“Blog” – what a strange word! It’s generally recognized that the first blog was Links.net®, created by college student Justin Hall way back in 1994. At that time, this type of online content was not called a blog. Hall just referred to it as his personal homepage. It wasn’t until 1997 that the term “weblog” was coined. In 2005, Merriam-Webster® declared “blog” to be their word of the year.
Starting a Business
1. QuickSprout®
Entrepreneurial expert Neil Patel, co-founder of Crazy Egg® and Hello Bar® is a high-profile business influencer. His blog breaks down common issues faced by startup businesses. A big focus is converting followers into sales. If you’re interested in starting a business, this should be your first stop.
2. forEntrepreneurs®
This online resource and magazine for all kinds of startups has been voted the #1 website for entrepreneurs by Inc. Magazine®, and ranked 2nd on the list of 100 Best Websites for Entrepreneurs by Forbes® Magazine. Run by serial entrepreneur David Skok, this blog offers helpful information for entrepreneurs and startups.
Eric Ries is the creator of Lean Startup Methodology® and is also a writer and a programmer. He shares lessons learned from the successful companies he founded as well as insight about why some of his ventures failed. He’s also written a book, The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses.
How to grow your company
This blog has 95,000+ subscribers and is a weekly newsletter covering product and growth strategy. Paid subscribers also join a private community of over 7,000 PMs, growth leaders, and founders. With 115.5K followers on Twitter®, this growing fan base also gets great information on product, sales, and start-up strategies.
5. GrowthHackers®
Sean Ellis runs GrowthHackers®. Their mission is to help companies ignite sustainable growth using the cross-functional, value-based approach proven effective by today’s fastest growing companies such as Facebook®, Airbnb®, Amazon® and Netflix®. GrowthHackers’ blog is a great place to ask questions and start conversations with the best professionals in this field.
For developing small business partnerships
6. Company Partners®
A business partner may be someone to join with you to start a business, or to join an existing company to bring additional skills into it. Finding a reputable and capable partner for your business can be complex but there is information available to help. The Company Partners® blog is the resource center of an online site where you can find business partners, mentors, investors and business opportunities.
Staying up to date with technology
With an easily digestible 3 posts a week, the SmallBiz Technology® blog features news, interviews, and events for business owners and those working for smaller businesses. The articles aim to educate business owners and entrepreneurs with information on how to strategically use technology as a tool to start and grow their businesses. In addition to techy, the writers cover marketing and sales, finance, operations, office productivity, security, and customer service.
8. Wired.com®
Wired.com® is an authority on emerging technologies, examining how technological innovation affects culture, politics, and world economies. Starting out in print in 1993, the website launched the following year. The Wired.com writers cover many categories including business, culture, security, and more. Wired is proud to report that the publication has never failed a fact check by the International Fact-Checking Network.
10. Fast Company®
Fast Company® (FC) is widely considered to be one of the most reliable sources of business and technology news. Fast Company’s tagline is “The Future of Business,” which pretty succinctly sums up their focus. Their articles focus on leadership, innovation, marketing, and more. FC is a good choice for disruptive, tech-driven micro-businesses who are learning the ropes as they go.
Social media tips and tricks
11. Social Media Today®
Social Media Today® offers a diverse mix of news on social networks’ latest developments and cutting-edge tips to perfect your use of each platform. The blog also hosts live Twitter chats from its Twitter hashtag, #SMTLive, on various social media topics twice a month.
12. SocialMedia.biz
The comprehensive SocialMedia.biz blog breaks down its social media content into News, Business, How-To, and Marketing topics — providing a reader experience that is sorted according to the unique social media challenges you might face in your career. The blog encourages readers to become contributors by showcasing their expertise to help build brands for a targeted audience.
The Social Media Examiner® offers tons of great guest authors and consistent how-to content, Calling themselves “Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle”, their mission is to help small business marketers navigate the constantly changing social media jungle. They believe that with smart marketing, even the smallest brands can compete with the largest players in your industry.