Top 10 Small Business Resources for 2024

In the small business landscape, success requires innovation, dedication, and access to the right resources. As we step into 2024, small business owners face an environment that requires adaptability and resilience.

Small businesses shape our economy. They’re often led by families who are committed to their local community. To keep small businesses thriving in the new year, we want to share the top 10 small business resources for 2024. We have carefully selected the resources that will make a significant impact next year.

Vast amounts of business tools and services exist; this blog makes it easier for you to find them. Your success depends on more than just what you offer; it also relies on the support and resources around you.

Funding and Financing Your Business

To launch and grow your business, you need capital. In this section, we dive into the best funding resources for small businesses and entrepreneurs.

Financing can help you seize opportunities, overcome challenges, and fuel your journey to success. From alternative funding platforms to cutting-edge financial technologies, secure the capital you need.

U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration is a federal agency committed to supporting small businesses in our country. They provide a wealth of resources, including funding through loans and investment capital. With a variety of options available, entrepreneurs have an advocate in their corner with the SBA.

Small Business Loans

When seeking financing, you want to feel confident that you’re working with a secure, supportive lender. The SBA offers safe loans for starting and running a business, as well as ongoing financial counseling.

Learn more about financing options, eligibility, and details here.

Investment Capital

The SBA works with Small Business Investment Companies (SBICs) to financially support the launch and growth of small businesses. These SBICs act as limited partners, investing funds through debt and equity.

Learn how you can access investment capital through the SBA here.

Second Service Foundation

For veterans exploring entrepreneurship, Second Service Foundation provides exclusive grants. This organization is committed to the success of veteran-owned businesses, providing funding, education, and counseling for military entrepreneurs.

Military Entrepreneur Challenge

Second Service Foundation offers a nationwide program to provide grants to veterans, military spouses, and Gold Star Family entrepreneurs. This is a great opportunity for military entrepreneurs to obtain secure and reliable capital.

Learn how to apply here.

WomensNet

WomensNet is an organization dedicated to the advancement of woman-owned businesses. They provide funding, consultations, and content designed to grow the enterprises of female entrepreneurs.

Amber Grant

WomensNet has a flagship grant opportunity for female entrepreneurs in the form of the Amber Grant. Every month, they provide a plethora of funding opportunities, including $10,000 to a woman entrepreneur, $25,000 to a past recipient, and $10,000 to a woman-led business in specific business categories.

View more about this opportunity here.

Grants.gov

The U.S. government created Grants.gov to help people find federal grant opportunities more easily. On this website, people can find various projects that give money for research, community development, and other things.

Grants.gov is often a resource for minority entrepreneurs. Federal agencies have programs specifically designed to support diversity and inclusion in business ownership.

To find funding opportunities for minority-owned businesses, visit Grants.gov.

Technology that Drives Efficiency

In our digital age, technology can support business efficiency. Tools available can help streamline your operations, enhance productivity, and propel your business into the future.

This section explores the top software tools that can give your small business a competitive edge.

Quickbooks

First and foremost, a streamlined process for accounting and payroll is crucial in entrepreneurship. Quickbooks allows you to track your cash flow, pay your team promptly, file your business taxes, and record employee time. These are fundamental business activities that keeps your ship sailing.

To start with the basics, plans start at $30 per month. Learn more here.

Slack

Whether you run a retail storefront or a small marketing agency, it’s important to keep your team connected. This helpful software can keep all of your business conversations housed in one place.

Whether you need to message an individual or a group, Slack makes it easy to quickly communicate. The best part is that Slack offers a free plan, which is great for entrepreneurs just starting.

Learn more about Slack here.

HubSpot

For small businesses that take marketing and sales seriously, a CRM is a must-have. A tool like HubSpot can help you streamline your marketing and sales processes. This nifty software allows you to better connect with customers, nurture them into leads, and grow your business.

Learn how to get started with HubSpot for free here.

Meta Business Suite

Speaking of marketing, social media is a key channel for business growth (more on that below). Small businesses everywhere rely on Meta Business Suite to connect with their customers online. With Meta Business Suite, you can drive greater efficiency in communicating with your customers. You can post business updates, message with customers, run advertising, and track all of your engagement metrics in one place.

Get started with Meta Business Suite here.

Marketing Training to Attract Customers

In the section above we discussed helpful tools for marketing, such as Meta Business Suite and HubSpot. However, if you still don’t know where to start with marketing, there are resources out there to help you.

LinkedIn Learning

As a social media platform dedicated to online networking, LinkedIn offers additional tools for business professionals. Their LinkedIn Learning offering provides on-demand training across a variety of topics. For small business marketing, they have a variety of courses to help you get started with marketing your business.

From digital marketing foundations to managing a Shopify storefront, explore their on-demand training here.

