• Get business training online or in-person from a support group of organizations.young businessman image by Alexander Raths from Fotolia.com
  
  Starting and growing your own company can be a daunting task, fraught with questions and technical legal intricacies above your own knowledge. However, free resources abound for business owners. Turn to a network of mentors and experts for quick answers on your conundrums---from tax implications to marketing to e-commerce start-ups.
  
  

Edward Lowe Foundation

• Edward and Darlene Lowe founded the Edward Lowe Foundation in 1985 with the intent of "providing information, research and educational experiences that support entrepreneurship." To that end, this organization created a support system to business owners through the opportunity to learn from their peers. Participants can glean information from videos, articles, conferences, and their new free online research tool (YourEconomy.org). Second-stage entrepreneurs, or those generating an annual revenue of $750,000 to $50 million, may also participate in the foundation's Leader Retreats and PeerSpective's Roundtables.
  
  EdwardLowe.org
  
  

NOLO

• From its inception in 1971, NOLO has striven to "make America's legal system accessible to everyone" by providing focused legal and business advice on a range of topics through their podcasts, articles, books, software, document writing tools and national directory of lawyers. Owners of Limited Liability Companies can find basic training such as how to form and run an LLC, how to set up tax information, how to write an operating agreement, and how to plan ahead for ownership changes.
  
  NOLO.com
  
  

SCORE

• Since 1964, SCORE (Counselors to America's Small Businesses) has been offering free counseling and training from a network of volunteers. Headquartered in Washington, DC and Herndon, Va., SCORE also runs 364 offices nationwide. As a recipient of 14 awards, the organization is dedicated to grow "successful small businesses across America, one business at a time." Today, business owners may take a free webinar or workshop, sign up for business newsletters, or receive help online or in-person from one of 12,400 mentor volunteers. New entrepreneurs find invaluable training especially in their "how to" library of topics, ranging from starting a business to financing to advertising basics.
  
  SCORE.org