So you have just made one of the biggest and most important decisions of your life: you are going to become an entrepreneur!
Things don’t get easier once you decide, once and for all, that you are going to turn your raw idea into a real business. In fact, coming up with an idea for a business is probably easy compared to things like figuring out how to start a business, legal matters, finding investors and the like. Need help? The internet has plenty of it.
Here are some of the top websites you should bookmark immediately as an entrepreneur. They all offer an array of tips, advice for getting started, suggestions for common problems new business owners face and success stories of those successful entrepreneurs who stand where you want to stand someday.
1. Entrepreneur
Staying up to date on the latest news, strategies and trends in the world of entrepreneurship isn’t easy at first, but there are sites that make it much easier to stay in the loop. Entrepreneur is more than just a magazine. Its website features how-to articles, top business owners and industry news and updates you can have sent to you via email or through the Entrepreneur app.
2. Your Success Now
Sometimes the best way to get inspired when you feel stuck or discouraged is to read the success stories of people who have accomplished what you someday soon hope to be able to achieve. You can find such inspiration and encouragement from Your Success Now, which publishes news and features related to entrepreneurship in all niches and industries.
3. Copyblogger
In order to run a successful business these days, you are going to have to have a website. And in order to run a successful website, you will need a little background knowledge about effective content marketing. Copyblogger is one of the best content marketing self education platforms out there. Articles feature tips, examples and advice for strategies and best practices that will help you sell your products and/or services online.
4. TED.com
With its large archive of TED Talks, the site can be a place to find inspiration and hear the ideas others have used to change the world. Many of the TED speakers of the past are entrepreneurs who started out with nothing and somehow managed to build a successful business with just an idea to their name. You can use TED as a foundation to learn more about these speakers and can even reach out to them for networking purposes.
5. Inc.
There are a few places on the internet you should be visiting regularly if you want to start and grow your own business, and this is one of the top ones you should visit and bookmark right away. Similar to Entrepreneur, Inc. is a website separate from its magazine that is the ideal place or aspiring and up and coming entrepreneurs to visit on a regular basis. The site has an entire section dedicated to entrepreneurship, and has seemingly endless amounts of tips and resources for you to make use of.
6. Startup Digest
If you are looking for updates and information about entrepreneurship but are not ever sure where to find them, you will want to start by visiting Startup Digest. Here you can subscribe to a newsletter that will send you a collection of articles and other information to help you stay up to date with all news, strategies and the like related to startups and small business ownership. The site itself also offers reading lists by subject so you don’t have to search long for the topics you want to read about.
7. Onevest
Are you a founder looking for someone to invest in your upcoming business endeavors? Onevest is the perfect place to find them. It is an online crowdfunding platform which allows you to earn up to five million dollars toward your company in investments. It is possible to find investors who are experts in your field and will give you not only their funds but their moral support.
8. You’re the Boss
One of the best things you can do as an aspiring entrepreneur, or one who is just starting out, is to read a blog written by a small business expert. Chances are, at least one post will feature content you will be able to use as you take your next steps into the business world. Though the author of this blog has since left the New York Times, his helpful advice is still relevant for anyone thinking about or starting the process of launching their own business. The blog’s archives hold tips for business owners on topics such as content marketing, social media, franchising and more.
9. The Startup Donut
Do you plan on starting an international business? The Startup Donut is the website that has the appropriate articles and resources for all your startup needs. You can learn how to start a business and which steps you need to take to get to where you want to be. Applicable for any business in any niche or industry, these resources will help you establish your business in the market of your choice and will guide you on your way to entrepreneurial success.
10. Forbes
When it comes to business news, whether it is financial, national, international or specific to people and/or companies, Forbes is one of the top sites to find the information you are looking for. Forbes is a place you can find up to date business news as well as articles on a wide range of topics related to business, everything from interviewing to success tips to what works in business and what doesn’t work, or hasn’t yet. Search the site with a question and you will likely find an answer.
Whether you are on the lookout for the most inspiring entrepreneurial success stories, you don’t know how to get your own website or you have no idea how startup investments work, these top websites for entrepreneurs will be able to answer all of your business related questions and more.
