11 Free Resources for Small Online Business Owners (2026)

Running a small online business doesn't have to cost a fortune, especially when you're just getting started. Here are some of my favorite free resources for small business owners, from business coaching to design assets to SEO tools.

If you're new here, hi! I'm a neurodivergent creative who writes about digital design, passive income from hobbies, and figuring out how to run a small business without burning out. Glad you found me! 😊

*This post contains affiliate links. All products listed are free, but if you chose to buy something later, I might get a commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Free small business resources: My best tips

Free AI image generation

I love the AI tool Ideogram. It's a super affordable AI image generator with a free plan that gives you 10 credits per week. That's not a lot, but it's enough to get a real feel for what the tool can do before spending anything.

I use it all the time in my business. It makes amazing Pinterest pins, images for blog posts, logos, text graphics, anything you could think of that you might need for marketing your business or product.

My tip if you're just starting out: create a free account and spend some time browsing the public feed before you generate anything. You can save images you love and copy the prompts that were used to make them, then tweak those prompts to fit your own style. It's a great way to learn!

One thing to be aware of: on the free plan, all your images are public in Ideogram's community gallery. If you're creating designs you want to keep to yourself, you'd need a paid plan for that.

Click to try Ideogram for free

Examples of fashion photography I've made with this program (from my Pinterest)

Free Pinterest templates and mockups

As a business owner or someone starting a business, templates are such a time-saving thing to get! And the same is mockups, which are perfect if you sell physical products online, but also to use as illustrations for promotional graphics for your digital products.

A great way to get free access to templates and mockups is to sign up for the Creative Fabrica trial, where you get 10 products of your choice completely free. Here you can view Pinterest pin templates, and here are some gorgeous Canva mockups for you!

Free fonts

In addition to templates and mockups, you might also want some pretty fonts for your business, whether you are revamping your website, making social media graphics, or putting together a digital product.

Free Instagram graphics

For your Instagram, you might want some nicely branded Instagram graphics for your posts to keep a consistent look across your feed. You could also use the Creative Fabrica free trial to get some beautiful story icons for the story highlights on your profile.

Example of a free mockup I used for the sales page of The Digital Paper Library

Free Audiobooks for business inspiration

If you learn well by listening, Audible's free trial is worth knowing about. Amazon's audiobook platform has a free trial that gives you one free audiobook to keep, even if you cancel afterward.

Two books I'd suggest using that free credit on:

📖 The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau is about building a small business around something you already love, with minimal investment. Really relevant if you're trying to figure out how to turn a skill or hobby into income. ⭐ Currently rated 4.5 by almost 8,000 people on Amazon.

📖 Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo is a mindset book about approaching problems with a "I can figure this out" attitude. A good one for anyone who feels overwhelmed by the idea of starting a business. ⭐ Currently rated 4.7 by over 5,000 people on Amazon.

Keyword search tool (free trial)

It's hard to get eyeballs on your content if you don't try to SEO-optimize it. A great way to start is to do keyword research when writing a blog post or any other type of content for your website, YouTube video, or podcast description.

This way, you can easily find out what more people search for and what has less competition. The best combination is of course many searches but few results.

My favorite program for this is Keywordrevealer. It's easy to use for beginners and does exactly what it says without any overwhelming extra features. The free trial gives you three keyword searches a day, which is a good way to get an introduction to the program without paying anything.

My biggest motivation to switch to Keywordrevealer was the price. Semrush charges $129 a month, while Keywordrevealer only costs $150 a year. Well worth trying out for free first!

Elizabeth Goddard's freebies

I've mentioned online business strategist Elizabeth Goddard on the blog a few times before. I like her straight-to-the-point, minimal-fluff approach to her strategies, and I've bought many of her courses. She has several freebies on her Everything Page, and I really recommend that you check her out.

I'm well-versed in the business coaching/marketing world, but Elizabeth brings so many strategies to the table that I have yet to hear of anywhere else. If you like webinars, I really recommend that you check out her freebie on how to sell something before you feel ready right now. This one is relevant for anyone who wants to sell anything online. And if you are a service provider who works with clients directly 1 to 1, this free webinar is a great and totally free training.

Leonie Dawson's freebies

Leonie Dawson is a well-known Australian business coach and entrepreneur, recognized for her candid and budget-friendly approach to personal development and business growth. She offers a variety of free resources and courses to help creatives achieve their entrepreneurial goals.

Her work focuses on goal-setting planners, productivity, marketing, and branding, making her a valuable resource for small business owners. She's far more spiritual than I am, and sometimes I must admit what she talks about feels a bit too 'woo-y' for me, but I still find her very inspiring, and I appreciate her general quirkiness

(fun fact: As a non-native English speaker, I had to google 'quirky' to make sure it doesn't have negative connotations)

Bonus tip: Are you bilingual and dreaming of making money from home?

Here's a little bonus tip for those who are bilingual and either haven't started your business yet or are looking for more ways to make money from home while growing your business. I've worked as a freelance translator for the last four years, and it's been my bread and butter since then. You actually don't need a degree to get well-paid jobs as a translator, and you might not know that you translate from your second language into your native language, not vice versa!

As a native Norwegian I translate from English into Norwegian. I recommend taking this free training and learn from Inger Lise, who has more than 20 years of experience in the translation industry. If the page states a date already passed, don't worry, they will email you when the next session is available.

Don't forget to also check out my post on low-cost programs for small online business owners, which holds some fantastic gems for entrepreneurs and those who want to start an online based business. All the programs are priced between $9-$67, so they are perfect for anyone on a limited budget!