Resources
Podcasts, videos, books, communities and official guides worth your time.
Hand-picked starting points. Links open official sites or searches. Content on other sites changes, so tell us if something moves.
We list these because they are widely used and useful, not because anyone paid for a place. External sites change often, so if a link has moved, search the title.
Podcasts to listen to
Good for commutes, walks and the gym.
Smart Passive Income
Pat Flynn interviews online business owners and shares his own experiments.
Beginners and creators
Side Hustle School
A short daily story about someone who started a side hustle, with the practical details.
Beginners
How I Built This
NPR founder stories. Great for seeing how big businesses started small.
Small business owners
Indie Hackers
Conversations with people building profitable online businesses, with real numbers.
Product builders
Online Marketing Made Easy
Amy Porterfield on email lists, launches and digital products.
Course creators and coaches
Entrepreneurs on Fire
Daily interviews with entrepreneurs about habits, tactics and mistakes.
All
The Futur
Design and pricing education for creative freelancers and studios.
Freelancers
Videos to watch
Search links that open the latest videos on each topic. Pick the ones that match your level.
How to price freelance work
Search the best current explainers on value-based pricing.
Freelancers
Write a proposal that wins
Walkthroughs of proposal structure and examples.
Freelancers
Profit First explained
Visual explainers on the percentage-allocation method.
Small business owners
Cold outreach that gets replies
Message templates and what to avoid.
Beginners and freelancers
Cash flow for small business
How to read and forecast cash flow in plain English.
Small business owners
Productize your service
Examples of fixed-scope service packages.
Freelancers and agencies
Books worth your time
Official author or book pages, so you can read more before you buy.
Profit First
Mike Michalowicz. A simple system for paying profit first.
Small business owners
The $100 Startup
Chris Guillebeau. Case studies of small businesses started with little money.
Beginners
Atomic Habits
James Clear. Build small systems that compound, including money habits.
All
Deep Work
Cal Newport. Protect focused time, the real asset of a solo business.
Freelancers
Building a StoryBrand
Donald Miller. Clarify your message so customers understand your offer.
Small business owners
Win Without Pitching
Blair Enns. A sharper approach to selling and pricing creative services.
Freelancers and agencies
Free help and official guidance
Government and nonprofit resources. Rules vary by country, so check what applies to you.
U.S. Small Business Administration
Official guides on starting, funding and running a business.
US
SCORE free mentoring
Volunteer business mentors, in person or online.
US
IRS Self-Employed Individuals Tax Center
Official tax basics for freelancers and sole proprietors.
US
FTC Small Business guidance
Advertising, endorsement and privacy rules in plain English.
US
FTC Consumer Advice
Check an opportunity against known scam patterns.
US
Communities
Ask questions, share wins and learn from people a few steps ahead.
Indie Hackers
Forum for founders building profitable internet businesses.
All
r/freelance
Reddit community for freelancers: rates, clients, contracts.
Freelancers
r/smallbusiness
Reddit community for owners and operators.
Small business owners
r/sidehustle
Reddit community for side projects and extra income.
Beginners