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Free resources from Codie Sanchez's Contrarian Thinking on buying, financing, and scaling small cash-flowing businesses — newsletters, masterclasses, deal frameworks, and acquisition guidance.
Why I recommend it: Use the free resources and skip the upsells until you have looked at real deals. Buying an existing small business is an underrated alternative to starting from zero.
Free, lifetime one-on-one mentoring from experienced volunteer business advisors, backed by an SBA cooperative agreement, plus free workshops, a self-paced online Learning Academy, and business templates.
The primary federal agency supporting small businesses through counseling, training, capital access, and government contracting assistance.
In plain terms: This federal website helps you start, fund, and grow a small business. You can explore loan options, find local counseling and training, and get certified for government contracting opportunities.
Why I recommend it: Start here for the official rules, then use SCORE or an SBDC for a human to walk you through them.
Comprehensive national guide covering counseling, training, capital, contracting, disaster assistance, and business advocacy resources, with local editions available.
Why I recommend it: Download your state's edition — the local contact list in the back is the useful part.
Plain-language rundown of which insurance types a small business actually needs — general liability, workers' comp, property, and more.
In plain terms: This government guide explains the different types of insurance coverage small businesses need to protect their assets. Use it to learn how policies like general liability and workers' compensation work so you can choose the right coverage for your startup.
Why I recommend it: Start here before you buy anything from a broker. Knowing the four basic policy types keeps you from being upsold.
Sole proprietor, LLC, S corp, or partnership — what each means for taxes, liability, and paperwork.
In plain terms: This guide explains the differences between business structures like sole proprietorships, LLCs, and corporations. You can compare how each option affects your taxes, personal liability, and paperwork before you register your business.
Why I recommend it: Read this before paying a service to form an entity for you. Many owners need less than they are sold.
How to find the federal, state, and local licenses your business type needs, including industry-specific permits.
In plain terms: This government guide outlines the basic legal and operational steps needed to launch a small business. You can use it to research local regulations, choose a business structure, and identify the licenses and permits you need.
Why I recommend it: Local rules trip people up more than federal ones. Check your city and county pages too.
Step-by-step guide to hiring your first employee: EIN, state registration, payroll taxes, and required posters.
In plain terms: This government guide outlines the basic legal and financial steps for hiring workers. You can use it to set up payroll, complete required tax forms, and follow federal and state employment laws.
Why I recommend it: Your first hire is a paperwork event as much as a people event. This is the checklist.
Government & Community Small-Business Support (Founder's Directory)
The government and community pages of the Founder's Directory: SBA, local SBDCs, SCORE mentoring, MBDA business centers, Women's Business Centers, Grants.gov, SBIR/STTR R&D grants, plus Comcast RISE, Verizon Digital Ready, Hello Alice, IFundWomen, and LISC.
In plain terms: This directory lists government and community programs that support small business owners and startups. You can use it to find free business coaching, connect with expert mentors, and search for grants.
Why I recommend it: Free 1:1 business coaching from an SBDC or SCORE mentor is the most underused resource in this whole library. Book a session before you pay a consultant.
