Start a Business: Entrepreneurial Resources

Clearly, starting your own business after being laid-off can be a major undertaking, particularly when the economy is depressed. It could be months, or even years, until you can develop a sustainable income stream.

As an entrepreneur, you’ll become a jack-of-all-trades with responsibility for marketing, hiring, bookkeeping and a thousand other tasks. You’ll lose (at least for a while) the perks of scheduled vacations, company-paid benefits and consistent paychecks. Nonetheless, if you have a great idea, favorable market conditions, and can run a tight ship, you may never again have to face unemployment.

Thankfully, there are numerous resources available to help you through the process of selecting, running and marketing a business after being laid-off. Here are some of my favorites:

Free Advice and Resources: One of the best sites online for advice about starting your own business or buying into a franchise is Entrepreneur.com They have an impressive array of content, including advice columns, inspirational stories and very helpful guides to starting your own business.

Instantly Downloadable Guides: Ever wonder what it takes to start a business as a web designer or interior designer or management consultant or (fill in the blank with your own entrepreneurial goal).

If you're looking for in-depth, nuts and bolts information on starting a specific type of business, you might find these guides incredibly useful (they run about 100-200 pages). I have recommended these to my clients for years:

• Become an Actor

• Become an Advertising Copywriter

• Become an Antiques Dealer

• Become a Bed and Breakfast Owner

• Become a Book Editor

• Become a Bookstore Owner

• Become a Boutique Owner

• Become a Business Consultant

• Become a Caterer or Personal Chef

• Become a Childrens Book Author

• Become a Coffee House Owner

• Become a Stand-Up Comic

• Become a Management Consultant

• Become a Daycare Owner

• Become an Interior Decorator

• Become an Etiquette Consultant

• Become an Event Planner

• Become a Florist

• Become a Food Critic

• Become a Home Stager

• Become a Human Resources Professional

• Become an Image Consultant

• Become an Inventor

• Become a Landscape Company Owner

• Become a Life Coach

• Become a Mystery Writer

• How to Start a Nonprofit Business

• Become a Professional Organizer

• Become a Party Planner

• Become a Personal Shopper

• Become a Professional Photographer

• Become a Private Investigator

• Become a Public Relations Consultant

• Become a Published Writer

• Become a Real Estate Agent

• Become a Super Salesperson

• Become a Technical Writer

My Own Business, Inc.   

Thinking about starting your own business, but feeling overwhelmed by the logistics of the task?  This nonprofit site offers a free 12-session course on the do's and don'ts of operating a business for both start-up and already operating entrepreneurs.  This course, based on "real world" experience of experts in the field, focuses on the most basic and vital aspects of starting a and operating a business.  Lots of helpful information!

SCORE (Service Corp. of Retired Executives)   

Volunteers for SCORE offer personal online business consulting in more than 500 categories, all for free. Learn from a volunteer mentor if your business idea has merit, what you'll need to succeed, and what steps to take next.

US Small Business Administration   

A mega site filled with resources for both the novice and seasoned entrepreneur.