GOSmallBiz

What GOSmallBiz does

GoSmallBiz (legal entity FTSBN, Inc., DBA GoSmallBiz.com) is a private, founder-owned small business services platform headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, founded in 1996 by NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton. The company sells bundled subscriptions combining self-serve software tools — an award-winning Business Plan Software, a WordPress-powered Website Builder, an HR Document Builder, Manage My Minutes (corporate minutes and entity compliance), a CRM with Mailchimp email marketing integration, and Business & Legal Forms — with partner-delivered human advisory services including Online Business Consultation, Tax Consultation (via Tax Hotline), Legal Services (via Legal Club of America), ComplyBright video-based compliance training, Google Business Profile optimization, and Google Ads campaign management.

The platform is distributed primarily through a direct-to-consumer self-serve website (gosmallbiz.com) and mobile applications on iOS and Android, targeting small business owners and entrepreneurs across the United States and Canada (for legal forms). Pricing is publicly disclosed and organized around two membership bundles — Essentials ($49/month or $499/year) for sales and growth tools and Assurance ($69/month or $699/year) for compliance and protection — supplemented by standalone product subscriptions (Business Plan Software $150/year, HR Document Builder $15/month, Manage My Minutes $99/year, Domain Name Service from $15/year) and a hybrid Google Ads management service ($49 setup plus 15% of monthly spend).

GoSmallBiz operates as a service-first technology company with no external institutional funding and no disclosed M&A activity. The leadership team is led by Fran Tarkenton (Chairman and CEO) and Rick Gossett (CFO, previously COO of Tarkenton Companies and Principal at Ernst & Young), supported by a Director of Technology, a Senior Systems Engineer II, a Director of Operations, and a Content Development lead. The company reports cumulative scale metrics of 400,000+ small businesses served over 20+ years, 400,000+ employees trained on compliance topics over the past 10 years, 15,000+ new websites built over 10 years, and 450,000+ business and legal questions answered over 10 years. Revenue, headcount growth, and active subscriber counts are not disclosed in the source material.

Name

GOSmallBiz

Legal name

FTSBN, Inc.

Website

https://gosmallbiz.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GoSmallBiz is a private, founder-owned Atlanta-based SMB services platform founded in 1996 that bundles self-serve software (business plan, WordPress website builder, HR documents, CRM, corporate minutes) with partner-delivered advisory (tax, legal, compliance, consulting) under subscription memberships for US and Canadian small business owners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Small Business Services Platform

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Software/SaaS Subscriptions (Consumer & Prosumer) (CRAFAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Digital Learning & Course Subscriptions (CRAFAIAD)

Keywords

• Small business services
• Business plan software
• Website builder platform
• Compliance training software
• HR document management

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Subscription Memberships: Monthly and annual subscription bundles providing access to multiple business tools and services. Includes Essentials ($49/mo or $499/yr) and Assurance ($69/mo or $699/yr) bundles, plus individual product subscriptions.
2. Individual Service Purchases: Standalone purchases for specific services including Business Plan Software ($15/mo or $150/yr), HR Document Builder ($15/mo), Manage My Minutes ($99/yr), and Domain Name Service ($15/yr starting).
3. Google Ads Management: Campaign management service with $49 setup fee plus 15% of monthly Google advertising spend.
4. Partner Referrals: Revenue from referral fees when members upgrade to premium versions or purchase additional services from third-party providers within the platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

GoSmallBiz sells subscription-based software bundles and add-on services for U.S. small business owners and entrepreneurs. Its product set centers on an award-winning cloud-based Business Plan Software and a WordPress-powered drag-and-drop Website Builder, augmented by HR Document Builder, Business & Legal Forms, Manage My Minutes (corporate minutes/compliance tracker), CRM with Mailchimp integration, mobile apps, and embedded partner services (ComplyBright compliance training, Tax Hotline tax consultation, Legal Club of America legal services, Google Business Profile optimization, Google Ads campaign management). Customers buy memberships (Essentials $49/mo or $499/yr; Assurance $69/mo or $699/yr) or individual product subscriptions directly through the website.

