The best free (and paid) resources to help you grow your new business
Getting your business off the ground is a huge milestone — but once the setup boxes are ticked, it can feel like you’re suddenly flying solo.
Where do you turn for trusted advice? What’s actually worth your time?
Thankfully, there’s no shortage of support out there. From government-run tools to expert services, these resources can help you manage your business with a little less stress and a lot more clarity.
Let’s start with the free and low-cost options.
1. business.gov.au
If you only bookmark one website for your business, make it this one. The business.gov.au site is full of practical tools and information for new and established businesses alike. You’ll find step-by-step guides, templates, and checklists covering everything from planning and people management to cash flow and risk.
A few highlights worth exploring:
The Guide to Hiring Employees — breaks down each stage of employing staff, like choosing the right employee type, understanding costs, recruiting, setting up payroll and super, keeping records, and handling employee exits correctly.
The Employment Contract Builder — helps you create compliant contracts for new hires (it only takes around 30 minutes!)
The Cash flow section — ideal if you want to get better at forecasting and managing your money.
The Grants and Programs Finder — makes it easy to locate government funding opportunities that support small business growth.
2. State-based business hubs
Each state government runs its own small business website — and some are genuinely excellent. We find Business Victoria and Business Queensland particularly easy to navigate. One page worth exploring is Business Victoria’s Tools and Templates page. It’s packed with editable documents for planning, HR, and financial management that are useful no matter where your business is based.
3. Small Business Cyber Resilience service
Cybercrime isn’t just a big business problem — small businesses are often targeted too, and the costs can be significant if your systems are compromised. The Small Business Cyber Resilience service offers free, one-on-one support to help you strengthen your security, create an action plan, and recover if you’ve been affected by an incident.
4. Digital Solutions program
Want to build your online presence or make better use of digital tools? The federally funded Digital Solutions program helps Australian small businesses harness opportunities in the digital economy.
Through the program, you can access up to four hours of one-on-one digital advice from a qualified and experienced business adviser — for a small fee.
Providers in each state also frequently run free webinars for eligible businesses, making it a practical and affordable way to grow your digital know-how.
Paid resources worth the investment
Free tools are a great start, but sometimes you need more hands-on guidance. Below are a few trusted providers that can help you take your business further.
1. Aust Wide Tax and Payroll
Payroll is one of those areas that changes regularly — and getting it wrong can be costly. Aust Wide Tax & Payroll is a trusted name for payroll training and updates.
Their one-day workshops cover the latest taxation and payroll updates, and you’ll leave with a detailed manual and 12 months of helpline support to answer questions as they come up.
2. Human Resource advisors:
SprintHR
If you’re setting up HR for the first time, SprintHR keeps things simple.
It’s an all-in-one platform that guides you step by step through building the HR side of your business — from hiring to everyday compliance.
For a one-off payment of $899 (including GST) — accurate as at November 2025 — you’ll get six months’ access to ten modules packed with ready-to-use templates, checklists, and tools you can download and start using straight away.
Fresh HR Insights
If you’d prefer a more personalised approach, Fresh HR Insights offers monthly retainer options where you can reach out to an HR expert for advice whenever you need it.
It’s ideal for small businesses that want ongoing guidance — someone they can turn to for help with tricky staff issues, policy updates, or those moments when things get a bit complex.
3. Bookkeepers and accountants
We are biased, we know. But that’s because we see daily how much easier life becomes for small business owners once they have the right financial team behind them.
And what does that team usually look like? A bookkeeper and an accountant working together behind the scenes to keep your financial world organised, so you can stay focused on running the business.
While your accountant looks at the bigger picture — advising on tax strategy and helping you plan ahead — your bookkeeper keeps your systems in order, maintains compliance, and makes sure you understand what your numbers are saying. We talk more about that partnership in our blog: Bookkeeper vs Accountant: What’s the difference?
Without a doubt starting a business takes courage (kudos to you for taking this leap!). The good news is, support’s out there — and we’re part of it, so feel free to reach out anytime if you need guidance.