Unfortunately, there is no special pill you can take that will instantly give you small business superpowers.  Wouldn’t that be nice?  But that doesn’t mean there aren’t resources and tips out there to boost the growth of your small business.  No one person (or organization) has all of the answers, so it’s important you spend time reviewing the information out there and find a few resources you know you can turn to when you need advice, at least until some lab experiment goes awry and  $uper Money$mart appears.

                My favorite resources to grow a small business include:

• SCORE – I always have to start with the Service Corps. of Retired Executives. When it comes to finding a mentor through an online resource, I think they’re the best.  I was also the chair of the local San Luis Obispo chapter from 2013-15.  SCORE is a non-profit designed to help individuals start their own business and their site is full of free small business tips.
  • Free Online Workshops for Small Business Owners and Start-Ups
• SBA – The Small Business Administration is a government resource that does a lot with SCORE. They’re a great resource for information about funding your business and they have a learning center full of additional small business resources.
  • Growing Your Small Business
  • Learning Center
• Inc. – Probably better known for their magazine, Inc. is a company devoted to business owners and entrepreneurs. Some of the information you’ll find here may be a few steps ahead of where you’re at right now, but if you keep an eye on their blog articles, you’ll find some really helpful insight and tips for growing your small business.
  • Finding New Growth Opportunities in Your Core Business
  • Grow
• LinkedIn Pulse – If I didn’t include LinkedIn in my list of resources to grow your small business, my daughter would probably have a few words for me. She’s a social media expert and has been taking a lot of time to teach me how to leverage LinkedIn for business growth.  If you find LinkedIn a little overwhelming, start with Pulse – it’s their blog.  Like Inc., Pulse offers content for small business owners and entrepreneurs, plus job seekers and decision makers.  Once you subscribe to a few channels or start linking certain posts, your content will start to reflect what interests you.
  • Pulse Discover – Scroll down to the channels and look for topics like “start-ups” to follow
  • Pulse Productivity
  • Pulse Entrepreneurship
  • Pulse Self Employment

This may sound like a lot of reading, and it is, but if you don’t continue to educate yourself, your competitors will just pass you by.  My tip for small business owners – take an interest in what you’re doing by reading topics of interest to you.  Find a favorite resource and check it once each week for anything tantalizing.  Even better – subscribe to them for a more frequent reminder to do your homework.

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