Helpful resources
There are many great resources and tools available online to assist you in starting up and running your own business. I’m delighted to share this curated listing with you.
Please get in touch if you’d like to explore recommendations and get assistance with implementing these tools for your business.
Government grant finders
Business.gov.au Grants & Programs Finder
This grants & assistance finder helps you locate the grants and assistance programs most relevant to your business for free.
GrantsConnect
Centralised publication of forecast and current Australian Government grant opportunities and grants awarded.
Business Australia Free Government Grant Finder
Free Government grant finder with over 1500 government grants worth almost $40 billion
Business planning tools & templates
Business.gov.au Guides
Guides to help you plan, start and run your business.
Bluewire Media Marketing Tools & Templates
Bluewire have a number of free and premium tools to help you develop your web and social media strategies.
Business Victoria Business Planing Tools & Templates
Business planning templates, tools & guides to increase the chance of securing finance or growth.
Queensland Government Business & Industry Portal
Tools for preparing a business plan.
Australia Startups
Use the Startup Assessment to discover the tools you need to start, plan and find funding for your business idea.
Australia Bureau of Statistics
A great resource to assist you with market research, profiling customers and planning a business case.
Legal resources
Australian Securities and Investment Commission
Search for business names, register a business name, set up a company, research the best company structure for you.
ABN Registration
Set up an Australian Business Number online.
Fairwork Australia
Find out about workplace laws, national employment standards and use the annual & sick leave calculator.
IP Australia
Register your patents, trade marks & designs.
LawPath
A cloud based legal service. Register a Company, customise legal documents instantly with safe & secure storage or speak to one of their 500+ lawyers.
LegalVision
LegalVision provides Australian businesses and individuals with access to cost-effective and easy-to-use online legal services.
CrazyDomains
Search for and register domain names.
Cloud-based tools to help you run your small business
Google Products
Google Products consists of a number of tools for businesses - including mail, documents, calendar and more.
Microsoft 365
Compare all Microsoft 365 plans
Squarespace
Build your website with this SaaS-based content management system-integrated website builder, blogging platform, hosting service, commerce platform, and domain name registrar.
Hootsuite
Easily manage all your social media on one dashboard.
Sprout Social
Also a great social media management platform
Zoom
Frictionless web and video conferencing.
Dropbox
A free service that lets you bring your photos, docs, and videos anywhere and share them easily.
Salesforce, Zoho and Monday.com
Are three of the best CRM solutions for start ups and small businesses.
Culture Amp
Online employee engagement tool and feedback platform.
Survey Monkey
Create & send surveys for free.
CampaignMonitor
Online email marketing solution tool to attract new subscribers, send them beautiful email newsletters and see stunning reports on the results.
MailChimp
Provides marketing automation for e-commerce businesses. Send beautiful emails, connect your e-commerce store, advertise, and build your brand.
DoneDone
From planning, to coding, to testing, to customer support, DoneDone is the straightforward, no-nonsense issue tracker.
Jira
Track, manage and fix bugs fast.
Xero
Online accounting software for business. Web based system for invoicing/ billing, accounts payable, bank reconciliation and bookkeeping.
BaseCamp
The leading web-based project management and collaboration tool. To-dos, files, messages, schedules, and milestones.
Trello
The fastest, easiest way to organise anything, from your day-to-day work, to a favourite side project, to your greatest life plans.
Where the people you need, the information you share, and the tools you use come together to get things done.
Miro
Visual Collaboration software - create, collaborate and centralise communication across your company.
Start-up community websites
Sydney Startup Hub
Looking for the perfect place to launch your startup? The New South Wales Government actively supports innovation and emerging businesses through the Sydney Startup Hub.
Startup Victoria
Australia’s largest startup community, with over 60,000 people in the network.
Startup Grind
The world’s first community owned accelerator and global community for Entrepreneurs.
Sites & blogs for start-ups and entrepreneurs
Books for start-ups and entrepreneurs
The Lean Startup by Eris Ries
How today's entrepreneurs use continuous innovation to create radically successful businesses.
Running Lean by Ash Maurya
Iterate from Plan A to a plan that works.
The Startup Owners Manual by Steve Blank & Bob Dorf
The step-by-step guide for building a great company using the tested and proven Customer Development process.
The Digital Business Start-up Workbook by Cheryl Rickman
A step-by-step guide to succeeding online from start-up to exit.
Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacso
The official biography of Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs. Read this one for inspiration.
Resources for women entrepreneurs
Australian Women Chamber of Commerce & Industry
The peak body for women business owners in Australia.
Australian Centre for Leadership for Women
A virtual management centre created to empower women to be leaders through information and gaining skills.
Women as Entrepreneurs
Established to build, support and promote the Australian national community of female entrepreneurs.
Women’s Agenda
News, style & advice for professional women.
Springboard Enterprises
Springboard's female acceleration program has come to Australia.
The Entrepreneurial Mother
A blog for mothers who are building a businesses.
DailyWorth
A US financial media site for women who want more — more net worth, more self worth & more joy.
Resources for non-profit start-ups
Australian Charities & Not-for-profits Commission
ACNC is the independent national regulator of charities. If you are setting up a charity you can register it here.
Pro Bono Australia
The online hub for people engaged with Australia's not for profit communities.
Philanthropy Australia
The national peak body for philanthropy in Australia. Has a step-by-step guide to seeking funding as a charitable organisation.
Australian Directory of Philanthropy
An essential resource for not-for-profit organisations, charities and community groups. It features tips on how to apply for grants, write submissions, and important tax information to help grant-seekers understand what needs to be supplied to foundations in any application for funding.
Not For Profit Marketing Plan Template
US publisher and blogger Nancy Schwartz has produced a ready-to-use Not for Profit marketing plan template in response to time-poor charities not knowing where or how to start. The template is a practical tool for Not for Profits anywhere.
Digital marketing resources & courses
Grow with Google
Expand your digital skills with Google’s free training.
Smart Marketer
Learn to build and grow digital brands with Ezra Firestone & Molly Pittman.
Digital Marketer
An internationally recognised certification in digital marketing.
Smart Insights
A learning platform that helps members plan, manage and optimise their marketing using their downloadable planning templates, guides and interactive learning tools.
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