to check it out.
Sam Saif says
This post is great! Thanks for sharing this free tools. I’m a remote worker for quite some time and as a VA I also use free tools to make my work a lot easier and faster. Some free tools that I use are Asana, buffer, and Canva for social media. I love freelancing work, and the 3 platforms I use to get remote jobs are
1) Upwork.com
2) freelancer.com
3) remote-work.work
Holly - The Work at Home Woman says
Glad you enjoyed the list, Sam.
Hazel says
Thank you. Lots of information to check into
Holly - The Work at Home Woman says
Glad you enjoyed the list, Hazel!
Natalie moore says
This was so helpful, thank you!
Holly - The Work at Home Woman says
Glad you enjoyed the list, Natalie.
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Scott @ Vetted Opps says
This is a tremendous resource! Thank you for sharing this.
Holly - The Work at Home Woman says
Glad you enjoyed the list, Scott!
Wendy says
This list is excellent! Thanks for putting it together. I am a health coach who can really use these resources.
Holly - The Work at Home Woman says
Glad you enjoyed the list, Wendy!
Talon Davis says
Excellent blog. While i agree with many points I think it’s a mistake to go cheap all the way. Why? People sense it. For example, spend a bit of money on well printed business cards. The cost is negligible on such an important business tool. I love the fresh business card designs at http://www.PrintElf.com. Just my 5 cents worth.
Keep up the great work,
Talon
Nancy says
Thank you for this amazing list of tools!!
Holly - The Work at Home Woman says
Glad you enjoyed the list, Nancy.
Maria Gonzalez says
Question is there anything that record a cell phone calls and/or conver. calls to text
Holly - The Work at Home Woman says
Try the Dragon Dictation app. It converts voice to text and the basic app is free.
Donald Williamson says
As someone who has a huge interest in writing, I find your website both interesting and informative. However, there is one little problem – I’m a MAN! How does that tally with your guidelines? Am I allowed to subscribe?
Holly - The Work at Home Woman says
Hi Donald, The information is applicable to both women and men. Good luck on your journey!
Anne @onedeterminedlife says
This list is amazing! Thank you so much. As a new blogger with a small budget, I love finding information that is not only really helpful but usually free or close to it.
Holly - The Work at Home Woman says
Glad you enjoyed the list, Anne!
michael says
Im on the same boat with you and I agree that these tips are wonderful.
Christi says
I am a new blogger too, and i found this post incredibly useful. Thanks for taking the time to put it together.
Holly - The Work at Home Woman says
Glad you enjoyed the list, Christi.
Vishal says
Thank you so much for this loads of information, may God bless you, keep sharing :)
Holly - The Work at Home Woman says
Glad you enjoyed it, Vishal.
Jola says
Awesome! Thanks for the list. I’ve already used some of these but there are a few new sites I have to check up.
BTW I came across your blog on pinterests and I think I’m going to stay longer than for this one post.
Holly - The Work at Home Woman says
Glad you enjoyed the post, Jola! Thanks for stopping by =)
Tyler Rountree says
This was probably the most helpful blog post on tools for and online business that I have come across. Thank you for sharing all the things you have learned from doing this yourself!
Fran says
Hello Holly. This is my first time on your blog. This is an awesome list. Thank you. Check out IFTTT (If This Then That) to automate your workflow. My other favorite of TwitterFeed.com where you can automate curated content to your social media feed.
Holly - The Work at Home Woman says
Hi Fran, I haven’t heard of IFTTT — I’ll have to check that one out. I use PostPlanner to help curate content on FB and Twitter, however it’s not free.
michael lewis says
use buffer
Eli SMith says
I love using IFTTT. It automates so many things.
Holly - The Work at Home Woman says
Thanks for sharing, Eli. I’ll have to check it out.
Eli Smith says
Check out GIMP, it’s an open-source image editor on-par with Photoshop, and even has a fork that looks and acts just like it for those used to that program.
Eli Smith says
Er, that second one was meant to be on it’s own, not sure why it went here.
Paul says
Another image resizing tool is https://www.imagechanger.net/
Holly - The Work at Home Woman says
Thanks for sharing, Paul.
Susan Axelrod says
Outstanding resource! I will share with my solopreneur clients and my clients who are Nonprofit CEOs! Thank you!
marlene strait says
Hi,
When I try to share to FB it says that I don’t have permission? Confused?
Holly - The Work at Home Woman says
Sorry you’re having issues. That is really strange. Are you logged into Facebook?
Rosa Bosma says
This is awesome. I know and use quite a lot of these, but of course, there is always more to discover! Thank yo so much. And I agree, setting up your own WordPress website is 100% recommended. I don’t see how anyone could regret that. :-)
Holly - The Work at Home Woman says
Glad you enjoyed the list, Rosa =)
Tony says
There are guys who work from home, too. Just saying
Rahela@Rahela's VA Service says
Hi, this is very detailed and very helpfull list. Thanx for sharing.
All the best, Rahela
Holly - The Work at Home Woman says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Zoull says
thanks for sharing all of this stuf.. very usefull..
Trish says
Here are a couple more I have come across lately.
Mint.com – a free money management/budgeting site. Super robust.
Animoto.com – a free video production site. Upload your raw video footage and produce a polished video complete with transitions, labels and music. Easy to use. Very cool.
Trish
http://www.yourhomebusinessroadmap.com
workwebhome says
Hi Trish! Thanks for sharing these, I’ll have to check them out. Holly
Mikogo says
Hi Holly!
Thank you for listing Mikogo. If you would like to join us on LinkedIn to discuss Mikogo and desktop sharing, please feel free to join us. Thanks!
Hsiang-Yi Cheng
The Mikogo Team
Diana says
Thank you for these !
There are a few here that I have never heard of and have to go and check them out now ;)
Organically Yours,
Diana
Chris Heidel says
lettermelater.com Schedule emails to go out in advance!
James says
GotFreeFax.com also allows user to send free fax online to the US and Canada. User can either upload a PDF/Word file or enter text to fax. Plus, it does NOT add Ads to user’s fax and is suitable for faxing formal documents.
Abbey F. says
Yeah! Thanks for the mention, Holly!!! :)