Meta Blueprint

Facebook and Instagram are powerful social channels for connecting with potential customers. If you don’t know how to begin, Meta offers courses to help you get started. Their courses help you better understand your audience and their journey, as well as how to craft your brand and content. These trainings are crucial in a competitive landscape.

Learn about social media marketing through Meta Blueprint here.

HubSpot

If you’re building a small sales team, HubSpot offers free online courses to help you get started. You can use their training to learn how to enable the HubSpot CRM, manage a sales team, and score relevant leads. These trainings can help setup small businesses for sales success.

Access HubSpot’s free online courses here.

HR Support for a Healthy Workplace

Behind every successful small business are dedicated and motivated team members. As a small business owner, you wear many hats—one of them being HR. Luckily, there are tools out there to help you navigate the intricacies of human resources.

Discover tools that simplify talent acquisition, streamline employee management, and foster a positive workplace culture. In this section, we share the top resources for building and maintaining a great team.

ZipRecruiter

When you’re ready to build your team, you need a trustworthy platform for posting jobs and finding candidates. There are many tools out there, including ZipRecruiter. This tool helps you craft a great job posting, share it to multiple recruiting sites, and match your listing with top candidates.

Start growing your team with ZipRecruiter by visiting their website.

BambooHR

If you’re looking to boost your knowledge of HR best practices, BambooHR has a great online hub of resources. You can learn tactics for developing a positive workplace culture, creating efficient onboarding processes, and negotiating compensation packages. With these free resources, you don’t have to navigate the intricacies of HR alone.

Read up on the latest in HR by visiting BambooHR’s blog.

Affiliated Workers Association

When searching for high-quality health benefits and perks, Affiliated Workers Association makes it easy for you. We search among the leading providers of health and wellness discounts, tools, and resources to promote the wellbeing of you and your team. You can receive discounts on fitness centers, nutrition programs, and prescriptions.

Learn more about our health programs and discounts here.

Legal Counsel to Protect Your Business

Legal support promotes the longevity and security of your small business. You’ll want to seek out qualified legal support to stay compliant and safeguard your venture.

From contracts to intellectual property protection, explore the legal resources that can fortify your business.

U.S. Small Business Administration

The SBA is an ever-present advocate for small business owners and entrepreneurs. They offer a wealth of resources, including legal support. You can view their resources for keeping your business compliant with laws, whether federal or state. They also offer free business counseling through assistance near you.

Learn more here.

LegalZoom

LegalZoom can assist with affordable business registration, intellectual property protection, and other important business tasks. They offer business advisory plans to connect you with an experienced attorney. For self-education, they offer online articles that discuss the intricacies of business formation, intellectual property, and more.

Keep your business compliant by visiting LegalZoom here.

Affiliated Workers Association

As a member of the Affiliated Workers Association, you have access to discounted tools and services. Our consumer discount programs range from 24-hour roadside assistance to legal access. Through the CLC Legal Access Program, AWA members have access to free initial legal consultations and discounted services.

Learn more about our small business discount programs here.

Professional Development to Grow Your Skills

In a world where knowledge is power, continuous learning is the key to staying ahead. Below are a few of the educational resources we’ve identified for small business owners and their teams.

Small Business Development Center

The Small Business Development Center has a national reach with local chapters all over the country. At local SBDCs, entrepreneurs and small business owners can find local workshops and trainings for professional development. Find your local SBDC chapter here.

LinkedIn Learning

We mentioned LinkedIn Learning earlier as a great resource for learning more about marketing. This online hub of education also features additional courses to help you develop your professional skills. Many courses are available to help improve your Excel skills, strategic thinking, and growth mindset.

View available courses here.

Industry Conferences

Conferences bring together entrepreneurs and business owners from different industries to support and connect with each other. At these conferences, you can meet others, attend workshops, and feel inspired to grow your business further. We encourage you to search for available conferences in your industry as a powerful method of professional development.

Health Resources for Wellbeing

Your team is your most valuable asset, and their well-being is a cornerstone of success. At AWA, we are especially passionate about this. In this section, we’ve broken down the health benefit options and insurance solutions tailored for small businesses.

Great health benefits can ensure the physical and mental health of your workforce. Even more, it can help foster a positive and productive work environment.

Affiliated Workers Association

At AWA, our goal is to empower small business owners and entrepreneurs. We do so through low-cost, high-quality health and wellness benefits for small businesses.

We’ve looked everywhere for the best tools and resources to help our members save money and make their own wellness choices. It’s how we’ve helped 15,000 members across the country grow their business. Below are a few of our offerings.

• In-between and supplemental insurance
• Non-insured benefits and discounts
• Consumer discounts on popular services
• Small business advocacy

By joining AWA, you have the potential to propel your business to remarkable heights. Become a member today by filling out our online form. An AWA representative will reach out to discuss your membership needs. Once you start, you’ll understand why an AWA membership ranks as one of our top small business resources for 2024.