If you’re a new business owner, you’re focusing on building your business. You probably don’t have the luxury of time or money to take a bunch of classes -- and learning how to do payroll is included. And maybe you can’t afford to hire a payroll whiz to handle that aspect of your business. But like millions of small business owners in America, you’re prepared to wear a few different hats to be successful. How will you learn?

While I’m not aware of any one-day crash courses in learning payroll (please correct me if I’m wrong!) you can become as well-informed as possible from the start. The philosopher Plato wrote, “The beginning is the most important part of the work.” Here are some great, general resources to get you started on the right foot:

1. Get educated with the American Payroll Association, which offers many learning tools for new business owners, including payroll training materials and payroll certification.

2. Learn bookkeeping basics with the Small Business Administration’s Introduction to Accounting (which is free!)

3. Of course, consult the authority on federal employer payroll taxes -- the Internal Revenue Service -- to understand payroll and record-keeping requirements for Businesses with Employees. Actually, it’s smart to spend some time learning about payroll tax basics and other business topics on the IRS website (so you don’t have to spend time explaining yourself later...)

4. Check out resources from your state, which probably has a site dedicated to commerce, or locate your state's info at the USA.gov website.

5. Find a trusted business mentor in your field to help you through the bumps of owning a business. They’ll be happy to answer payroll questions -- just ask. If you don’t have a mentor, get free advice from SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives). Your CPA also can be a good source for payroll help, especially if they’ll be handling your payroll tax filing.

6. Select a trusted payroll method for your business that will simplify your bookkeeping and give you peace of mind (read my previous article “Making Sense of Business Payroll Options” to define your payroll choices.)

Start right by gaining knowledge on the best business practices, and you can build your business with confidence. If you have any great ideas for business owners, please share here with us.