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The small-business navigator

Everything you need tostart, run, andgrow your business

Honest buyer’s guides, free calculators, and playbooks for your exact industry and state — free to read, no paywall, ever.

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01Find Your Software02Run the Numbers03Pick a Path04Read Expert Guides

Software we’ve tested hands-on

QuickBooksSquareGustoShopifyHubSpotToastStripeWix
01Find Your Software02Run the Numbers03Pick a Path04Read Expert Guides

01Find your software

Which software fits your business?

Every guide is tested hands-on, names real cons, and tells you who each tool is not for. Reader-supported - never pay-to-rank.

Person reviewing financial charts on a laptop

Accounting Software

Books, invoicing, and taxes without an accountant on payroll.

See top picksBest for my niche
Paycheck and financial planning documents

Payroll Services

Pay your team correctly in any state, taxes filed for you.

Compare providersBest for my niche
Tablet point-of-sale terminal on a retail counter

POS Systems

In-person, online, and mobile checkout, hardware included.

Compare POSBest for my niche
Team viewing a CRM dashboard on a laptop

CRM Software

Track leads and customers without spreadsheet chaos.

See top picksBest for my niche
Website design displayed on a computer screen

Website Builders

A professional site this weekend, no developer needed.

Compare buildersBest for my niche

Other categories

Credit Card ProcessingBusiness Phone SystemsEmail MarketingLLC Formation ServicesBusiness InsuranceBusiness LoansHR SoftwareE-commerce PlatformsCybersecurityProject Management

02Free tools & calculators

Run the numbers before you spend a dollar.

Most sites tell you what to think. NewsMaze lets you calculate it — with your prices, your costs, your state.

  • Free calculators — startup cost, runway, pricing, break-even, CAC, and more.

  • State-aware math for payroll, sales tax, and minimum wage in all 50 states.

  • Software pickers that match you to the right POS, CRM, or payroll — honestly.

  • No signup, no paywall. Type numbers, get answers, get on with your day.

Explore all tools

Live tool

Break-even calculator

$4,500
$40
$14

You break even at

174 sales / mo

That’s $6,960 in monthly revenue.

03The hubs

Lost in the maze? Pick a path.

Six hubs cover the whole journey — wherever your business is today, there’s a marked trail from here.

01

Start a Business

Pick a structure, register in your state, and open your doors on solid ground.

LLC vs S-corpState stepsStartup costs

02

Grow Your Business

Marketing, sales, and financing moves that actually add revenue — with the math shown.

Marketing ROILoansPricing

03

Run & Operate

Payroll, hiring, cash flow, and the day-to-day systems that keep you sane.

PayrollHiringCash flow

04

Challenges & Fixes

Slow months, late payers, rising costs — the problem, real solutions, and tradeoffs.

Cash crunchChurnCosts

05

Innovation & Ideas

What's changing for SMBs this year — AI, payments, tools — and how to apply it.

AI for SMBsTrendsNew tools

06

Your Industry

Benchmarks, what leading shops do, and the software your niche actually uses.

RestaurantsTradesRetail
Founder mapping out a business plan on paper

04Expert guides

Essentials for every stage of your business.

The SMB Brief

Five minutes a week. Zero fluff.

What changed for small businesses this week, why it matters, and what to do about it. Free, and easy to leave.

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