10 Great Blogs & Websites for Small Biz Owners

June 21, 2011 Filed under: Fun Stuff — Tags: —

small business blogs and websitesMany small businesses are struggling as our economy continues to sputter and choke.  There may not be a silver bullet to solve the growth problem, but there are some good resources on the web for small businesses looking to grow and expand.  Here are some blogs and websites you may find helpful.

Small Business Trends – a website hosted by Anita Campbell, widely regarded as one of the leading small business experts, who follows trends in the small business market and has won numerous awards for her dedication to small business.  This site includes article contributions from a broad list of small business writers and bloggers.  One downside: it’s organized chronologically, not by topic category, which makes it difficult to browse for topics of interest.

SmallBiz Technology – an online publication with easy-to-understand articles on technology.  Educates small business owners on how to use technology as a tool to grow their business.  Offers articles, videos, events, special reports, and great suggestions for small biz tech resources and tools.

BizSugar – A spinoff of Small Business Trends, this is a neat little bookmarking site for small business, which means articles are submitted by readers and then voted on so you can see which ones are most popular and most liked by the small biz community.  It’s easy to navigate, with clear topics (marketing, finance, legal, franchises, technology, startups) and lots of sub-topics, so you can easily browse popular articles in a well-defined category if you’re looking for advice or peer opinions on a particular topic area.  This site has a loyal following and lots of active participants.

Inc. Magazine – This grandaddy of small business publications has been around for 30 years.  The online edition includes a rich collection of articles, blogs, AskInc Q&A forum, IncTV video collection, Guides & Tools for specific small biz challenges, and the first-rate magazine itself.  A great feature is the Inc Advisor, a collection of how-to guides, articles, tips, and video interviews with top entrepreneurs, who share their lessons learned on wide assortment of topics for start-ups.  Another highlight is The Inc.500 | 5000 Conference and Awards Ceremony, an annual event that celebrates the fastest growing private companies in America.

DuctTape Marketing blog – John Jantsch writes this blog on small business marketing, with lots of practical & easy tips of the “10 Best Ways” variety.  He is a popular speaker and consultant, and also has a Podcast series of his famously practical small biz advice  available on iTunes.

Entrepreneur magazine -  a monthly online publication that carries news stories about entrepreneurialism, small business management, home-based business,  franchising, and business opportunities.

SBA website – the US Small Business Administration has a useful website that starts with a handy assessement tool to help you determine if you’re ready to start a new business.  It’s also got a wealth of articles about managing and growing your business, including practical topics like obtaining licenses & permits, business laws & regulations, loans, grants & funding, importing & exporting, energy efficiency, insuring your business, disaster preparedness, working with the government, etc. The site can also direct you to the local SBA office in your region for more localized small biz information.

NYTimes You’re The Boss blog – a bunch of first-rate journalists contribute to this blog, featuring lots of real-life stories of entrepreneurs and small business owners and what has worked (or not) for them.

Wall St. Journal How-to Guide for Small Business – The Wall St. Journal publishes oodles of articles on small business, but on this site they aggregate lots of “how to” tips, written by some of their top reporters and columnists.   If you’re looking for hands-on advice for how to make some challenging decisions in your business, look here before you pay a consultant.  Article categories include Funding a Business, Franchising, Starting a Business, Hiring & Managing Employees, Buying & Selling a Business, and more.

Business On Main – a Microsoft MSN site that calls itself “a community for small business leaders.”  Includes articles, videos, tools and other information to inform and answer questions about starting, running and growing a business. Includes a Q&A database, though it doesn’t appear to be very active.

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Social Media For Small Business: It Boils Down to 2 Steps

June 3, 2010 Filed under: Social Media Marketing — Tags: , —

There’s no getting around the fact that involvement in social media takes time.  It’s the one thing I hear small business people fret most about when they decide to get involved.  “How can I find time to do this?”  “I have a business to run!”  “I’m overwhelmed before I even begin!’  The next thing I hear from them is “What will I write about?”

Can you relate?

Social media marketing is all about sharing content and connecting with people across the web.  In the early days, critics dismissed social media channels like Facebook and Twitter as little more than gossip and chat outlets, leaving many business people with the impression they weren’t serious enough for business interactions.  That is no longer the case.  Facebook and Twitter have both evolved into critically important communication channels for business of all sizes and industry types.  LinkedIn has also evolved from a networking tool to a major resource for discussions, information sharing, and prospecting.  Blogs have become a primary source of expertise sharing, discussion, and basic education for professionals and consumers everywhere.  Bottom line:  whether you think you have time for it or not, social media is fast becoming the norm for business communications.  And like anything you do in your business, you’ll be more successful if you approach it with clear goals and a deliberate strategy.  Here’s a simplified, holistic way to build your social media strategy.

At its most basic level, social media marketing consists of 2 primary activities:

  1. Creating content
  2. Sharing content

Here’s a summary of how to execute those 2 things effectively.

(more…)

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