There are useful tips on the value of trade shows for your business and how to work with the cadres of exhibitor firms out there. Since small businesses have a special need to conserve cash, BarterNet is a good place to find people with services and products for trade. You can list your own business, and locate what you need by geography or service. When I looked, there were a respectable number of listings for everything from color printing to debt counseling, from graphic design to translation services. Another boon for small biz is the U.S. Post Office's business service , which is helpful in calculating shipping and postal rates, international postage and package tracking, and of course ZIP codes.
Many small businesses are in fact one-person shops.
If this is your situation, the National Association for the Self-Employed might be of interest. Their 300,000 members get legislative clout, provide group buying power for products and services, offer access to resources and specialists who can help you through the thicket of self-employment brambles. Better run, don't walk, to Rutgers University's Accounting Resources on the Internet , which offers links to the Big Six as well as a large list of other U.S. firms, accounting journals and programs, SEC and FASB rules and regulations to contend with, publishers and software. Accounting may not be fun, but somebody's gotta do it, and you might as well be armed with the best weapons when you face the marketplace and your competition. And finally, because a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, stay current with the on-line version of Inc. Magazine, an authoritative and friendly voice addressing virtually every aspect of running a small business or company.