Product overview

GoSmallBiz is a membership-based small business services platform that bundles multiple tools and advisory services into two primary subscription tiers (Essentials at $49/month and Assurance at $69/month) plus standalone add-on products. The core platform centers on the award-winning Business Plan Software and the WordPress-powered Website Builder, with members gaining access to complementary tools including CRM with Mailchimp email marketing integration, Online Business Consultation, Google Business Profile Optimization, HR Document Builder, Manage My Minutes (corporate entity management), ComplyBright compliance training, Tax Hotline tax consultation, Legal Club legal services, and Business & Legal Forms. The platform is organized as a service-first technology company leveraging both software tools and human consultant networks to deliver small business support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GoSmallBiz: Primary brand for small business services including business planning, website building, HR documents, legal forms, and business consultation.
• ComplyBright
• Manage My Minutes
• Google Ads by GoSmallBiz

Products and services

• Business Plan Software Award-winning business plan creation platform providing industry-specific templates, a step-by-step wizard, video tutorials, a complete narrative plan, and built-in multi-year financial statements and projections (income statement, cash flow, balance sheet) without needing spreadsheets; sold standalone at $15/month or $150/year and included in the Essentials bundle.
• Website Builder WordPress-powered drag-and-drop website creation platform with 25+ professional templates, responsive design for all devices, free hosting, free subdomain, SSL certificate, blog support, and Google Analytics integration; included in the Essentials membership bundle.
• Online Business Consultation Advisory service connecting members with experienced business consultants for unlimited questions with a guaranteed two-business-day response time, accessible via web dashboard and mobile app; bundled into both Essentials and Assurance memberships.
• Google Business Profile Optimization Service by certified Google Business Profile experts to create new or optimize existing Google Business Profiles so businesses appear prominently in Google Search and Google Maps results; included in the Essentials membership bundle.
• Website Consultation & Analysis Professional website review service delivering a detailed written report scoring the site against modern web standards across design, accessibility, user experience, social media, SEO, and marketing, completed within two business days; included in the Essentials bundle.
• ComplyBright Compliance Training Video-based employee compliance training platform covering general topics (diversity and inclusion, cybersecurity, sexual harassment prevention, HIPAA awareness) and state-specific requirements for California, New York, NYC, and Illinois, with live tech support, completion certificates, and recordkeeping; included in the Assurance bundle (first 10 users, $5 each additional).
• Tax Consultation (Tax Hotline) On-demand tax consultation service powered by Tax Hotline offering unlimited phone consultations, free prior-year tax return review, IRS audit assistance, and discounted tax preparation at flat fees; included in the Assurance membership bundle.
• Legal Services (Legal Club of America) Legal consultation service providing a nationwide network of attorneys matched by location, language preference, and legal specialty; members receive 40% off standard attorney rates and free initial consultations, document review, and letters/calls on behalf of their business; included in the Assurance membership bundle.
• Manage My Minutes Online corporate minutes and entity management platform enabling creation and archiving of corporate meeting minutes, compliance calendar management, automatic reminders, and access to state forms and Secretary of State resources for S-Corp, C-Corp, and 501(c)(3) entities; $99/year standalone.
• HR Document Builder HR document generation tool with hundreds of customizable templates including employee handbooks, office policies, job descriptions, interview forms, evaluation forms, offer/rejection letters, confidentiality agreements, and correspondence templates, exported to Microsoft Word format; $15/month standalone subscription.
• Business & Legal Forms Extensive library of customizable business and legal form templates including independent contractor agreements, debt collection forms, intellectual property documents, waivers and releases, licensing agreements, and buy-sell agreements, generated via wizard tool and exported to PDF or RTF; included in the Assurance membership bundle.
• Domain Name Service Domain name registration service enabling businesses to search for and register unique domain names with extensions including .com, .org, .net, .shop, .co, and .biz, starting at $15/year.
• GoSmallBiz Mobile App (iOS and Android) Mobile application available on iOS and Android enabling members to submit business consultation questions, receive push notifications when answers are ready, and access the full suite of member tools on the go.
• CRM (with Mailchimp Integration) Customer Relationship Manager integrated with the GoSmallBiz membership, supporting contact management with up to 2,000 contacts, email marketing via Mailchimp integration (contact sync, bulk subscribe/unsubscribe, campaigns, tracking, up to 2,000 contacts and 12,000 emails per month free), and lead tracking.
• Google Ads by GoSmallBiz Google Ads campaign management service where GoSmallBiz handles ad copy writing, keyword optimization, demographic and device targeting, ad scheduling, geo-location targeting, budget management, and monthly performance reporting for a $49 setup fee plus 15% of monthly ad spend.
• Essentials Membership Bundle Growth-focused subscription bundle ($49/month or $499/year) for small businesses, combining Business Plan Software, Website Builder, Online Business Consultation, Google Business Profile Optimization, and Website Analysis into a single membership.
• Assurance Membership Bundle Protection-focused subscription bundle ($69/month or $699/year) for small businesses, combining ComplyBright compliance training (first 10 users, $5 each additional), Tax Consultation, Legal Services, Corporate Minutes Tracker, and Business & Legal Forms into a single membership.

