Resources for Entrepreneurs
Becoming a successful entrepreneur takes guts, a good idea, market knowledge, and lots of planning. But you knew that already! Here are some online resources that should help you shore up that base and should come in handy on your quest for world domination.
Knowledge is power. You need to find out what people are talking about, what people are searching about, what people are blogging about...
Entrepreneurial Community
Get in contact with like-minded folks. Whether you need a business partner, a daily dose of networking or inspiration, or even some virtual water cooler talk, an entrepreneurial community or forum can be just what you need.
- Startup Nation: http://www.startupnation.com/ (Check out the forums)
- The Small Business Community Forums: http://www.smallbusinessforums.org/
- Business Know-How Forum: http://www.businessknowhow.com/forum/
Tools
Knowledge is power. You need to find out what people are talking about, what people are searching about, what people are blogging about, what websites they are looking at (and whether or not they’re looking at yours)...
- Google Analytics: https://www.google.com/analytics/
- Technorati: http://technorati.com/
Networking
A little online networking can go a long way. Networking can boost your sales, increase your number of professional contacts, and improve your available opportunities.
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/
People
Because sometimes you need some help. If your business needs an extra pair of hands but you’re not quite ready to hire a full-time employee, you should probably check out hiring a freelancer.
- Elance: http://www.elance.com/
- Craigslist: http://www.craigslist.org/
Official (and Quasi-Official) Help
Do you need some help or advice on a particular issue? Sometimes turning to official sources can be just what the doctor ordered when starting up or running a business. They can provide support, find you a business mentor, answer questions, and point you in a new direction.
- Small Business Administration (SBA): http://www.sba.gov/
- SCORE: http://www.score.org/
Knowledge
Keep up to date, get ideas, and expand your base of knowledge. Mags (and their websites) for entrepreneurs covering the gamut of startup and small business topics can provide big ideas, best practices, current trends, advice, and things to watch out for.
- Entrepreneur.com: http://www.entrepreneur.com/
- Inc.: http://www.inc.com/
