When I was starting out this blog and the consulting business behind it there were a lot of things I didn’t know. As I continued on my journey, I came across many puzzle pieces that were helpful in running my blog and my business. I hope many of these can be helpful to you too.
I tried to incorporate everything from business advice sources to resources to help you handle the day to day tasks of running a business to marketing online.
While each source may or may not be the missing link for you and your business, many of these links may trigger other thoughts you have that could then resolve your most pressing problems or point you in the direction of a solution.
If you have any other resources you think I should include in this list or other topics that should be covered, comment below.
If you think there was value in this list for you then please like/share/tweet on the various social platforms. Thank you.
General
This section contains great overall information about how to run a business – from soup to nuts. This is basically Small Business 101.
Huffington Post – What’s Working: Small Business
CNN-Money: Small Business Guide
Forbes – Must Have Tools for Small Business
Job Hero – Entrepreneurship and Small Business Resource Guide
Consumer Affairs – How to Get a Business Loan
Productivity
Entrepreneurs’ most scarce resource is often time. Making the best use of their available time and outsourcing the rest is the key to optimizing their business vehicle’s results. Many of these sites tackle those problems and free your time and focus to get more business in the door and turn that into profits.
MileIQ (keep track of your mileage)
Uber (taxi service)
Kim Komando’s Listing of Virtual Assistants
TaskRabbit (handles the tasks that steal away your personal life)
Gotomeeting, Webex, Google Hangouts (webinars, video conferencing, web conferencing, online meetings)
Social Media/Online Marketing
Social media is here to stay as a critical element of any marketing plan. Given how much time people spend looking at their cell phones, these social media platforms are often the perfect environment to capture prospective clients’ attention.
Website/Blogging
There are a lot of elements that lead to a successful web presence. This hardly scratches the surface but should provide most of the elements necessary to get a website/blog up and operating.
GoDaddy (domain names and web hosting)
Blue Host (web hosting)
WordPress (website design/blogging platform)
Studiopress Genesis (WordPress Website Theme)
LeadPages (landing pages)
Thrivethemes (Email Conversion-based WordPress Themes and Plug-ins)
Fotor, 123rf, Getty Images, PR Photos, iStock Photo, New York Public Library (photo sites)
aWeber, Constant Contact, Infusionsoft (email marketing)
SurveyMonkey (surveys)
1ShoppingCart (online shopping cart)
Carbonite, iDrive (data backup/recovery)
Government Resources
Although the government has its issues, there are still solid business resources out there – here are a few.
IRS Small Business Resource Page
U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs – Veteran Entrepreneur Portal
U. S. General Services Administration
Small Business Administration (SBA)
City and County Offices
Mentoring/Support
Check out these sources of mentoring and support for small businesses. Many are free or minimally priced for the value they create.
SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives)
Encore (Retiree Interns)
Accounting
However you decide to handle it, accounting is a critical element of your financial well being – don’t neglect it.
Reviews of the Best Accounting Software
Accounting.com Small Business Resources
Legal/Business Entity Creation
Online sources to set up the legal pieces of businesses.
LegalZoom – Business Resources
NOLO – Small Business Resources
Business Plans
Business plans are a useful guide to keep your business on track and also to ensure you’ve pre-thought many critical areas of your business – here are some key resources.
Entrepreneur Magazine Business Plan Guide
Although this is far from a comprehensive list, hopefully this will get you rolling on your entrepreneurial journey. Let me know how things go.
