What are the best free resources for a startup?


12

Question's focus is: free + resource = value

So, far there have been a lot of answers related to software, have any other suggestions?

Examples: Books, Trial Services, etc.

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asked Oct 16 '10 at 23:21
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Blunders .
899 points

7 Answers


7

Microsoft BizSpark Microsoft tools and software for free.

It allows startups to get a foot in the door without ridiculous, upfront costs. In fact, there is no cost for the first year.

answered Oct 17 '10 at 00:17
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Joe Philllips
221 points
  • **@Joe Philllips:** Yeah, I've seen that too -- but the long-term vender lock-in to a MS system never seemed like a good idea. Really don't know of any existing MS product that can't be replaced with an open source version. That said, if someone has a lot of experience using MS products - I'd say use them and then three months before the year is up do an eval to decide if sticking to MS is worth it. Thanks for posting!! – Blunders . 14 years ago
  • Choosing a platform or toolset based solely on cost is not a good idea - make the decision based on how well it does the job, how much savings it gives you in terms of time, etc. Total cost of ownership of a "free" product can many times be more than a paid product. – Tim J 14 years ago
  • **@Tim:** Yes, I know. My point was aimed at MS's core products, not all closed-vs-open source products. Also, I covered the number two factor in TCO, that being labor, and stated that if you got experience with MS, just go with it - then do an evals later. – Blunders . 14 years ago
  • Also @blunders, if you are a startup and don't spend the time to work through the MS partnership hoops to become at least a Certified partner, you are missing out. Take a look at the pile of software that you get for the $1495/year. Sure, BizSpark is a gateway drug, but the final subscription that you __should__ transition to isn't bad either. – Larry Smithmier 14 years ago
  • Bizspark now also gives you free Windows Azure hosting too. – Steve 11 years ago

6

All of the tools above are offered free, some of them have a more advanced version that it is not free. These are all great tools and I use most of them often - no complains.
answered Oct 17 '10 at 08:59
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Ricardo
4,815 points

4

Some essential tools:

answered Oct 17 '10 at 07:19
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Jeff Epstein
1,532 points
  • **@Jeff Epstein:** All nice tools, thanks for posting! – Blunders . 14 years ago

4

Free books:

Free tools/software:

Free images For blogs:

answered Oct 18 '10 at 01:58
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Zuly Gonzalez
9,194 points

3

Wordpress is a pretty amazing application for blogs and website creation.

answered Oct 17 '10 at 00:47
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Mark Stephens
976 points
  • **@mark stephens:** Agree. It's by far the most popular CMS, and if you're using it for blogs it's the way to go. – Blunders . 14 years ago

3

google voice is a good one

answered Oct 17 '10 at 09:11
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Tim J
8,346 points
  • **@Tim:** Yep, like Google Voice too, although I wish they won't lockout phone numbers from creating new accounts... :-) – Blunders . 14 years ago

2

I'm a huge fan of Followup.CC. It's free and easy - all you do is BCC an address like "[email protected]," and the system will automatically send you a reminder on Monday at 7am. You can also add details, like "[email protected]" and it will follow up on Nov 7 at 1:23pm.

answered Oct 18 '10 at 22:26
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Josh Sam Bob
1,578 points

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Bootstrapped Resources Books Free