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Small businesses play a huge economic role in almost every industrial nation worldwide and not suprisingly are also a huge part of the New Way To Work on Elance. But regardless of the location, type of business, or market, many small businesses have commonalities and also share growing pains with others. Here is a quick roundup of small business websites, resources, and communities that you as a small business owner or entrepreneur can use as an asset for your success. (Although many of these sites focus primarily on U.S. targets, many of the tips and strategies can be applied to businesses worldwide.)Inc.com – The online counterpart to Inc. Magazine hosts an excellent resource center for small business owners in its “How to Start a Small Business” Start-up Guide. The site covers everything from writing a business plan, conducting initial market research, how to get low-cost marketing for your start-up, raising capital, how to pitch your business to investors, and more. Also, since tax time is just around the corner, be sure to also check out their Tax Strategies section to find guides on structuring your business with tax cuts in mind, planning your taxes for tough times, and the lowdown on small-business tax deductions. (And they have a great blog, too.)
CNNMoney.com – CNNMoney, a partnership by CNN, Fortune Magaine, and Money, is one of the big players in the space of online business and finance publications. There are a ton of standard resources, like strategy articles, small business news, and a “How We Got Started” section showcasing small business success stories, but the section I found to be most compelling was the Questions & Answers. Here, you can view the question and answer of the day, search through the database of previously answered questions by CNNMoney staff, or shoot them your very own question to be answered by an expert.
Small Business Administration – Sponsored by the United States government, the Small Business Administration offers a wide variety of tools and information resources to aid the growth of your small business. If you’re looking for location-tailored information, the SBA offers regional, city-based offices and information to aid you. If you’re unable to take advantage of local resources, there are also many online components, like theSmall Business Training Network, that provides a wealth of information in the forms of online courses, research tools, podcasts, and more.
Duct Tape Marketing – Marketing is one of the core pillars of any business regardless of the size or business model it’s running. However, the mindset carried by many small business owners and entrepreneurs is that money is tight and marketing functions are almost always cost-prohibitive. Founded by John Jantsch, Duct Tape Marketing offers strategies to help run a variety of different low-cost, effective marketing campaigns.
BusinessWeek – As another popular online and print publication with clout,BusinessWeek’s Small Businesshub offers a nice series of informative articles written by Karen Klein, a Los Angeles-based writer that covers entrepreneurship and small-business needs, and Scott Shane, the Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies at Case Western Reserve. Another area of the site I particularly like is the “Today’s Tip” blog, which offers a small-business tip on a daily basis.
All Business – If you’re just looking for a steady stream of business-related content, the All Business blogoffers a simple, straightforward site with a copious number of articles written by a wide range of business authors. The site updates with anywhere from five to 10 blog posts per day covering topics from business planning, out-of-home businesses, marketing, tech, retail, and more. Although the design may not have the aesthetics of some of the other sites, there’s more than enough content for you to keep your business mind occupied.
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