There are hundreds of Web sites that offer business information and advice for small office/home office workers. This list contains a selection of those we've found to be most helpful. As we discover other worthwhile sites, they'll be added to this list.
Note: When you click on one of the links below, a new browser window will open containing the destination site. This way, you can easily return to this list when you're done at the other site (or keep both windows open on your computer desktop).
Coaching
Employment Matchmakers
General Business Info
Legal
Managing Your Business
Office Design and Operations
Research
Business Startup
The mothership of small business information, this site is an ideal place to start your quest for small business info on the Net.
A resource partner of the SBA, SCORE provides walk-in and online small business counseling through its 389 nationwide offices and Web site.
This SBDC (Small Business Development Center) has gone beyond the immediate community it serves to reach out to solo entrepreneurs and small business owners around the world with its articles, tools, and small business content.
Coaching
If you're looking for a professional business coach, or want to start or grow your own coaching practice, this site is a clearinghouse for the best information in the field. A lifetime (not annual) membership used to be $79, but now it's free (yes, really). You don't have to have a coaching practice to join -- many members are soloists who use the valuable resources as self-coaching tools as they grow their solo businesses.
Computers and Technology
Information about Macintosh computers and solutions specifically geared toward small business. Includes info on consultants and other experts who focus on Apple products.
This online computer retailer offers specials for small and home-based businesses on computer systems, software, services, and support. They also have more than 1200 online classes, including business topics.
Gateway has been a longtime supporter of small business, with hardware solutions and support packages for every budget. Look for the cow-inspired packaging.
While most people think of IBM as a company that serves big corporations, they also have a line of home office and small business products, and srchived articles from their small business email newsletter at this site.
At this site you can learn how to save money on your small business computer support costs. Subscribe to their free biweekly tips e-zine and you can get two free mini-reports.
Employment Matchmakers
The following sites each offer job-finding services for freelancers and soloists, and job posting capabilities for companies looking to hire independents. Some also offer articles and information on business topics.
Elance
Finances and Taxes
This site features dozens of business articles as well as interactive tools such as self-quizzes. You can also make travel arrangements, manage your accounts, or apply for the AmEx card online.
The makers of the financial software Quicken and QuickBooks have two sites that contain information on products, as well as general information for SOHO businesses. You can also find QuickBook specialists in your area to help you with your bookkeeping and accounting.
You may be surprised at the contemporary feel of this informative governmental site. In the special section devoted to small business and the self-employed, you can find up-to-date tax information as well as downloadable forms, deadlines, addresses, and more.
June Walker is one of the top tax and financial advisors to the self-employed. She's created a Web site to share her information, and it's filled with valuable tax tips specifically designed for soloists -- and served up in June's singularly sassy style.
At this site you can sign up for a MasterCard, access articles on small business finance, or subscribe to their free monthly email newsletter.
If you're looking to manage not only your finances but your entire small business online so you can access your information anytime or anywhere, check out the power of Oracle Small Business Suite.
The world's leading payment brand, Visa offers discounts at this site on popular small business services through its Partner Advantage program. You can also apply online for a credit card, check card, or a Business Line of Credit.
General Business Info
Microsoft's MSN small business portal features business information as well as links to the company's software solutions.
CCH, a leading provicder of business, legal and tax information and software, has applied its expertise in these areas to the SOHO market, and has placed thousands of pages of its "SOHO Guidebook" online. The site also features templates, sample contracts, checklists, and commonly used government forms.
This site, formerly called the Entrepreneurial Edge, is sponsored by the Edward Lowe Foundation and houses an extensive digital library of articles on business startup and growth.
Sponsored by the Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, this site is a wealth of information on small business and entrepreneurship. More than 1,000 articles, audio clips, tools, databases, and event listings are only a click away!
Dan Pink's Web site based on his book of the same name, is filled with information for this segment of the SOHO market as well as his recent writings.
The Yahoo! small business portal is filled with resources to help you start and grow a business, promote it, and sell products and services online.
Home-Based Businesses
If you're trying to balance a home-based business and a family, this site can offer information and advice.
Small business journalist's Jeff Zbar's Web site features a listing of resources as well as information on his SOHO-focused books.
This site is a clearinghouse of information for Canadian home-based business owners, and also lists other North American resources.
Legal
Nolo, the leading publisher of self-help legal resources, has created this user-friendly site that is recognized as the best legal self-help site on the Web. Check out the Small Business area for articles on startup, business planning, and other legal issues.
Magazines
These are the online companions to print magazines of interest to the SOHO market. Many offer pop-up windows for free introductory issues.
Entrepreneur
FSB (Fortune Small Business)
Managing Your Business
Tim Berry, president of Palo Alto Software and creator of Business Plan Pro software, has filled this site with templates, Q&As, sample plans, and other tools to help small business owners develop complete (and useful) business plans.
Burke Franklin and his team at Jian Software have created an entire suite of software products to help you run your business easier and better. In addition to their popular business plan software, they also have software to guide you with marketing, contracts and agreements, safety programs, and more.
Marketing, PR, and Sales
If you're looking to make your PowerPoint or print presentations more effective, check out Corbis's collection of thousands of images, templates, and other communication tools.
If you're looking to find statistics and information on marketing on the Net, this is the site to explore. You can also sign up for their free daily email newsletter.
The place to come if you're looking to create business cards, letterhead, rubber stamps, or other promotional items.
Office Design and Operations
Ship and track packages online, and use their rate comparison calculator to see how Airborne rates compare to their competitors.
Ship and track packages online, and visit their Small Business Center to read business articles and to sign up for a free weekly eBulletin.
One of the top furniture retailers in the country now offers an interactive database to help you find their products at partner online stores as well as traditional retailers. Review their full line of offerings at this site, and also sign up for their Jugglezine email newsletter to master a work-life balance.
Track down a store location, send your document online for printing, schedule a videoconference with clients, create a banner -- all this and more is just a click away.
Order office supplies, check out weekly specials, and access services from preferred partners.
Order supplies online and check out articles and buying guides that compare product features.
Home of the "Taming the Paper Tiger" Software, which lets you find anything in your office files in 5 seconds or less. Sign up for the free monthly email newsletter, "The Paper Tamer," from productivity expert Barbara Hemphill.
Order office supplies online, and read articles to help you choose the best products and boost your office productivity.
Calculate rates, ship, and track your packages with the folks in the friendly brown trucks.
Here's where you can find a ZIP code, calculate postage, locate a post office, track a package, and even buy stamps online. Sign up to receive a free Small Business Shipping Assistant CD-ROM.
This site is a source for blank laser and inkjet labels in more than 40 sizes, and each size is available in 12 different materials -- all at a discount.
Radio Shows
Jim Blasingame hosts a daily small business radio show that's simulcast over the Internet. The site also features a rich archive of past itnerviews with business experts and his "Brain Trust."
Richard Tavener has visited nearly every state in the United States, interviewing entrepreneurs and hearing their stories. His site simulcasts his radio shows at conferences and events, and contains an archive of the conversations he's had with hundreds of entrepreneurs.
Research
A gateway to statistics from more than 100 Federal agencies of the United States.
The most complete reference resource we've found on the Net -- jam-packed with hotlinks to help you track down the information you need.
Web Hosting
This is the best value we've found for small business Web hosting. Only $19.95 a month for up to five different domains and an unlimited number of e-mail accounts. Web-based mail, site traffic logs, and other easy-to-use tools included at no additional charge. Storefront and e-commerce options available, too. (Yes, it's the official home of the Working Solo site, and we like it a lot.) |