Quantifiable outcome

• 400,000+ employees trained on compliance topics
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Legal Club of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoSmallBiz partners with Legal Club of America to connect members with a nationwide network of attorneys. Members receive 40% off standard attorney rates and free initial consultations, document review, and letters/calls on behalf of their business. Attorneys are matched based on location, language preference, and specific legal need.
• Tax HotlinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoSmallBiz partners with Tax Hotline, a full-service tax and accounting firm, to provide on-demand tax consultation. Services include unlimited phone consultations, free review of prior year tax returns, IRS audit assistance, and discounted tax preparation at flat fees.
• MailchimpcoreTechnology or IntegrationGoSmallBiz CRM is fully integrated with Mailchimp for email marketing. Members can sync contacts, create email campaigns, track engagement, and access up to 2,000 contacts and 12,000 emails per month for free with paid upgrades available.
• ComplyBrightcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoSmallBiz includes ComplyBright, an engaging video-based compliance training platform for employers and employees. Covers general topics (diversity, cybersecurity, HR recordkeeping, emergency preparedness, HIPAA, sexual harassment prevention) and state-specific courses (California, New York, Illinois).
• GooglecoreTechnology or IntegrationGoSmallBiz offers Google Business Profile optimization services and Google Ads campaign management. The website builder integrates with Google Analytics for website traffic analysis. Google Business Profile helps businesses appear in Google searches and Maps.
• ADPminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGoSmallBiz partnered with ADP (press release June 2015) to offer small business payroll, tax, and HR solutions to members.
• NOWaccountminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGoSmallBiz partner NOWaccount was selected as finalist in Intuit's $100,000 Small Business App Showdown and integrated with QuickBooks Online. Available in the Intuit QuickBooks App Store.
• Peach State Federal Credit UnionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership announced February 2015 to offer small business services to credit union members.
• RelocalmoveminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGoSmallBiz partnered with Relocalmove (October 2015) to offer free employee benefit package for members buying or selling homes, including services for preparing homes for sale, finding buyers, and moving.
• Tarkenton Institute / EO AtlantaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTarkenton Institute partnered with EO Atlanta (Entrepreneurs' Organization) in 2016. Fran Tarkenton, founder of Tarkenton Companies and Tarkenton Institute, is a serial entrepreneur and former NFL quarterback.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• LegalZoom: Public legal services and business formation platform. Overlaps with GoSmallBiz's legal consultation, business formation, and compliance offerings but operates at much larger scale across many verticals.
• Squarespace: Public website builder with strong SMB and prosumer orientation. Competes with GoSmallBiz's Website Builder offering while operating at significantly larger scale with stronger brand.
• Gusto: HR, payroll, and benefits platform for SMBs. Overlaps with GoSmallBiz's HR Document Builder and small business employer focus, but with much deeper payroll/benefits functionality.

Direct peers

• LivePlan: Direct competitor to GoSmallBiz's flagship Business Plan Software - cloud-based business planning with financial projections, templates, and pitch tools targeting SMBs.
• Bplans: Long-standing business planning resource and software platform for entrepreneurs. Competes directly with the Business Plan Software product and shares SMB founder/entrepreneur targeting.
• Rocket Lawyer: Legal document templates and attorney consultation subscription service. Direct competition to GoSmallBiz's Legal Services and Business & Legal Forms products.

Emerging players

• ZenBusiness: Business formation and compliance platform for LLCs and corporations. Competes with Manage My Minutes and small business compliance/formation use cases.
• Wave Accounting: Free/low-cost accounting and invoicing software for small businesses. Adjacent to GoSmallBiz's financial/tax guidance and SMB tooling positioning.

Others

• SCORE: Nonprofit small business mentorship and education network (sponsored by SBA). Adjacent to GoSmallBiz's online business consultation service and small business educational content.
• Mailchimp: Email marketing and CRM platform. Already an integrated partner of GoSmallBiz's CRM; adjacent to small business marketing/automation category.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GoSmBiz
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/mysmallbizkit
• Facebookfacebook.com/gsbmembers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gosmallbiz-com

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GOSmallBiz